Alpha Kappa Psi, Boston University’s international co-ed business fraternity, and theSkimm paired up in a moderated interview Monday night about the role young electorates can play in the upcoming presidential election. More than 50 students gathered in a College of Arts and Sciences classroom to listen to theSkimm founders.
Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin met with members of AKPsi and the BU community to discuss their journey in creating their company and to give advice on the upcoming presidential elections.
“We kind of took the secret path,” Weisberg said during the event. “We would get together and talk about this disconnect we saw firsthand between our friends who were smart, had good jobs and went to good schools. And what they were doing was asking basic questions about what was going on in the world. We saw the problem first hand, and that’s really where they started.”
Weisberg and Zakin created the media company, which gives information in simple terms. Subscribers are able to read an email every morning with an easy-to-read summary of the daily news, according to the two CEOs.
AKPsi President Annika Warrier wrote in an email prior to the event that theSkimm is an important organization to host because students should be a part of all upcoming debates.
“We feel that it is vastly important for students to take part in viewing the presidential debates so that they may be informed about the candidates, the political system as a whole, and feel empowered to vote and make their voices be heard,” Warrier said.
Olivia Simonson, a brother of AKPsi and a Skimm’bassador for theSkimm, reached out to the two founders because the two CEOs were going to be in Boston for the Forbes Under 30 Summit.
“I offered to create an event for them through the fraternity and to promote it through these affiliations,” Simonson said.
Brian Kim, a sophomore in the Questrom School of Business, said he was impressed with how Weisberg and Zakin were able to create their company and gain so much money in such a short amount of time.
“One thing that I was interested in was that their ability to make money off of their newsletter, which is pretty rare,” Kim said.
Weisberg and Zakin answered questions from Simonson about theSkimm and how it was created. According to the women, they connected while studying abroad together in college and realized that they shared a passion for news.
Adrienne Cytto, a 2015 alumna of the School of Education, left the room feeling empowered by the two young businesswomen’s journey.
“It’s such a great idea and they’re smart, young ladies that a lot of people aspire to be like,” Cytto said. “Just to see their vision start from a couch and grow is something to look up to.”
The two businesswomen discussed their role in empowering the young electorate through their Skimm the Vote campaign.
“It’s excusable to vote if you are not allowed to vote, but we have that opportunity. There is no excuse not to vote,” Zakin said.
“Educating an audience and having them take action is the lesson we have learned through this experience,” Weisberg added.
Simonson, a Questrom junior, said she was happy with how the event turned out.
“I’m so happy that they were so nice about everything. I’m such a big fan of their company and what they’ve grown and built,” Simonson said. “I am so glad that I can bring it to the community and that they were so willing to come hang out and talk with us.”
After the event, Weisberg and Zakin handed out information on voting, absentee ballots and stickers from theSkimm to encourage students to get out and vote for the upcoming election.
these girls just lowered the entire IQ’s of everyone in attendance. They are telling you that you’re not smart enough so let us help you look or talk smart. OMG! And people ate it up, tonight was a trainwreck and the problem is that no one in the room or the two woman talking had any idea!