At the meeting, members of the executive board shared advice on how to be successful and manage what can often be a difficult workload.

The group was founded four years ago by students aiming to fill a need for support they noticed on campus, said the group’s staff advisor Audrey Smith. This year’s group currently has 35 members and is looking to recruit more, Smith said.

Smith is the office manager for the Women’s Resource Center and has served as staff adviser for the past three years.

“Their mission is to enlighten women, to provide resources (and) be a support network,” she said. “When you can talk to other people, it helps enlighten you on some things you may not have included in your plan of action.”

After hearing about the group through the Black Student Alliance and seeing their T-shirts across campus, Andrea Reed knew she wanted to learn more.

Reed, an interdisciplinary studies in social science and health studies senior, said she believes Successful Black Women can help with the retention rate for black women at MSU.

“I think it’s important as women, particularly black women, that we have something that empowers us and inspires us to do better,” she said.

Biosystems engineering sophomore Lauren Moore joined the group last fall and said it was the group’s name that caught her attention.

This year, Moore is serving as Successful Black Women’s president and said being a part of the group has taught her to ask for help when she needs it.

“We want (members) to be comfortable (at MSU) and understand there’s more to being a student than attending classes,” she said. “You have to be an active learner.”

With the semester nearing the midway point and midterms approaching, Reed said it was a great time to hold a meeting to help students stay on track.

“I know I’ve been around incoming freshmen that didn’t know what to do,” Reed said. “I feel like if you know what’s out there, you’re more likely to seek help.”