The Importance of Producing Quality Work

This week BWUA hosted a summer internship panel led by Vice President of Internal Relations Paul Ampofo. The Panelists included Robbie Dixon, BWUA director of marketing Lizzi Diggs, Chris Russell, Joivannah Childs, Alex Emanuel. Each of the five panelists was a specialist in a different area; Robbie in investment management, Lizzi Diggs, Chris Russell, and Alex Emmanuel in law, and  Joivannah Childs in marketing.  The panelists each spoke to their own experiences, baring how they had arrived at their positions and giving younger members poignant advice based on their successes and minor regrets. Across the panelists, one of the major takeaways were the opportunities available to undergrads who excelled in their first internship. “There are many other smart students there,” Investment Management panelist Robbie Dixon,” and you want to show the firm that you stand out and they need to ask you to return.” Marketing panelist Joviannah Childs had a testimony that truly embodied this idea. For her sophomore summer, she had the option of working in finance at name brand Colgate or pursuing her true passion of marketing lesser known Modells. While she adamantly did not want a career in finance, she choose to take the Colgate offer given the better name and hoped that she could later transfer to marketing. After a stellar summer, Joivannah was able to approach her Managing Director and request a switch to the marketing side of Colgate. “This has never been done before,” he told her and while there was a substantial amount of pushback at the beginning, Joivannah was eventually able to get the position she had been wanting. As she said, “I was only able to do that because I had shown that I produced strong work. Because I had shown I was competent and dependable, they were willing to give me a chance in marketing. Joivannah’s story highlights the main theme of the GBM: members’ possibilities are endless, they only thing required of them is to put in the hard work.

BWUA Goes to Goldman Sachs

At 5:45 in the morning a group of energetic students gathered in the lobby of Dubois College House. In dapper business formal and resumes in tow, the group made its way towards 30^th street station. Headed by Director of Corporate Relations Marcus Hawkins Dungy, the students were on their way to Goldman Sachs as per BWUA’s annual externship visit. On the train, it became apparent that the members were travelling to Goldman for a variety of reasons. “As a junior, this is an invaluable opportunity,” stated Vice President of Internal Relations Paul Ampofo. Eastern Languages and Cultures major Christianne Johnson, however, was en route to Goldman for a different reason. “I am not necessarily into finance but I think that it’s a great opportunity that we have.” Upon arriving at Goldman BWUA members were greeted by Dede, one of Goldman's campus recruiters. “Pay attention today,” Dede told students, “because there is a lot of information that would be incredibly beneficial for you.” From there, Goldman Sachs put on a panel of early career analysts from a variety of different divisions. Among the divisions represented were investment banking, investment management, and sales and trading. Students were encouraged to ask questions, and the members were quite active in their participation. Given the range of ages in the room, the questions ranged from being general to rather technical. From there, the members took to their feet as they were given a tour of the building. Among the tour’s highlights were Goldman’s LEED certified features, such as their automatically adjustable blinds and in-floor AC units. The climax of the tour was the visit to the trading floor, where students were able to interact briefly with real traders. From there, the day went on with a few more speakers. Following the speakers was a networking lunch in which BWUA members were encouraged to ask the crucial questions that they would be expected to grasp in interviews. In all, BWUA ‘s Goldman Sachs Externship was a smashing success. The member who went learned invaluable information about Goldman Sachs as a firm as well gained a deeper understanding of the financial services industry as a whole. BWUA hopes that this served as an excellent way to jumpstart careers. 

Valuable Personal and Academic Lessons

This Tuesday BWUA hosted its second GBM of the year hosted by Director of Professional Development Titi Oshinayo and Director of Marketing Lizzi Digs. This GBM saw great success with a strong turn out of students from all years. The presentation had two features, one being the importance of crafting your online presence with care and the other staying ahead of the curve academically. Titi emphasized the importance that real companies place on student’s online profiles and gave examples of the dangers of becoming too personal online. In a creative game, the hosts told the membership of a young public school teacher who had been fired for posting inappropriate pictures on Facebook. The membership erupted into discussion on what they felt was that the picture must be. “She must have been in a club somewhere,” one member exclaimed. In the words of another student “It must have been a photo of an inappropriate relationship with a student.” Titi and Lizzie smiled as they revealed the picture. It turned out to be a docile picture of a woman smiling with two glasses of wine in her hands. There was uproar from the memberships. “People were upset because she was an adult who appeared to be enjoying her wine responsibly, “explained Lizze. “However,” as Titi continued,” it simply goes to show that even if something is technically alright employers can still draw their own conclusions and it can have consequences for you.” From there our hosts moved nicely into the discussion on how BWUA members can remain ahead of the curve academically. Titi and Lizie reminded members of University resources like Wine Garden and the Tutoring Center at Penn and spoke to the process of getting involved in both of these. The two directors stressed the importance of tutoring, and recognizing that asking for help was not a sign of weakness. Furthermore, the ladies encouraged members to seek help early in the semester, as this is the time when there is the most possibility for improvement of their grade. In sum, the GBM was incredibly informative.  Members would be wise to heed the advice, as those who put the advice into practice will see incredibly positive results in the future.

Freshman Luncheon is a Hit

BWUA kicked off the year with its annual Freshman Luncheon with a smashing success. Freshman Liaison Alex Wiggins arrived well before any of the guests to put the finishing touches on the room and greet the incoming freshman. As the freshman trickled in, the board divided itself among the many tables and invited the newcomers to sit down and get acquainted. Everyone mingled happily for the next twenty minutes until the first guest Vice Dean Georgette Phillips took the stage. In a concise and poignant speech, Mrs. Phillips encouraged students to be proud of themselves for making it to The University of Pennsylvania and reminded them that there was a far larger number of individuals who are unable to say that, especially those of color. The Vice Dean added to her comments that it was important that the students incorporate a priority for helping others into their schedules.  “We talk so much about mentoring and finding a mentor,” said Mrs. Phillips “but at every point in your life you should also have someone below you who you are mentoring and who you are helping.” The membership gave a hearty applause following the speech and then waited eagerly to be released for the food. Freshman Liaison Wiggins had wisely hired Baby Blues Barbeque to do the catering and the freshman praised her accordingly. With everyone’s plates replete with corn bread, chicken, sweet potatoes the upperclassmen and freshmen bonded over a delicious meal as they awaited keynote speaker Ron Phillips.  Mr. Phillips, the Senior Vice President of Comcast captivated the crowd with not only his strong public speaking skills but also the details of his personal story.  As the son of lower-middle income parents, Mr. Phillips had to fully support himself through college by holding down between two and three jobs. Mr. Phillips encouraged the students to thoroughly enjoy their undergraduate years as well as to discover and nurture personal talents that could parlay into profitable career opportunities. Mr. Phillips shared a story from his own undergraduate years in which he discovered his own talents. Though he had always wanted to be a finance major, he realized soon that the numbers were not his strong suit. As such, he changed paths and found success in focusing his efforts on law. In addition to his academic experiences, he shared the personal experiences that made his college experience worthwhile namely meeting his wife and joining Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. Following his speech, he opened the floor to questions. Students inquired about his personal life and his experience as an African American in the corporate world. In addition to inquiries were requests for general advice. Following Phillips speech, Alex Wiggins closed the event to hearty applause upon which she called the board forward for a picture.

Birthdays and Send-off

The last GBM was expectedly bittersweet. On a bright note, the meeting coincided President Tingle’s birthday so BWUA was able to help him celebrate, however, it was also the last GBM for graduating seniors. Historian Ashimedua Okonneh and VP of External Relations Oyinda Adeofie partnered to host the meeting, which was centered around maximizing your summer internship. Ashimedua and Oyinda took turns offering tips for how to find the best success in summer internships, with key and often overlooked pointers on what to do both before and after the internship. One of the biggest pieces of advice was that members should adequately research the firm they are to be working for as well as to have a full understanding of their role as an intern. Also notable was the fact that members were encouraged to remain cognizant of the reputation they were creating for themselves.  Oyinda and Ashimedua warned against involving oneself with office gossip or overusing personal email and texting, as both could actions could be negatively perceived. Finally, the hosts reminded the members that they should stay current with their firm after finishing the internship, especially if they one hope to return to that firm in a future summer or stay within that same industry. Coupled with the advice were hypothetical situations with an interactive component. The hosts first polled the membership on what they would do in the event that they had booked a vacation before the internship dates were made clear to them. The room was generally in agreement, with almost everyone saying that given that the internship should still take priority to the vacation. There was more discussion with the second hypothetical, in which one had to decide how to handle conflicting assignments from two different supervisors. While most people said that they would hope they would have a strong enough relationship with one of the supervisors to ask for an extension, others suggested contracting a fellow intern to help them complete the assignment. Finally, the last hypothetical asked what do in the event that you have a return offer but you are considering switching industries. Seniors Quasie and Balfe responded that it would be important to be sure that there are opportunities in the industry you are thinking of switching to before rescinding the current offer. After the internship presentation, the meeting transitioned into dinner, and from there current events. Ashimedua presented on the Philadelphia Flyers/Pittsburg Penguins series, as well as the latest developments in the case against George Zimmerman. From there, Oyinda returned and the two presented BWUA: A Year At a Glance, in which they highlighted HEMM, GALA, and the other numerous activities and events the club hosted this academic year. Then came the moment all had been waiting for: Senior Appreciation! Those honored were: Ex President Triston Francis, Ex VP of Internal Relations Balfe Morrison, Ex VP of External Relations Oyinkansola Ayobiojo, Ex Marketing Chair Quasie Jones, Ex Marketing Chair Brooke Hinton  Ex Treasurer Tobi Obegunde, Ex  HEMM Co-Chair Ruth Gillis-Harry, Ex Director of Professional Development Dave Thomas, and finally Ex Social Chair Joseph Smalls-Mantey. After a hearty round of applause for the seniors who have meant so much to BWUA, the board closed the meeing by surprising Jarrid with cake for his 21^st birthday!