Our last GBM of the semester was called "What Would You Do: A Guide to Navigating Your Summer Job." It focused on how to make the best of a summer internship and handle difficult situations that might arise


Members were broken up into teams and asked to act out different scenarios that could possibly occur while on the job. Some scenarios included managing your workload, going out to dinner with the boss, dealing with chatty co-workers and arriving late.





Some advice offered included: not ordering the most expensive meal when out to dinner with the boss; being careful but honest when arriving late; properly asking for time extensions with an excessive workload or proactively asking for more work if necessary; and finding the balance between friendliness and discipline with talkative co-workers.



Tuesday was also the senior send-off. Throwback pictures of former board members and current seniors were shown. The seniors were also given in a small gift in honor of their contributions to the Black Wharton Undergraduate Association.

Federal Doughnuts was served.

March GBM: Maximizing Your Time @ Penn

There are numerous untapped resources and opportunities at Penn. Black Wharton Undergraduate Association wants to make sure that you know what these are so that you can utilize them to make the most out of your undergraduate years at Penn.

Our March GBM focused on social, academic, and professional resources available to you on campus, many of which require little to no money. Amidst free candy, Shake Shack, t-shirts and Starbucks gift cards, the GBM was interactive and discussion-based with feedback and insight from several club members.

You don't want to graduate College wishing you'd done more. Let BWUA help you maximize your time at Penn.

SOCIAL

First, we took a look at business fraternities on campus that are provide a little bit of everything. While there are three on campus — Delta Sigma Pi, and Alpha Kappa Psi, and Phi Gamma Nu— we focused on DSP and AKPsi. Kenge Blue and member of AKPsi talked about the benefits of being in a business fraternity and her experience within it. Anyone can join a business fraternity, so even if you're an English major that's interested in learning more about business, you are more than welcome to give it a try.

Next, we looked at Wharton Leadership Ventures. These ventures are an opportunity for students to challenge themselves mentally and physically by participating in team-building and critical thinking activities. Whether you'd prefer a class-room based workshop or a rigorous mountain climbing trek, there are various experiences that will allow you to open your mind and expand your horizons. Ann Okhupe spoke about her participation in a venture and how much fun she had in it.

ACADEMIC
Research is a great way to learn more about a topic you may be interested in and the skills you gain are transferrable to any field of work. We talked about how to get involved in research, who to talk to, and even where you can find grants to support your endeavors. You could even get published because, who doesn't want to see their name in print?

Courses are difficult, most will be. But there are some hidden gems that you can register for when you just need that GPA boost. Often, these classes tend to be engaging and exciting and can be a great change-up from your usual course load. We offered a list of interesting courses and courses with great ratings on PennCourseReview. Global Modular Courses are fun short Wharton term classes taught abroad and Academically Based Community Service Courses allow you learn and serve the West Philadelphia community while you do.

Next, we looked at the Wharton International Program which gives students the opportunity to earn 0.5 CU and travel abroad for a short term to fulfill their business breadth requirement. Students get to tour cities, meet exciting Wharton alums and hear lectures at other universities. Mahu Attenoukon and Alex Wiggins both spoke about their experiences with WIP.

Penn Abroad offers all students the opportunity to travel and study abroad in the summer, semesterly or even for a full academic year. With a wide range of countries and programs, there's sure to be one for you. Financial aid is available to students who are eligible and if your program of choice isn't offered at Penn, you're more than welcome to petition for it.

The Senior Capstone Event allows Wharton seniors to gain 0.5 CU in an event that brings together everything they've learned in their years at Wharton.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Penn offers a variety of free workshops ranging from Intro to Excel and Intro to Photoshop to Bloomberg 101. These workshops are often held in the Weigle Information Commons or Lippincott Library —both of which are found in Van Pelt Library. Check out their websites for a calendar with lists of workshops.

Case competitions and business plan competitions are a way for you to meet new people, learn more about a particular industry or company, and use your skills to solve a problem as a team. There are usually monetary prizes that make the journey all the more exciting. Makini Hughes and Kendall Finlay, teammates on a case competition in Indiana spoke about how much they learned and grew from the experience. There is currently a BWUA sign up sheet for those who are interested in participating in a case competition but are looking for teammates.

Lastly we reminded our members that while they maximize their time at Penn, they should take care of themselves both physically and mentally.

OCR & Interview 101

When: Tuesday, February 11, 2014, 7:30 pm

As the first general body meeting of the spring 2014 semester, the new board was introduced to the general body. You can check out the bios of the new board on the BWUA website.

Interviewing season is well under way, so we found it fitting that our first GBM focus on recruiting and interviewing tips. BWUA members participated in a heated game of family feud with several questions related to campus resources, interviewing skills, and follow-up advice. The top answers were based on information provided by Career Services.

 


Members were also given the opportunity join different committees to increase their involvement within Black Wharton. Various committees can be found within marketing, community service, HEMM conference planning and with the freshman liaison.

Seniors who have already secured work opportunities upon graduation attended the GBM to offer more insight on interview tips and tricks.

Baltimore Crab & Seafood catered Tuesday's event.

Missed out on this GBM? Mark your calendars for our next GBM on March 18th at 7:30 pm. Follow us on twitter @BlackWharton and add us on Facebook to stay updated on upcoming events such as study breaks and tutoring sessions.

Black Wharton Presents: The 28th Annual Howard E. Mitchell Memorial (HEMM) Conference

The 28th Annual Howard E. Mitchell Memorial Conference was held from December 5th-6th, 2013, and it was truly a great and well attended event! Before we review the HEMM Week, we would like to thank our corporate sponsors for their support in organizing the HEMM Conference. BWUA would also like to issue a special thank you to our HEMM Committee, and the main HEMM Organizers, VP of Corporate Development, Jordan Jett, and HEMM Co-Chair, Erica Charles.

On Thursday Evening, the Alumni Reception was held in Harker Hall on the 8th floor of John M. Huntsman Hall. This was a greatly attended event by our Alumni and incoming members in the class of 2017. After presentation by the Penn Jazz Club, our 2010 Black Wharton President, Triston Francis, gave a speech addressing his HEMM Experiences, advising all those in attendance to meet as many people as possible, and hoping everyone enjoys the conference.

The following morning, students had the opportunity to interact with our recruiters from our BWUA Corporate Sponsors at the HEMM Conference Career Fair. Dressed in business formal, our students truly impressed the recruiters in attendance, networking with multiple firms, and gaining invaluable internship and networking experience.

Afterwards, BWUA hosted it Panel featuring Lieutenant Colonel Rogers - US Marine Corps, John Barfield - Bain & Company, Malcolm Evans - AdviceShare, Triston Francis - Morgan Stanley, and Stanley Greene - PowerThinking Group, all of which moderated by 2013 Penn Graduate and BWUA Haywood Perry. Though the Panel was extremely insightful and inspiring, some key take aways from our panelists were to prepare for the unexpected, to be resilient, continue working hard, and to take advantage of any opportunity that is presented.

The final event of the HEMM Conference was the BWUA Luncheon hosted in Harker Hall. Students enjoyed a nice 3 course meal while sitting along side corporate recruiters at their own tables. Our two $1,000 scholarships were presented by Vice Dean Lori Rosenkopf to Kendall Findlay and Chase Williams. Congratulations to our two recipients, you are truly deserving of this scholarship. Following, we were grateful to hear the inspiring words of our keynote speaker, Anthony P. Carter of Johnson & Johnson. Instead of speaking about his career, his downfalls and struggles, he did a reversal. In focusing on us, he told us not to judge an individual as our image is not a true representation of our story. He inspired each of us to be the Nelson Mandela of our own generation, and to embrace the opportunity that we have been given to attend such a great institution. Our members continued eating their meals while enjoying our BWUA giveaways of computer bags, and t-shirts.

On behalf of BWUA, we would like to thank everyone who came out and made the 28th Annual HEMM Conference such a great event! We look forward to seeing each of you next year!

Barbara Roche: Confidence Coach

For the 5th year in a row, Barbara Roche helped the Black Wharton Undergraduate Association gear up for the HEMM Conference with the 3rd general body meeting of the semester, Barbara Roche: The Confidence Coach. With a Huntsman Hall classroom of complete occupancy, and an audience ranging from all undergraduate classes, Roche guided the students through an hour-long presentation titled Networking 101.

Over a meal from Hummus, students had the opportunity to listen to the Roche's advice on professional dress, the art of properly entering a conversation, and most importantly, how to correctly answer the question, "Tell me about yourself." Students broke apart into teams of 6 and practiced their response to this question, receiving feedback from their teammates, and then choosing the best presenter to present themselves to the BWUA student body. After difficult deliberation between the 6 contestants, our winner for the best pitch was Casey Bridgeford (W'17) who won a copy of "Give and Take" by Adam Grant.

For those of you would like to learn more about Barbara Roche's presentation, please visit her website
www.barbararoche.net

Also, be sure to check out pictures from this week's GBM here!

Mark your calendars for HEMM Conference from December 5th, 2013 to December 6th, 2013.

Building Your Personal Brand

On October 22nd, 2013, students from the Penn community gathered how to better present themselves both physically and online at our 2nd GBM of the semester, Building Your Personal Brand. Led by Makini Hughes and Keishawn Johnson, students learned how to craft the perfect elevator pitch, and how your culture defines you. Those in attendance then examined the importance of building a personally brand through various new outlets. Academically, students are encouraged to excel in their studies and to develop strong relationships with the professor as both aspects help students in finding internships during the summer. In the online world, students were encouraged to create LinkedIn profiles in order to access a professional social network. Additionally, students are encouraged to monitor all social media such as Twitter and Facebook while applying privacy settings as employers constantly search social media during the application process.

After great dialogue about building a personal brand, interacting with other students delivering elevator pitches, and enjoying a great meal from Pattaya, the BWUA Director of Community Service, Kerubo Mokaya spoke about the U.S. Dream Academy, featured at our first GBM, and encouraged students to become more involved with their mentorship program for children in Philadelphia.

If you wish to become more involved with the U.S. Dream Academy, please feel free to reach out to Kerubo (mowi@sas.upenn.edu)

Thank you all for coming! We hope to see you at the next GBM in November!

Internship Panel - What Did We Do Last Summer?

At long last, BWUA held its first General Body Meeting of the 2013-2014 academic school year called, "Internship Panel - What Did We Do Last Summer?" On September 24th, 2013, 80 students gathered in John M. Huntsman Hall for this meeting, led by the two sophomores of the BWUA Appointed Board, Lena Hairadin and Chad Payne.

Wharton Vice Dean Rosenkopf gave a warm welcome to those in attendance on behalf of the Wharton School. She encouraged all students to take advantage of Wharton opportunities, and spoke about how excited she was for this new year. Following her presentation, Scott Romeika, Director of Academic Advising at the Wharton School, gave an an in-depth presentation of Wharton and Penn's academic advising. He then encouraged the freshmen to be ambitious, hoped the sophomores and juniors enjoy Wharton's core classes, and encouraged seniors to come by G95, and, most importantly, to enjoy their final year at Penn. The presenters then moved away from the Wharton School as we heard Naaila Gray speak on behalf of the U.S. Dream Academy. Last year, at the Black Wharton Gala event, we honored the U.S. Dream Academy, and now we hoped to continue that partnership throughout the year. Naaila introduced a new mentorship program with Penn for elementary school students in Philadelphia, and highly encouraged BWUA members to participate in this rewarding experience.

Lena and Chad then began to speak more about BWUA, introducing the executive and appointed board while speaking about events that we provide during the year. Those in attendance then enjoyed a meal catered by Baltimore Crab as they learned how to become involved with BWUA through the Marketing, Alumni Relations, and HEMM Committees.

Afterwards, a panel presentation began featuring the following individuals:

Amanda Langhorne
Marketing - BET, ABC, Verizon

Danielle Davis
Consulting - Bain and Company

Oyinda Adefioye
Finance - Morgan Stanley

Kelsey Slaughter
Tech - Google

Lucas O’Connor
Non-Profit/Social Impact - Interpol

They were asked about their internship as a whole, what role they, how they came about acquiring it, as well as their greatest and worst moments during the internship. Following the panel, BWUA members stuck around to ask our panelist and Board members questions. The event as a whole was a great success and showing! We hope to see you at our next GBM on October 22nd, 2013!