BWUA Presents: The 8th Annual Road to Success Freshman Luncheon

On the 8th floor of John M. Huntsman Hall on a sunny Saturday afternoon in September, 45 students gathered for the first Black Wharton Undergraduate Association event of the 2013-2014 academic year, the Freshman Luncheon. This event, organized by Black Wharton Freshmen Liaison, Lena Hairadin, allowed the upperclassmen BWUA members to interact with the newest members of the Penn community in the class of 2017. 

This event also featured two key speakers. The first being Ms. Georgette Phillips, former Vice Dean of the Wharton School, who reminded students to be thankful of where they are and to consistently give back to the community. She also told students to take advantage presented to all students not only at Wharton but Penn itself, and to shape these 4 years to be as great as they can imagine. The second speaker was Mr. J. Hyatt Mondesire, NAACP Philadelphia branch and state president, NAACP national board member, and owner of the Philadelphia Sun. Hyatt continued on the theme of giving back to the community, informing us that we are the brightest minds in the African community, a community which is often faced with much adversity. He commented on the racial structure of Philadelphia as well as the United States, referencing multiple events including Martin Luther King's speech and even this history of the University of Pennsylvania. He concluded his presentation in saying, "You have an outstanding chance to make a difference in this country. Don't waste it."

The Luncheon event then concluded with the kind of words of Lena Hairadin. She advised these our newest class to use these 4 years as a time for self-discovery and failure as even the most successful people have failed. They were also encouraged to come to Penn with an open mind and to leave as an even stronger person. After wishing everyone a successful year, those in attendance stayed around to socialize and enjoyed remaining food.

UMOJA PRESENTS UNITY HOUR: Each One, Teach One: The Black Pre Professional Mixer

On September 8th, 2013, in the Multipurpose Room of W.E.B. Du Bois College House, six minority-focused preprofessional groups at the University of Pennsylvania united to promote their respective organizations and illustrate what opportunities these programs have for undergraduates. In addition to the Black Wharton Undergraduate Association, "UNITY HOUR: Each One, Teach One: The Black Pre Professional Mixer," presented by UMOJA, featured the following groups: Onyx Senior Honor Society, National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Pre-Law Students of Color, Minority Association of Pre-Health Students, and Minorities in Nursing Organizations. Our club president, Paul Ampofo, spoke to a group of 60 students about the history of our organization, our corporate sponsors, events we host, and highlighted our upcoming events such as the Freshmen Luncheon on September 14th, and our first GBM on the September 24th.

Following each club's presentations, those in attendance enjoyed food courtesy of Chipotle while socializing. Afterwards, Makini Hughes, BWUA Director of Professional Development, divided everyone into groups to play Jeopardy. The categories for Jeopardy focused on the theme of minority professional development and included categories such as resources at Penn, famous Black alumni, and Black corporate America. Those in attendance left the event feeling eager to become involved with Penn's preprofessional programs for undergraduate minorities.

We hope to see everyone at our next BWUA Event, the Freshmen Luncheon, on Saturday, September 14th, 2013 from 12-2pm on the 8th Floor of Huntsman Hall.

If you inquire about other preprofessional groups at Penn, please follow the links below:

ONYX - Onyx Senior Honor Society
www.dolphin.upenn.edu/onyxhs/about.html

SPOC - Society for Pre- Law Students of Color
www.spocatpenn.weebly.com/

NSBE - National Society for Black Engineers
www.dolphin.upenn.edu/nsbe/

MAPS -Minority Association of Pre-Health Students
www.dolphin.upenn.edu/maps/

MNO - Minorities in Nursing Organization
http://www.nursing.upenn.edu/mno/Pages/default.aspx

Lincoln Financial Group Case Competition

On March 27th, 2013, Wharton Women, Wharton Latino, and the Black Wharton Undergraduate Association hosted a case competition with the Lincoln Financial Group. After a brief presentation from Lincoln Financial's campus recruiting team, a managing director in their life insurance business department spoke to students about his career at Lincoln Financial Group and why he felt the industry was a great place for young students to begin their careers. The students were then broken up into 7 groups of 4 for the case problem in which the students worked together to come up to with recruiting strategies to attract more undergraduate students, a strategy for retaining young employees, and a model in which they should be compensated. Lincoln Financial Group employees walked around to assist the students as they came up with their solutions. After being given an hour to prepare, each team then had 7 minutes to present their solutions. Following the presentations the Lincoln Financial Group representatives led a question and answer session to address any remaning concerns. Finally, the judges deliberated and offered prizes to the top 3 groups, the top group containing BWUA members Makini Hughes & Paul Ampofo! In the end, it was a great collaboration event between Wharton Women, Wharton Latino, and Black Wharton. We would like to give a special thank you to the Lincoln Financial Group for sponsoring the event, and to all our members that came out. 

The Purpose of Gala - Galvanizing Adolescents Towards a Legacy of Achievement

This year, America has witnessed many tragic acts in childhood education. The events of Sandy Hook Elementary School have taken a way the opportunity for innocent children to live their dreams through education. As this devastating event has captured the heart of our nation, elementary school students in our own backyard of Philadelphia also struggle to receive an education. It is our time to give back to the community.

The Philadelphia Learning Center, located in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has helped elementary school students of G.W. Childs Elementary School develop useful skills, positive characters, and attainable dreams, despite negative circumstances. This year, the Black Wharton Undergraduate Association will be honoring the US Dream Academy Program. The Dream Academy Program is a six-week summer program that offers golf lessons, photography, dance, and music programming in addition to Dream Academy program standards:  skill, character, and dream-building activities. 

This year, join us at the 2013 GALA - Galvanizing Adolescents Towards a Legacy of Achievement, on Friday April 5th at 7pm at the Inn at Penn on 36th and Walnut. Help us recognize the US Dream Academy Program. Together we can make a difference. 

Buy your tickets here: 

http://bwuagala2013.eventbrite.com/

2011 GALA slideshow

2010 GALA slideshow

Power of Wealth - BWUA Collaboration with BSL

On March 20th, 2013, students learned how to transform their ideas into a reality through entrepreneurship. In collaboration with the Black Student League, BSL, the Black Wharton Undergraduate Association hosted 3 entrepreneurs, Kesi Gibson, Amarachi Enwereuzor, and Daniel White, as well as the moderator, Marvis Burns, in a panel discussion about entrepreneurship. Each of our guests brought forth an interesting perspective on the subject. Together, they explained that students should embrace the opportunities that follow them after graduation, to use each opportunity to help them to develop a strong business skill set, and make smart business decisions.

Nonetheless, the conversation between the panelist and the audience led to 3 powerful statements. The first from Enwereuzor who said, "Roll where you are planted." This lesson meant that if you ever feel like you are just a number or no one is helping you become succeed, you are more likely to leave that environment. The second quote was from White who said, "You can't build a sandcastle without wondering where the tides come in." White was inferring to the fact that no idea is unique and therefore you should be vocal and execute your idea to the best of your abilities. The final quote, which was repeated multiple times by our panelists, was, "Pursue your passion." They then explained that your passion was your commitment to your goals. You should not be afraid to test your abilities or seek out mentors to give you guidance. Also, its never a good idea to do what everyone else is doing: do what pushes you. The session ended with members asking panelists question over pizza from Allegro's Pizza.

If you have an interest in entrepreneurship, or any additional questions, please feel free to contact our panelists and moderator by email.

Kesi Gibson
kesig@wharton.upenn.edu

Daniel White
whitedan@wharton.upenn.edu

Amarachi Enwereuzor
amarachi@wharton.upenn.edu

Marvis Burns
marvis@wharton.upenn.edu

Coach Avery Johnson: The Business of Basketball

Excitement was in the air as a classroom in John M. Huntsman Hall reached capacity as more than 150 students gathered to hear the words of NBA Coach and former ESPN Analyst, Avery Johnson. The discussion began with Penn Sophomore, Christianne Johnson introducing her father to the audience. Avery Johnson then took the stage and gave the students background information on his own career and his progression from a 14th man on a 14 person team, a collegiate record holder, an award-winning NBA star, and ultimately an NBA Coach. Unfortunately, as many of us know, Avery Johnson's involvement with the NBA this season was not as he anticipated; however, he is optimistic that his participation with the NBA and basketball is far from over. Furthermore, Johnson continues to give back to the community with his organization, Just Say Yes, which gives inspirational presentations to high school and middle school students throughout the United States.

Austin Josiah then led the interview with Avery Johnson for the remainder of the session. Through the interviews, we learned more about Johnson's transition as a coach, his opinion on contract negotiations, the strenuous schedule of an NBA coach, and his views on basketball operations. The part of the discussion that students have taken away from the most was Johnson's three pieces of advice that concluded the session. Firstly, be competent about the field in which you are interested. He encourages students to study their field and develop a depth knowledge about their interests. Secondly, know the different levels of communication. Johnson believes that there are multiple forms of communication that each person must understand, such as their angry voice, disciplined voice, motivated voice, angry voice, and loving voice. Lastly, as a leader, it is more important to demonstrate a care for the people you are working with, then the end result of your work. He believes that if you show affection and respect for those that are collaborating with you, the ultimate result of your project will be greater. The session then concluded, and students took the time to ask individual questions and take pictures.

The Black Wharton Undergraduate Association would like to thank the Undergraduate Sports Business Club for hosting the event.

BWUA Minority Report: Being Black in the Business World

On February 26th, 2013, forty members of the Black Wharton Undergraduate Association gathered to hear realistic advice on what it truly means to be an African-American in the business world. Guided by University of Pennsylvania professor, Guthrie P. Ramsey, students listened attentively to a panel of successful individuals from Pennsylvania. This included Brittany Jean-Baptiste, Class of 2010 of Penn State University and Employee Engagement and Inclusion Coordinator at Comcast; Alan-Michael Hill, Class of 2011 of the University of Pennsylvania and First-Year Law student at Penn Law; and Luke Chernosky, Graduate of Cornell University and MBA Candidate at the Wharton School Class of 2014.

As our members indulged in Chipotle, they listened attentively to advice from our panelists. First, students learned how to present themselves both physically and online as companies are actively looking for well-presented and responsible employees. Members also became actively involved in our discussion of discrimination in the workforce. Our panelist unfortunately and unanimously agreed that there was racism in the workforce; however, they also provided the audience of students with ways to combat it. Hill supported that simply putting one's head down and working harder than one's coworkers allows one to produce a greater product and later gain superiority. Meanwhile, Chernosky supported that today's generation is now competing against people all across the world, and that minority students must take advantage of the opportunities that await them in African countries. In addition, both Hill and Chernosky believed that one should look to friend people who are similar to them, whether its height or skin tone; however, one cannot forget that though they are an ally, they are also your competition. Furthermore, Jean-Baptiste eluded to confronting those who were disrespectful by asking them to elaborate when they question your work, or wishing that they had not disrupted you during a speech as their question would have been answered later in the presentation.

Ramsey then brought the discussion to a close as our members applauded the panelists and waited to ask them further questions individually. BWUA Freshman member, Rachel Palmer, said, "It was great! The moderator was quirky and the panelists were interesting and insightful." Our members left the GBM feeling educated about the hidden truths of the business world. Nonetheless, the panelists inspired the students to continue working hard in school, and sparked the confidence to overcome all barriers in the work force.