WMC Trek 2009
By Amber Steinhilber, JGSM '11, & Ekaterina Legler, AMBA '10
Issue date: 11/2/09 Section: Perspectives
A First-Year's Perspective
In a room overlooking the Hudson River that was filled with passing hors d'oeuvres and alumni from over twenty companies, including Unilever, GE, Accenture, Deloitte, Colgate-Palmolive, and American Express, I stood sipping white wine, reflecting on the previous fourteen hours.
October 2, 2009-the Women's Management Council Trek began at 6:00 a.m. on a bus headed to the heart of New York City with thirty of The Johnson School's brightest female students enjoying Dunkin' Donuts muffins and croissants. Four hours later, we rolled into the Big Apple, parked, and met ten other Johnson students for a panel session with some of the top female talent at Accenture, including Cornell's recruiting liaison. Panelists first answered our questions and shared tables with small groups of students for a more informal Q&A session during lunch and dessert. Offering insightful advice on confidence, tackling projects, and balancing a life of travel and family, Accenture proved to be an invaluable experience.
After lunch, we headed downtown to the World Financial Center for an afternoon session with American Express. Armed with an arsenal of remarkable Johnson grads, the ladies of AMEX presented a deeper look into operations and the myriad of exciting American Express opportunities. Following the formal panel session, a recent Johnson grad from AMEX joined each of our tables to answer more questions about developing our personal "brand" and preparing for interviews. All of the alums were extremely open to our inquiries and offered unsolicited help. Grace, a recent Johnson alumnae, offered to look at my resume and give me feedback from a corporate/banking perspective.
It was quickly approaching dinnertime as we said our goodbyes to AMEX and descended to the main floor of the World Financial Center. Some of us darted toward Gap as others dashed towards Banana Republic and Ann Taylor for a brief shopping before meeting again for drinks.
Although many of us woke up before dawn, the energy in The Grill Room was incredible. Many girls had arrived for the day just for the opportunity to meet the alumni and recruiters at their top-choice companies. Since Amber, Suzette, Whitney, and Lauren had scheduled ample time for networking, no one was disappointed! Good bruschetta, great wine, and valuable face time with dozens of successful alumni-it was the perfect way to end the day.
An AMBA's perspective
A couple of words as an AMBA who also attended the trek… Although the trek was mostly tailored for the first-year MBAs, another AMBA and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to catch up with second-year students and do some networking. And, we have never regretted this decision. The organization was flawless-we had a day full of events that were perfectly scheduled and conducted. The atmosphere was open, and the ladies who were receiving us shared advice ranging from difficulties in managing client relationships to finding a balance between work and family life. The importance of business contacts cannot be underestimated. Many of us have already followed up with these contacts, obtaining some valuable career advice. As an additional bonus, we received forty blissful minutes of shopping at the fabulous Financial Center Mall. This gave us the energy we needed before returning to Ithaca.
In a room overlooking the Hudson River that was filled with passing hors d'oeuvres and alumni from over twenty companies, including Unilever, GE, Accenture, Deloitte, Colgate-Palmolive, and American Express, I stood sipping white wine, reflecting on the previous fourteen hours.
October 2, 2009-the Women's Management Council Trek began at 6:00 a.m. on a bus headed to the heart of New York City with thirty of The Johnson School's brightest female students enjoying Dunkin' Donuts muffins and croissants. Four hours later, we rolled into the Big Apple, parked, and met ten other Johnson students for a panel session with some of the top female talent at Accenture, including Cornell's recruiting liaison. Panelists first answered our questions and shared tables with small groups of students for a more informal Q&A session during lunch and dessert. Offering insightful advice on confidence, tackling projects, and balancing a life of travel and family, Accenture proved to be an invaluable experience.
After lunch, we headed downtown to the World Financial Center for an afternoon session with American Express. Armed with an arsenal of remarkable Johnson grads, the ladies of AMEX presented a deeper look into operations and the myriad of exciting American Express opportunities. Following the formal panel session, a recent Johnson grad from AMEX joined each of our tables to answer more questions about developing our personal "brand" and preparing for interviews. All of the alums were extremely open to our inquiries and offered unsolicited help. Grace, a recent Johnson alumnae, offered to look at my resume and give me feedback from a corporate/banking perspective.
It was quickly approaching dinnertime as we said our goodbyes to AMEX and descended to the main floor of the World Financial Center. Some of us darted toward Gap as others dashed towards Banana Republic and Ann Taylor for a brief shopping before meeting again for drinks.
Although many of us woke up before dawn, the energy in The Grill Room was incredible. Many girls had arrived for the day just for the opportunity to meet the alumni and recruiters at their top-choice companies. Since Amber, Suzette, Whitney, and Lauren had scheduled ample time for networking, no one was disappointed! Good bruschetta, great wine, and valuable face time with dozens of successful alumni-it was the perfect way to end the day.
An AMBA's perspective
A couple of words as an AMBA who also attended the trek… Although the trek was mostly tailored for the first-year MBAs, another AMBA and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to catch up with second-year students and do some networking. And, we have never regretted this decision. The organization was flawless-we had a day full of events that were perfectly scheduled and conducted. The atmosphere was open, and the ladies who were receiving us shared advice ranging from difficulties in managing client relationships to finding a balance between work and family life. The importance of business contacts cannot be underestimated. Many of us have already followed up with these contacts, obtaining some valuable career advice. As an additional bonus, we received forty blissful minutes of shopping at the fabulous Financial Center Mall. This gave us the energy we needed before returning to Ithaca.
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