GWSB Undergrad News

January 16, 2008

The GW Minority Business Student Association Host Industry Panel Event
By Emmanuelle Renelique and Professor Vanessa G. Perry

On November 29, 2007, the Minority Business Student Association (MBSA) held an Industry Panel event for its members and other undergraduate business school students. This career panel, moderated by MBSA faculty advisor Professor Vanessa Perry, featured speakers representing a range of professional backgrounds and organizations-- from the Fortune 500, consulting, government, as well as the current president's administration. Speakers included:

- Beverly Rice Allen , Attorney and Division Director, SRA International
- Derek Ford, Senior Auditor, D.C. Office of the Inspector General
- Tiffany Moore, Assistant to the U.S. Trade Representative for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public
- Liaison, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
- Darren Sharpe, Assistant General Counsel, Freddie Mac
- Howard Westmoreland, Software Engineer, IBM

The topics discussed included finding one’s first job, skills and competencies needed for career success, lessons from college; and challenges facing women and minorities. These panelists provided a variety of insights about their careers-- from daily tasks to their overall lives as professionals. For example, regarding future and growing industries, Howard Westmoreland from IBA specified "anything analytical." On this topic, Tiffany Marie Moore from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative mentioned “Companies are turning to ‘green’ technology.”

Derek Ford, a Senior Auditor with the D.C. Department of Tax and Revenue, talked about the challenges with choosing college courses that boost careers. He said "I never learned the process for starting my own business."

When asked about managing people who may be older and more experienced, Beverly Rice Allen from SRA International offered the following advice: “Have the patience and tolerance to find out what people’s strengths are. Everyone is good at something.”

Darren Sharpe, Assistant General Counsel at Freddie Mac, addressed a host of questions from students interested in going to law school after graduation. He said, “[Studying the law] gives you a framework for analyzing things, but you can use that to do other things.”

Sharpe also provided advice to concerns about being a minority in corporate America: “If you perform, people are always going to come back to you.”

Since this event, several MBSA members have arranged to meet with panelists one-on-one to discuss career planning. In addition, several attendees have described what they learned from the panel. For example:

“We learned so much about the panelists, from their background, to the opportunities they seized and the directions that their various careers are taking. I learned about the progression of skills learned in each profession when the panelists reminisced on internships, their first jobs and first promotions. The panelists told us about mistakes that they made and advised the audience on how to avoid making these mistakes. When the panel was open for audience questions and discussion, it was interesting to hear my fellow students' questions because most of them were relative to my situation. I especially thought it was interesting to hear the panelists speak on how their own ethnicity affected their careers and the opportunities they were given. One panelist left us with some great advice -- never let anyone deter us from what we really want to do. Overall, it was a great event and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing from each panelist.”

In addition, attendees offered the following comments about the session:

As a senior, I was a bit flustered and curious about starting my new life as a professional in a couple of months. This event helped me put a lot into perspective, and I feel more comfortable since I have an idea of what to expect. I have even made a new contact who has already met with me for lunch who I hope will become my professional mentor.

This was really inspiring for me personally to see such professional people of color speak on daily professional life. One the questions asked was, “What is a typical day like for you?” They all started their days early, however for all five of the panelists, their professional work day did not end at 5PM. They were all either working later than that or were attending social function or sitting on various committees, which was just as impressive as it was surprising. I was unaware that part of building your professional network meant you had to sit on various committees, I thought that ended in college with extracurricular activities. I came to the conclusion that employers want a ‘well-rounded professional', just as graduate programs seek ‘well-rounded students.'

A quote from one the panelists that really stuck with me was: You are always on, as a professional. By this, she meant you always had to act in a polished professional manner even outside your office walls because you never knew who you would encounter and in which way they would affect your life. In addition she also said to treat everyone in the workplace with mutual respect, whether they were front or back-office, or your secretary because it creates an overall better environment but also everyone in an office plays an important role. They all match to fit the pieces of the puzzle, without the receptionist, who would greet clients and answer the calls, and without the managing partner, who would delegate tasks?

The MBSA is planning a series of additional career planning events for the Spring 2008, and is hoping to collaborate with other GWSB organizations in these efforts. For more information on MBSA, contact mbsa@gwu.edu.

Meet the Dean: Lawrence Singleton

Attention Students:

Please come to Duques 453 on January 23, 2008 from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. to meet the Undergraduate Associate Dean Lawrence Singleton. He will be there to answer questions or concerns that you may have. Pizza and soda will be available.


Mintz Sophomore Getaway is Recruiting!

The Mintz Sophomore Getaway is currently recruiting for team members to help lead the 14th Annual Mintz Sophomore Getaway. If you are interested in applying, please send your resume and a brief statement regarding your interest no later than February 8th. Past participation in the Getaway is strongly encouraged, but not required. Send submissions to getaway@gwu.edu.

GWSB Undergrad News is a weekly publication of the Office of Undergraduate Programs.

The deadline for submissions is Monday at noon. Send information to upnews@gwu.edu