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SPRING
BREAK NOT JUST FUN & GAMES FOR
As college students get back into classes, spring break is becoming a distant memory, except for members of the ADVANCE and Association of Black Business (ABBS) student organizations at the University of Cincinnati, who are still talking about their Annual Spring Break Excursion to New York City.
For the past twelve years, ADVANCE & ABBS have refined this Spring Break Corporate Excursion -- unique among colleges and universities nationwide -- where students chose to tour companies and organizations in major urban settings, during their spring break, rather than hanging out on a sunny beach. participants experience a fast-paced week of visiting Fortune 500 companies, non-profit organizations, and African American-owned businesses to learn about the various functions of these organizations, current hiring trends, future directions and specifically about the career experiences of African American Managers and Executives in these organizations.
Host
corporations provide informative half-day sessions involving a range
of
ADVANCE/ABBS members, aspiring and achieving students at UC, learn about emerging career paths, work life trends, organizational dynamics and current internship and future career opportunities. Because ADVANCE functions under the auspices of UC's Career Development Center (CDC), these excursions also aid CDC Advisors in answering many of the current concerns held by students of color as they contemplate their career futures. Concerns include:
"These tough topics are the content of our discussions on the Corporate Excursion and remain in our minds long after the Excursion is over," states Dirk Whatley, Jr. (A&S) who has attended two excursions. This year's was by far the best! Dirk states. We got to see the wild Trading Floor at Merrill Lynch, the gaping hole at Ground Zero, and hang out in Brooklyn at Spike Lee's joint the week that his movie "Inside Man" was premiering across the country! We got to see New York from a work life and social life perspective. And, I will never forget some of the life lessons shared so personally by black leaders in these organizations!"
ADVANCE and ABBS begin planning their Spring Break Corporate Excursion in early fall. "We have learned that organizations expect real advance planning and professional follow up," states Brian Hill (College of Business), who set up the Merrill Lynch visit. We also have to do fundraising, write proposals and present our needs to various university offices and colleges seeking support. Ultimately, in addition to our fundraising, we had to come up with $350 of our own money to fund this year's trip and that's a lot of money for some of us. So you better believe we take it seriously."
For more information contact: Arthur Walton, ADVANCE Advisor, Career Development Center, University of Cincinnati, 513/556-3471. |
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Twenty-one UC students
from Freshman (4) through Senior year (7) from various UC colleges
including: Business; Arts & Sciences; Allied Health and The Center
for Access and Transition were in attendance. Now in its 12th year,
this year's Excursion involved a hectic week of visits to 9 New York
headquartered corporations/organizations in 4 days including:
executive-level officers, mid-level managers and entry-level new
hires chosen by the host company to give a realistic picture of the
challenges and opportunities of working in their organizations.
The students
attending the Excursion have found them to be extraordinarily
informative, encouraging and sometimes even transforming to their
personal goals. With greater clarity about complex, 21st century
work environments to which they have had
limited previous exposure, these students return to campus, much
more knowledgeable about what it will take for them to be successful
and more confident about their potential to be successful in these
organizations. Some are currently pursuing internships through the
contacts made during the excursion.