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FROM Kelley MBA Blog: IGOE Global Fellows attend ROMBA Conference in Chicago |
Kelley Students Attending ROMBA: From left to right: Guillermo Kalen (Full Time, 1st year, IGOE Global Fellow), Benjaman Holbrook (Evening Program), Alejandra de Caso (Full Time, 2nd year, IGOE Global Fellow), Manuel Tejera (Full Time, 1st year, IGOE Global Fellow), Jonathan Morrill (Full Time, 2nd year), Faraz Hussain (Full Time, 1st year), and Michael Marturana (Kelley Direct). By Guillermo Kalen, MBA ’17 Reaching Out MBA, Inc., or more commonly known as ROMBA, is a non-profit organization that educates, inspires and connects LGBT business graduate students and professionals to lead the way to equality through its year-round events and its new fellowship program. Its main event is the annual ROMBA conference, which was held in October in Chicago this year. More than 80 companies and 1,400 participants attended. We are grateful to the Institute for Global Organizational Effectiveness, which provided the financial support that allowed us to attend this conference. Conferences like this one enable students to connect with recruiters and other students, to learn through panels from current professional practices, and participate in case competitions in several areas such as entrepreneurship, analytics, marketing, innovation and finance. Networking at ROMBA was easy to do. It started early with an online job-posting portal and a very useful mobile app that served as a social media tool to connect both students and recruiters in an engaging way. Throughout the event, there were corporate treks, receptions with recruiters, workshops and panels with representatives from different companies, a networking lunch with recruiters, and the career expo. In addition, most companies also hosted or invited students for private coffee chats that were also a great opportunity to network, know about the culture of the company, and ask questions about future opportunities in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Panels and workshops dealt with a wide range of topics, including the power of networks, brand management, case interviewing, investment banking insights, big data in today’s business environment, strategy, trends in healthcare, rotational programs, experiential innovation, trends in travel and hospitality, exploring non-profit careers, the airlines business and advice from entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Not only did students get a chance to learn about new trends in different industries, but also to actively participate and engage with company representatives. As a first-year MBA student, I found case competitions particularly interesting to watch because it gave me a general picture of what the judges expect from the teams, and how there are different types of cases and dynamics in these competitions. I would strongly recommend other students to participate in these in the future because they serve as practice and give participants exposure to recruiters. Keynote speakers were also very impactful during the conference, particularly in terms of inspiring professionals on actively participating towards equality. These included Bruce Rauner, governor of Illinois, Tim Gill, software entrepreneur, George Kalogridis, CEO of Disney’s Parks and Resorts, Morgana Bailey, TED-talk speaker and human resources activist, and Laverne Cox, actress and LGBT advocate. Our experience was amazing. We learned, networked, made friends and got interviews. The key for all of this is to do your homework in advance, to be genuine, to reach out and to be open to learn:
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FROM Kelley MBA Blog: The Power of Maybe So |
by Nicolette Michele Johnson, Associate Director of Kelley School's Graduate Career Services Nicolette Michele Johnson I remember, years ago, when I was laid off from a large corporation. It was around the housing crisis with a lot of layoffs swirling around. I imagine some people felt bad for me, thinking how unfortunate it was. During my newly found free time, I read one of Eckhart Tolle’s early books, one that Oprah endorsed as part of her well-known book club that often took authors from relative obscurity to fame in what seemed like mere seconds. I vaguely remember a story in the book in which an individual was in an auto accident and people told the individual how bad that was. “Poor thing,” they said. His response was: “maybe so.” Then, while in the hospital, he later learned that his house had fallen into the ocean. People told him how bad that was. He said: “maybe so.” That’s when I honed in on the principle of “maybe so.” I had always had somewhat of a “maybe so” attitude, but I hadn’t thought about it deeply. I don’t think there’s an actual principle called that, but I’m sure the concept is an old one. Are there worse alternatives than being in the hospital after an accident? Had the person not been in the accident and been home when his house slid into the ocean, could his fate had been worse? It’s quite possible. In my situation, was it a bad thing to be laid off? Maybe so. It’s all a matter of perspective, with events only deriving the meaning and impact that we give them. Did I lose an opportunity to continue to work at that large corporation? Yes. Was that a bad thing? Not from my vantage point. During my "break," I gained lots of free time which included my daily 10 a.m. workout at the gym or walk on Atlanta's Silver Comet Trail, staying up as late as I wanted to (as the night owl I truly was and am) and talking with new companies about all sorts of the possibilities. I also read more books during that time than I had in several years combined. And because of other events in my life, that layoff could NOT have come at a better time. It was like kismet, with the universe knowing I needed a break, especially from work I never loved. The universe likely knew that a few short years later, my experience, skills, wisdom, sense of direction and even income would double, surpassing anything I had left behind. In the years that followed, my affinity for “maybe so” grew. There are so many silver linings in most events, especially involving work, dreams and relationships, that I actually have difficulty finding the negative side. Sure, I don’t totally overlook the negative aspects, but the positive takes their place with lightning speed. And when I can, I try to help others, especially those I coach, embrace the positive after they've had some time to sit with their feelings, good or bad. So when the next event that appears less-than-positive to you occurs, I wish you, too, a big dose of maybe so. “The Power of Maybe So” was originally published on Linkedin Pulse on October 13, 2015. |
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