Student Life Blog

Recent MBA alum, Devin Ruthstrom, had the opportunity to attend breakfast with Judge Sven Erik Holmes, the Vice Chair of Legal and Compliance at KPMG, along with other students as a part of a program sponsored by the Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society on campus. Devin had such an amazing experience at this breakfast, that he agreed to write a guest blog capturing this event.

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Many of us go through our two years in the MBA program without really knowing the Champaign-Urbana community. As a way to introduce the students to various restaurants and community-owned establishments, the MBA Association has a program called, “The Taste of Champaign” where they highlight foods from other cultures that can be found right in the Champaign-Urbana area. Last week, the MBA Association featured foods from the Rainbow Garden Chinese restaurant to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Plates were piled high with vegetable eggrolls, General Tso’s Chicken, Vegetable Lomein and more! The MBA Diversity Association, in preparation for the MBA Association’s Chinese New Year celebration, decided to interview a couple of their members regarding the Chinese New Year.

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For second-year MBAs like me, our time in the MBA program at Illinois is quickly drawing to a close. For many of us, this is our last semester at the university (not true for some joint degree students) and we are all trying to make the most of it by taking classes that interest us and will benefit us in the future, making lasting connections, and finding the perfect career. I decided to sit down with Emilia Poppe, second-year MBA, Forte Fellow and an active member of the MBA community to check in with her about her classes and her job search.

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The Illinois MBA program often boasts that our student body is comprised of a number of international students from over 25+ countries. As a result, I decided to sit down with second-year MBA student, Shubhashri Mohanty to ask her questions about the University of Illinois, her career search, and more. Shubhashri graduated from the Amrita School of Engineering with a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and is exploring a career in IT and Marketing.

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Shelly Wohadlo, first-year MBA student and incoming president of the Kola Foundation, had the amazing opportunity of spending some time at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota over her winter break. Shelly is concentrating in Marketing and was a sales manager at a start-up company in Ecuador prior to coming to Illinois for her MBA. I had the pleasure of interviewing Shelly about the Kola Foundation and her visit to the reservation. Read More >>

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year. The MBAs have been busy over break! Some went with the Kola foundation to the LaKota reservation, some went to South Africa, others went home and applied for jobs and yet others spent their break participating in community service. In the coming weeks, look for blogs to outline the items mentioned above. For now, please enjoy this lovely video of some of the members of the Illinois MBAA Service Association helping the local Toys for Tots campaign in gathering toys at Toys R Us. Read More >>

As the semester comes to a close, many of the MBA students are leaving the Champaign-Urbana community for home to take a break from school work and to continue their search for the perfect full-time job or internship. Since winter break is a great time to refine interview skills, update resumes and search for jobs or internships, I decided to sit down with Jill Krivacek, current second-year MBA student, employee of Business Career Services and the 2011 president of the MBA Association to see if she had any tips for students looking for job opportunities. Read More >>

On Wednesday night, I was able to see firsthand the culmination of Business 101, a course in Professional Responsibility that all freshmen entering the College of Business have to take. I have been the Assistant Course Director for this class for the past year and Wednesday night was the official end to it. The 650 freshmen that take this course were split into groups this semester and were required to develop a product and a company that would be focused on the '3 Ps' of social responsibility: People, Profit and Planet. Many MBAs came out to help judge the posters and presentations that the freshmen gave and six of us (three MBA2s currently on the Business 101 management team and three MBA1s that are on the 2012 Business 101 management team) had the task of assigning grades to the presentations and seeing how much the freshmen have improved over the year. Read More >>

On Wednesday night, I had the pleasure of attending the Extraordinary Achievement Award ceremony which honored MBAs who went above and beyond the minimum requirements of being an Illinois MBA student. There were 18 students nominated, each of whom have engaged in outstanding personal acts, impacted the community or impacted the MBA program. I was lucky to be one of the nominees, excited to be honored for all of my hard work and dedication to the program. Read More >>

Those of us in the Illinois MBA program have a lot to be thankful for--an excellent education, wonderful friends and family, many job prospects and more. In order to show how thankful we are for the things we have, Illinois MBA students like to give back to the Champaign-Urbana community and other communities as often as possible. Prior to Thanksgiving break, MBA students participated in a number of events that benefitted the community, including donating food to a university-wide food drive, helping the Eastern Illinois Food Bank pack food and raising awareness of the Lakota Nation through the student-founded Kola Foundation. Read More >>

Case competitions are one of the many chapters that an Illinois MBA can add to her or his story while in the MBA program. During a case competition, MBA students are given the opportunity work on a team to present their solutions to company problems and compete against other schools and other teams doing the same. First-year MBA student, Jaren Gaddi was on a case competition team for Nielsen in which his team won. Jaren has a background in retail pharmacy operations and is currently concentrating in Finance and Strategic Management. I had the opportunity to interview Jaren regarding his experience at the Nielsen Case Competition. Read More >>

In the first-year MBA ethics class, we often heard our professor state that her goal in life was to leave things better than she found them. This thought embodies the MBA Service Association and the projects that they participate in throughout the year. The MBA program is only two years long and many of us come from miles away, moving furniture, family and lives to Champaign-Urbana to start a new adventure as MBA students'we can only hope that we leave this community better than how we found it. Read More >>

As we are deep into the second quarter for the first-year MBAs and quickly approaching Thanksgiving Break, I decided to sit down with Matt Foreman, a first-year MBA, to check in with him on how the semester is going so far. Matt has a background in aquatics management and has even traveled the world as an Assistant Cruise Director. He is planning on concentrating in general management while in the Illinois MBA Program. Heres what he had to say about his experience as an Illinois MBA: Read More >>

This weekend proved to be a busy one for the MBA program. Friday night started with an event solely for females interested in pursuing an Illinois MBA. Around 17 women from all over the country traveled to Champaign to take an in-depth look at the MBA program. Read More >>

To celebrate the coming of fall and the exciting times that Halloween brings, the MBA Association, which is the student government organization of the Illinois MBA program, hosted a festive get-together at Curtis Orchards. Curtis Orchards is located on the outskirts of Champaign and offers private pavilions to roast s'mores and hot dogs on open fires, as well as hayrides around the farm and pumpkins that one can hand-pick from the pumpkin patch. The MBAs decided that Sunday afternoon following the Midwest Career Fair would be the perfect time to enjoy the crisp fall air and participate in all that Curtis Orchards has to offer. Read More >>

On October 21, the Illinois MBA realized the fruits of its labor: the Midwest Career Fair was finally starting. This event was a means to bring together the top MBA schools in the Midwest and top tier companies who appreciate the talent that the Midwest has to offer. As the website for the Midwest Career Fair states, "This career fair encourages meaningful connections both with employers and other candidates. Use this as an opportunity to grow your professional network" (midwestmba.com). 11 MBA programs (including the Illinois MBA) and 39 top tier companies agreed and used the Midwest Career Fair to garner employment and to grow their professional networks. Read More >>

For today's edition of the Student Life Blog, we will finish up our recap of the 2011 National Black MBA Conference, which took place last week in Atlanta. Read More >>

During the first week in October, MBA students from around the world flocked to Atlanta, GA to participate in the National Black MBA Conference festivities. Centered in the popular metropolitan area, Atlanta offered a large amount of additional exposure with companies such as Coca-Cola and Georgia Pacific residing in the city. As I had the pleasure of traveling to Atlanta to experience the conference first hand, I wanted to share my accounts with you in this edition of the Student Life Blog. Read More >>

The majority of MBA students return to school to make a transition to other industries or to advance themselves in their existing industries. As the career search process continues beyond general interest, students will inevitably encounter the interview and in some cases several rounds of interviews. In consulting with our excellent Business Career Services professionals and various human resource professionals at Fortune 500 companies, I have compiled five key points of emphasis to excel in your interview. Read More >>

As the interviewing season and associated conference season get underway, MBA students have begun traveling to various regions of the country in search of employment and enriching experiences. Both internship and career seekers ready themselves to impress potential employers at the career fairs and interviews of the national conferences. During September 15-17, MBA students flocked to Austin, Texas saturating the Irving Convention Center for the 2011 National Association of Women MBAs National Conference. Read More >>

One of the features on which the Illinois MBA program hangs its hat is the ability of students to gain valuable work experience while earning their advanced degrees. A plethora of organizations and opportunities exist for students in which they may immerse themselves and add to their overall experience. Yesterday, the annual MBA Experiential Learning Fair occupied the Business Instructional Facility's atrium in an effort to motivate students to venture outside of the classroom for education. Read More >>

As students return to school and become acclimated with their daily routines of going to class, meeting with groups, and preparing for tests, a portion of their attention focuses on their career searches. In preparing a strategy for an effective career search, students often block off dates on their calendars to attend one or multiple career fairs. For today's installment of the Student Life Blog, we will examine how to construct a productive strategy, so when you attend your next career fair, you can have a plan. Read More >>

Throughout the summer, I detailed MBA 2 students' internship experiences. While we have heard from students within the human resource, finance, and project management functions, among others, I wanted to take this edition of the Student Life Blog as an opportunity to share my internship experience with you. Read More >>

From the moment students enter the Illinois MBA program, the subject of the career search becomes a hot topic. Students want to know how to obtain one, and the Illinois MBA wants to educate students on how to acquire one. The career search initially commences with the internship search in the first year. Today, we will highlight five ways to assist in the journey to an internship. Read More >>

One of the phenomenal options that students can utilize to enrich their Illinois MBA experience lies in case competitions. These contests provide students with complex real world problems to solve and present before a panel of judges, who select a winner. Case competitions also frequently offer opportunities for extraordinary networking and a chance to showcase ones ability in front of prominent employers! Read More >>

At the midpoint of the week, the third day focused on career mapping and team building. Students were divided into two groups, which rotated between meeting with the phenomenal Business Career Services team and team building exercises. Read More >>

Following the exciting kick-off to the 2011 Illinois MBA Orientation, the action continued on Tuesday! Students enjoyed an entertaining and informative etiquette presentation by the captivating Patricia Cook. Read More >>

Monday welcomed 123 new, diverse students into the Illinois MBA family, as the 2011 orientation events commenced. The first day, which began at 8 a.m., contained numerous informative events. These events included addresses from Dean Larry DeBrock and Dean Stig Lanesskog and tours of Illinois beautiful campus and state of the art Business Instructional Facility, concluding with a night of bowling! Read More >>

It's about that time again! The Chambana community has begun its annual August growth, as students return and ready themselves for another scholastic year. In the realm of the Illinois MBA, the conclusion of the summer symbolizes completed internships, summer experiences, and the induction of the new class into our beloved program. Read More >>

How do we best acquire valuable knowledge? Is it from our teachers? Is it from reading, or is it from other people and experiences? In my humble opinion, total utilization of the available information sources serve best in not only our education but also our learning. As the climate of business continuously migrates to an international arena, one's ability to learn and relate to other cultures holds vital importance now more than ever. Read More >>

A unique attribute of the Illinois MBA lies in the students' ability to create their own personal experience. A return trip to school provides students with the dynamic opportunity to participate in neglected activities from undergrad, and along with one's academic curriculum, students may customize their extracurricular menu. Today, we will discuss a few great ways YOU can get involved as an Illinois MBA! Read More >>

Meet Jon Chan. Chan, who earned his bachelor's degree at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business in Computer Information Systems, hails from Chicago, IL. In addition to his academic load, Mr. Chan participates in extracurricular activities in various capacities. Serving as the president of Net Impact, an organization striving to involve in riding the trend of corporate social responsibility and long term sustainability, and CMO for the KOLA Foundation has assisted in readying him for a career in the corporate social responsibility field. AND on top of that, Jon Chan recently became engaged! A round of applause, please. Read More >>

Following Illinois MBA students matriculation through the rigorous first year curriculum, the majority of the class gears up for the customary summer internship. While not required by the school, most students allocate a significant portion of time during the school year to land the best internship possible in the area of business they plan to pursue. These summer internships present a proverbial golden opportunity to enter into the corporation of your choice, make an impact while there, and garner a full time job offer after its conclusion. The core purpose of these internships lies in ones ability to shape their job experience and showcase their ability to contribute in a real world environment. Students who accept internship offers receive them from companies ranging in size from start-ups to Fortune 100, offering significant exposure to high profile organizations, a big plus for joining Illinois MBA. Read More >>

As the week begins, we sat down with Abby Sullivan, a second-year MBA, who recently returned from north of the border at the Canadian Leadership Orientation Program (CLOP). CLOP, an initiative begun six years ago, involves the Association of Canadian Studies, based in the U.S., and the University of Ottawas Telfer School of Management in a joint venture, receiving support and funding from a number of prominent American and Canadian organizations. The programs primary objective focuses on educating international students about the political and business systems in Canada and to use that knowledge to show how the North American countries can use their unique relationships to increase trade and business among the three countries. Abby shared some of her experience with the Student Life Blog, so lets check out what she had to say! Read More >>

Good morning, all! For this week's first entry, we sat down with recent MBA graduate and former Student Life blogger, Kristen Lisa. Though she has progressed to greater endeavors, Kristen Lisa made certain to leave her imprint on the Illinois MBA program, boasting success in the classroom and beyond. In addition to her aforementioned involvement, Lisa co-coordinated the Class of 2012s student orientation, thriving in a pivotal role in students acclamation to the program and overall comfort level with Illinois MBA. Now that the introduction is out of the way, Kristen Lisa, everyone! Read More >>

Illinois MBA will be represented in Indianapolis this evening at 6 p.m. at The Omni Severin Hotel (40 W. Jackson Place, Indianapolis, IN 46225). Dean Victor Mullins, one of the most influential figures at U of I, serves as the host for tonights engaging information session, which breaks down the intricate details of the Illinois MBA program. Read More >>

As an MBA student, certain affinity groups exist to expand the nature in which networking and further support are available. The associations, while targeting a particular demographic, welcome all people interested in gaining membership. Their most popular and widely noted events in the MBA world lie in the national conferences strategically placed in various locations. Read More >>

In previous posts, we have either explicitly stated or alluded to the power that networking holds. Broadening one's network produces invaluable benefit when utilized properly. In todays Student Life Blog, I would like to share a few practices that I have, personally, discovered to be effective in the arena of networking. Read More >>

During my first year in the MBA program, one of the administrators charged me to not allow your education to get in the way of your learning. After some initial head scratching, I decoded the core message of avoiding boundaries when striving to acquire knowledge. Illinois makes no apologies for providing students with the chisel needed to sculpt their graduate school experience. Read More >>

In continuing with our series checking in with second year MBAs currently working their summer internships, we caught up with James Pipkins. Pipkins, a dual Masters degree student, who graduated from undergrad at U of I (B.S. Technical System Management), is currently working on his Master of Human Resource Management at Illinois School of Industrial and Labor Relations while matriculating through the MBA program. Pipkins has been joined by a couple other Illinois MBA students, working at the Chicago Tribune in HR for the summer. During the interview, he offered some valuable insights regarding making the most of ones time at the Illinois MBA. Lets see what James had to say! Read More >>

Prior to officially beginning the Illinois MBA program, I can recall an address given by Dean Stig Lanesskog. During our orientation, he shared that a portion of the Illinois MBAs progressive nature was centered in the student creation, and by student creation, I mean students in the program possess the unique freedom the sculpt their experiences. The students control the direction of the curriculum they desire, the number of organizations they choose to join, the leadership positions they seek, and the list goes on. In his oration, Dean Lanesskog detailed his pillars for success within and beyond the program, one of which was create your story. In this edition of the Illinois MBA Student Life blog, I will offer five of the best methods (in my opinion, of course) to create your story in attaining success in and beyond the Illinois MBA program. Read More >>

Happy Friday, everyone! To conclude this week, we sat down with now second year MBA (applause for the Class of 2012, please), Natalie Keable to speak about her internship experience thus far. Natalie, who helps comprise the 10% (roughly) of MBA students that transitioned to the program straight from the undergraduate ranks, has exceled beyond the classroom. She boasts heavy involvement in Illinois Business Consulting (IBC) as a Project Manager and Chair of Alumni Relations & Client Outreach. So without further adieu, lets hear from Natalie Keable! Read More >>

Good morning, all. As the school year has come to an end, and the Illinois MBA Class of 2011 transitions into the work force, a changing of the guard has occurred. Kristen Lisa, now a member of AMD, performed extraordinarily as the digital marketing producer, keeping the masses informed on all the happenings and updates within the Illinois MBA community. She will be sorely missed, but we wish her the best of luck and much success in all of her endeavors. Read More >>

Cristian Mitreanu, creator of the TEDxUIUC event, had put his expertise to work and created a new video game to teach us the fundamentals of making decisions at work. His game, OFMOS, is an innovative casual video game that mimics the basic actions taken by a CEO when deciding what the company should offer, when, and to whom. Rather than dealing with two separate portfolios, one of offerings and one of customers, this new theory allows us to analyze a company as a single portfolio of business entities. These entities are virtual business spaces defined by an offering and a set of customers, who have the same behavior relative to that offering. They are called "ofmos," a term derived from the combination of words offering-market-cosmos. In a beta-test of the game, 4 MBA students played and provided feedback and comments about their experience. Keep reading to hear from Srini, Koichi and Brett... Read More >>

A few weeks ago we featured a set of first-year MBA students who have secured an internship for the summer. They shared their thoughts on the internship search experience, details about their summer assignments and their advice for other students looking for a new position. This week, we have another 4 Illinois MBA students talking about their internships. An internship provides invaluable experience and the Illinois MBA program is happy to see students taking on a diverse set of challenges. As always, we extend our congratulations to them and wish them luck as they take on new projects. Read More >>

On April 13, 2011 the Illinois MBA held the Spring Extraordinary Achievement Award ceremony. Similar to the one last fall, the award ceremony is a chance to honor those who have gone above and beyond the minimum requirements of being an Illinois MBA student through positive MBA program impact, outstanding personal acts, and/or positive community impact. This semester we honored nineteen students for their contributions to the program! Read more to hear about our nominees and the two winners of the Extraordinary Achievement Award. Read More >>

Adam Ratner, a first-year MBA, was recently awarded the Joseph H. Smith Award for his work with the Kola Foundation. According to the Student Affairs website, Joseph Smith began his career at the University in 1864. In 1978, he was named Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Director of Affirmative Action, and Associate Professor of English. Mr. Smith worked towards creating a culturally diverse campus climate that offered educational opportunities to all students. This award was established by his colleagues to honor him as he retired. One award is presented to an undergraduate, graduate or professional student, or a registered student organization who has developed an effective and sustaining activity toward interracial or cultural understanding and an appreciation through outside-classroom experiences. The purpose of the award is to promote the educational value of racial/cultural diversity among students. Congratualtions, Adam! This is a great honor and we are excited about the future of the Kola Foundation. Read More >>

Professor Brittany Duff, a faculty member in the Advertising department is part of a team that is organizing a University of Illinois "mini-conference" that deals with social and consumer psychology. This conference (SCPI) will hopefully serve as a first step to facilitating connections between colleges and departments that may have people working in an area that could pertain to consumer psychology (note that consumption can mean products, food, health, media, etc). This groups is hoping to find interested parties and work over the summer to create a more formalized format for the group for next year. Read more for details on the conference. Read More >>

We recently posted an interview with second-year MBA Matt Lesh about the Real Estate Case Competition that he and six other students were participating in. Well, we are happy to announce that after many weeks of hard work and a strong presentation last week in Chicago, the team brought home a win! MBA students Lesh, Kyle Pietila and Jenna Goebig were joined by Taylor Douell,Connor Matthews, Briana Dunne, and Cheng Wang for the competition held in the Windy City on April 9, 2011. The competition was hosted by the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation at the Union League Cluv of Chicago. Read more for details on the competition, and the win! Read More >>

Professor CK Gunsalus teaches MBA 501 Leadership & Ethics, and there is no question that she is passionate about her course, and about teaching. Professor Gunsalus sat down with us to talk about her course and what she loves about her job. Read more to hear our interview with a very experienced Professor, who, at the end of the day really just enjoys having the opportunity to work with Illinois students. Read More >>

Illinois MBA students Jennifer Schmidt, Adam Ratner and Pawan Gaargi are letting us into their lives for a day in the new "A Day in the Life" video that was recently launched. While its easy to read descriptions about how great the Illinois MBA experience is, sometimes, its more fun to see! In the video Jen, Adam and Pawan give us a sneak peak into the life of a grad student and share their favorite things about the program. This is the first video of it's kind and given its instant success, we hope to see more! Read more to get the link to the video on the Illinois MBA site. Read More >>

According to many first year MBAs, the biggest fear they have is finding an internship in a difficult economy. Well, given the amount of Illinois MBA first-years that have accepted a summer internship offer, it doesnt appear fear stood in the way of success! Keep reading and hear from a number of first-year students who have internships and are excited to share their experience! The process may be difficult and at times stressful, but it seems that a little hard work and a positive attitude turned out great results for many students. Congratulations to you all and have a great summer! Read More >>

In an effort to keep bringing you new content, we have decided to add a new layer and give you an ever deeper look inside the Illinois MBA - interviews with our professors! They are a critical piece of the MBA experience and we finally have a chance to get them out of the classroom, talking about why they are passionate about their work and about teaching graduate students. This week, we spoke with Professor Nick Petruzzi who is an Associate Professor of Business Administration, a Gutman Teaching Excellence Fellow and the Academic Director of the MBA Program. However, our students know him primarily for his enthusiasm for teaching two popular courses. Read more to hear Professor Petruzzi talk about his courses and why he loves being a professor at the University of Illinois. Read More >>

Kelly Groen, second-year MBA, decided to spend this semester abroad in Paris, France. She is not only taking full advantage of all the sights and famous places, but she has also been enjoying class and learning about the culture. Her experience in a new country will benefit her well beyond graduation both in her career and in her personal life. Based on our interview with her, it seems Kelly is happy with her decision and has certainly made the most of her time over seas. Keep reading to hear about her favorite things and about a "day in the life" of a student abroad! Read More >>

MBA second-year students Matt Lesh and Kyle Pietila will be competing next week in a Real Estate Case Competition in Chicago. For the past few weeks, the team (comprised of real estate, MBA and architecture students) has been doing market research on the current real estate market in the Chicago land area. The research includes: absorption rates, building trends, interest rates. the land & building entitlement process, and commercial tenant build out requirements. Additionally, the team has conducted multiple interviews and meetings with real estate professionals from the Chicago area as well as proprietary online real estate databases. Read more to hear from team member Matt Lash as he sat down with us to talk about the competition and his experience. Read More >>

Saturday 3/19/11 Day 1 By Matt Lesh, MBA2 Our group arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 19. After going through Brazil Customs, we were greeted by Daniel Amgarten, our tour guide from Campus Brazil. Campus Brazil has a close relationship with the University of Illinois College of Business Study Abroad program and they are eager to host more Illinois study abroad trips in the near future. After arriving at our hotel, The Ipanema Inn, we walked to Carretea, a Brazilian steakhouse, for lunch. The food was excellent! Waiters came to our table offering us freshly cooked steak, pork, chicken, and beef ribs. In addition to the meat, our group ate a number of items from the buffet as well as dessert. Daniel encouraged us to try the Guarana, a popular Brazilian drink. This drink is served carbonated in an aluminum can and tastes like apple juice without a lot of sugar added. After lunch, many of us walked half a block from our hotel to the famous Ipanema Beach. The beach was very crowded with locals, spring breakers, and other tourists. Our group hung out at the beach for a few hours and relaxed. As the sun went down, everyone returned to their rooms to get ready for our first night out in Brazil. We went to an outdoor restaurant, Bartholemeu, that was just a few doors down from our hotel. We enjoyed a traditional Brazilian drink, Caipirihna, which is similar to a mojito. Read More >>

On April 1st from 1pm-5pm, the Kola Foundation with host a workshop featuring Laura Huth, CEO of DoGood Consulting. This workshop was designed to ensure Kola's sustainability in the work they are doing on and off the Pine Ridge reservation. It is focused on marketing and fundraising, but will address all components of operating and growing a non-profit organization. The format will be interactive workshop style - not a typical lecture. Laura has an extremely impressive background - in 2008 she was named Female of the Year by Central Illinois Business Magazine, and in 2009 Do Good Consulting was recognized by the Champaign Chamber of Commerce as Small Business of the Year. Keep reading to learn more about this distinguished guest speaker and the event. Read More >>

The Kola Foundation is at it again! The non-profit organization, run by Illinois MBA students, recently took part in distributing thousands of good to the Porcupine Middle School, a centrally located venue on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The event was "tremendously successful", according to Kola CEO, Adam Ratner. Continue reading for Adam's account of the trip to South Dakota and the great work the foundation is doing. Read More >>

On Saturday February 26, 2011 the Illinois MBA had 9 student volunteers at the Polar Plunge after raising money to benefit the Special Olympics of Illinois. One plunger, first year MBA student, Colleen Symansky sat down with us to give us the download on her freezing cold adventure into the Lake of the Woods in Mahomet, IL. Although it was cold, the team had a great time...keep reading to learn more! Read More >>

For the second year in a row, MBA student Cristian Mitreanu served as the curator of the TEDxUIUC conference. Held at the Business Instructional Facility in Champaign, this event brings together students, alumni and some of the world's top thinkers to spark discussion and conversation about innovation in the world around us. Whether its consumer psychology, cosmology or our relationship with technology, the event features remarkable speakers talking about the incredible research they've done. TEDxUIUC is certainly a unique experience, both for the university and its students, which is why this years event was nothing short of inspiring. Keep reading to learn more about the conference and the TED organization. Read More >>

...it seems that this is the season for competition, and the Illinois MBA continues to motivate students to be a part of the action! A group of 6 students involved with Net Impact in the program - Jon Chan, Kevin Elens, Alex Garcia, Deon Lucas, Shubhashri Mohanty, John Sadilek and faculty advisor Kathryn Rybka - have been working hard the past few months to compete in the Net Impact Walmart Better Living Business Plan Challenge. Keep reading to get the details of this exciting opportunity and check back for interviews once they've completed their plan! Read More >>

The Illinois MBA recently launched its new "Student Ambassador" site and we are very excited about the students who are profiled! Eight students from the MBA Class of 2012 have been selected as points of contact for prospective students because of their diverse experience and passion for the MBA. The site is designed to be a landing page for prospective students to go and connect with current students to learn first-hand about life in the Illinois MBA. Be sure to check out the site and reach out to these students for all things MBA! Read More >>

The Dean's Fellows program at the Illinois MBA has been very busy. This select group of students - Vinay Patel, Adam Russell, Adam Ratner,Justin Essig, Jill Krivacek, Emilia Poppe, Alex Garcia, Olaide Lawal, Andrew Kennedy, Diana Vallejo and Larry Rubeck- - have not only recieved a scholarship for their previous accomplishments, they also have the opportunity to recieve focused career development through a mentor-relationship with as Dean Lanesskog. Additionally, they are meeting with various members of the MBA board to discuss their career goals and the strategy they are developing for the future of the program. Most recently, the Dean's Fellows had the opportunity to meet with executives at Accenture in Chicago. Keep reading to hear from our guest writer, Adam Ratner, about his experience at one of the top consulting firms in the Windy City. Read More >>

The Illinois MBA hosted the 3rd Annual MBA Strategy Case Competition February 10-12, 2011. The following twelve schools participated: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Purdue, Baylor, Iowa State, Miami University, Connecticut, and Notre Dame. Teams were composed of four full-time MBA students. Keep reading to hear more details about this exiting event! Read More >>

This month, our very own Jill Krivacek was named the "Forte Foundation Fellow of the Month". The Fort Foundation offers fellowships to women who are pursuing a full-time, part-time or executive MBA education at participating business schools. Fort Foundation Fellowships are intended to increase the number of women applying to and enrolling in MBA programs. In addition to the financial support provided through fellowships awarded by Fort member schools, fellows gain exposure to leading companies in the Fort network*. Jill has gained an immediate network that extends beyond the Illinois MBA. Upon her acceptance to the Illinois MBA, Jill was named a Forte Fellow, and with her recent appointment as the President of the MBAA, she is well-deserving of this honor. Keep reading to hear about her thoughts on the Foundation and how she feels about being a recognized Forte Fellow. *From: http://www.fortefoundation.org/site/PageServer?pagename=why_fellows Read More >>

One of the biggest stressors of MBA students is the ongoing job search. From the moment we step on campus, we are constantly thinking about our internship and our full-time job after graduation. It tends to weigh us down because the thought of not having something lined up can be discouraging. However, this blog entry is not about the stress of searching for our next career. Instead, we focus on Jen Schmidt and her new job! Jen recently accepted an offer to join the Corporate Marketing Team at PolyOne Corp. after she graduates in May. She will head to Cleveland in June to start her new role in the leadership rotational program. She sat down with us to give us the scoop on her new gig and how it's changed her perspective about finding the right job. Read More >>

By the time Steve Sash, first-year MBA, finishes his first-year in the MBA, he will have competed in 3 case competitions, which is a huge accomplishment for any graduate student. These competitions require a great deal of dedication, motivation and a willingness to think "outside the box". These competitions are a great experience because not only do they provide a unique opportunity to engage with real-world business conflicts, but they also allow our students to apply the theories and concepts they are learning in the classroom. The case analysis itself requires a serious commitment of time and dedication, but, according to Steve, the competition is well worth the work. Read more to hear about Steve's experiences... Read More >>

Its mid-week, which means time for another interview. We sat down with second-year MBA, Maile Tesler. She came to the Univeristy of Illinois from Lexington, MA where she was working for the United States Coast Guard. Maile is concentrating on General Management in the MBA while taking full advantage of flexible curriculum with a second-concentration in Civil Engineering. When she does have a few free moments, she likes to spend time with her family and friends. Keep reading to learn more about Maile! Read More >>

Welcome Back!! It has been a long and enjoyable winter break, but now were back in Champaign-Urbana and gearing up for the Spring Semester! While we have a ton to look forward to this half spring study abroad, Business Career Fair, Alumni Banquet and of course, graduation! a lot happened in the last four weeks that we thought we should share! While most of us take Winter Break off from school and studying, many of the Illinois MBA students managed to stay busy with trips to India and Berlin, vacations and volunteer work! As always, our students are building their stories whether they are on campus or not! Read more to see what some of our students did with their time off! Read More >>

Our third day provided us with the best experiences of the trip. We started the day with a visit to Daimlers Research and Development group in the Potsdam area of Berlin. They gave us a presentation on their methods for predicting trends and forecasting the movement of the business. Their models for analyzing the market have allowed them to thrive during the recent economic turmoil. It was nice to step out of the class room and here about real methodologies being used by a very successful company. After the visit at Daimler, we had several hours built in to tour Berlin at our own pace before meeting back together for a special tour of the Reichstag. This is the day when stepping out of your comfort zone really becomes important. Sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture in Germany isnt that different from doing the same in the US. Taking your fate into your own hands and wandering around a foreign city in which you dont speak the language provides a thrill that you just cant get from looking at pictures or videos of a destination. After standing in the shadow of the Brandenburg gate we walked a couple miles through a historical part of Berlin as we made our way to Alexanderplatz for some souvenir shopping. Starting our day in the modern business area of Potsdam and ending up walking through some beautiful building that were several hundred years old really allowed us to appreciate fully the dramatic history that this city has. Read More >>

In our second day in Berlin, the group started early with a lecture on Managing Interorganizational Networks with Prof. Sydow. Although the lecturer was a fan of the Star Alliance for flights, all of the class, even those flying on other carriers, enjoyed the example of managing networks within the airline industry. The next lecture was taught by an American professor, Prof. Jackson, who explained some nuances of the German Model of Capitalism and their comparative institutional advantage. We learned that in-line with our expectations, Germans love quality and operate in a coordinated market economy as compared to the Liberal Market Economy operated in the US, Canada and the UK. There were many interesting differences in values to coordination to corporate culture styles. After a lunch break at the university cantinas, two more lectures were given in the afternoon. Germans have extensive attention spans and we were most definitely put to the test. The first afternoon lecture was about multi-stage marketing in a downstream supply chain. This lecture gave a great introduction to supply chains and business to business relationships. Our final lecture provided a glimpse of the technology dynamics and how changed have occurred and been analyzed within the past few decades. Read More >>

Jennifer Schmidt, a second-year MBA student, was recently chosen for the AGUILA Leadership Program. This three-day leadership retreat takes place this year in January, in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. AGUILA (Advocates Galvanizing Unity and Inspiring Leadership Advancement) is value-based and unites leaders with up and coming professionals that are committed to volunteerism with area non-profit organizations. AGUILA is unique because it is focused on advancement of community based leaders who can utilize their experience and culture to motivate others. At this retreat, Jennifer could have the opportunity to be mentored through an experiential series of sessions that expose her to Value-Based Decision Making; Non-Profit Stewardship; Team Building; Project & Conflict Management. The goal of the sessions is to both educate and inspire future leaders to be more active in their efforts both within their current organizations and their future ones. This is a great honor for Jennifer, and we congratulate her on all of her accomplishments! Read More >>

Last week, first-year MBAs completed their final examination for the Professional Communication course. However, instead of the normal multiple choice test, this final was a little different. The students had all semester to prepare proposals and recommendations for a business problem provided by the Christie Clinic in Champaign. While some students would say it was challenging, most of the students agree that the chance to solve a real-world problem was both rewarding and fun. Read more to see who won the competition and get some more details on the work the teams did over the course of the last 16 weeks! Read More >>

On November 11, twenty-one Illinois MBA were recognized for their extraordinary achievements during the fall semester. This event is the first of its kind for the MBA program. It was designed to honor students who have gone above and beyond the minimum requirements of being an MBA student through positive MBA program impact, outstanding personal acts and/or positive community impact. The nominees were all very deserving of the recognition as each student has displayed upstanding dedication to the program and making it a truly unique and valuable experience, not only for themselves but for their classmates. Of the twenty-one students who were nominated, three students were selected to win the Extraordinary Achievement Award for their commitment to the program. Read more to learn about our three winners: Jennifer Schmidt, Pawan Gaargi and Adam Ratner. We've also included some pictures so that you can have a peek into a night full of the extraordinary! Read More >>

As it's stated on their website, the Kola Foundation "matches the unique skills and specialties of a world-class university to the needs of the residents of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation". This mission statement was created after the Illinois MBA took a group of students on a week long trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. After experiencing what the Native Americans in Pine Ridge struggle with daily, CEO and Kola co-founder Adam Ratner saw an opportunity to help improve some of the severe conditions on the reservation. He decided to spearhead a team of students to form what is now a functioning non-profit organization that lives within the program. We sat down with Adam to discuss what Kola has been doing since operations have begun and what he sees as the future of the organization. For the work that he has done thus far, Adam was recently the recipient of an "Extraordinary Achievement Award". The Illinois MBA believes the Kola Foundation is a fantastic project and continues to support the efforts of this team. Read more to learn about Kola and the leadership team. Read More >>

This week we sat down with Kyle Harshbarger, a second-year MBA student from Normal, IL. With a double concentration on Operations Management and Finance, Kyle has certainly been very busy with his academics. However, he has also be incredibly dedicated to the MBA Service Association as President for the past year. This position was a perfect fit for him considering his passion for volunteering and giving back to the community. When he isn't busy at school he likes to watch sports (he's a die hard Bears fan), play video games and perform music with his family. Kyle and his wife just welcome baby number two this fall! Congrats! Keep reading to learn more about Mr. Harshbarger... Read More >>

On the weekend of November 4th, three students from the Illinois MBA traveled to the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia. Adam Sherer (first-year MBA), Brian Cox (first-year MBA) and Vish Nadgir (second-year MBA) teamed up to compete against 11 other top business schools in the Seventh Annual ABI Corporate Restructuring Competition. This competition provides participants with a unique opportunity, different for the popular strategy-focused case competitions. Students are asked to evaluate a company and come up with business solutions for a real-world restructuring dilemma. Teams were given a week for analysis and asked to submit a paper and prepare a presentation for a panel of judges from ABI. Although intense, the Illinois MBA team had a great experience. And even though they didn't take home a grand prize (they just missed final three, and Colombia took home the win!), they were pleased with their overall plan and presentation. Adam Sherer sat down with us and provided some insights into the competition and recalled some of the ups and downs of preparing to compete against some very tough rivals! Read More >>

After reviewing the previous string of "Five Minutes With..." I realized that we have a lot of first-year MBA's! So, this week I decided to feature a second-year MBA. Rebeca Zapata comes to Illinois from Caracas, Venezuela. Before starting her MBA, she was an assistant brand manager for Revlon. Now that she is about to graduate, Rebeca has decided to focus on Marketing and Finance. In her spare time, when she is not searching for her next career, Rebeca likes to participate in various outdoor activities, travel(even if it is just to Indianapolis), hang out with friends, and of course, "FOOD!" Read more to learn about Rebeca! Read More >>

A recurring theme in the Illinois MBA program is the diversity of each class both in terms of culture and experiences. Nowhere is this diversity more evident than in the MBA Diversity Association's (MBADA) two major cultural celebrations, one of them being Diwali. Diwali is popularly known as the "festival of lights," and is an official holiday in India. Read More >>

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This week we changed the pace and sat down with joint-degree student Jenna Goebig. Jenna is a second year MBA at Illinois, and while she works through business school she is also pursuing her Masters of Architecture degree. Not only is Jenna incredibly busy, she is very organized and focused on her future...all of which has contributed to her success at the University of Illinois. Jenna is from Joliet, Illinois and after completing her undergraduate degree in Architecture at Illinois, she decided to stay for a few more semesters! In her spare time (which she says is "much less these days") she likes to spend time with her friends and family. Read more to learn about this talented joint-degree student... Read More >>

For those who may not be familiar, Diwali is an Indian celebration more popularly known as "the festival of lights". It is an important five-day festival that occurs between mid-October and mid-November - and for the Illinois MBA, it will happen tonight! Read More >>

After we completed this interview with Kyna England, first year MBA concentrating on Finance, we realized that we probably should have done a special "Halloween Edition" of "Five Minutes with...". Oops! Regardless of our un-Halloween spirit during this festive week, we still got to sit down with Kyna and learn about this Illinois-native from Northbrook. Kyna graduated from the University of Colorado with an undergraduate degree in Math. In her free time she likes to read fiction, mostly sci-fi and host movie nights with her friends. Learn more about Kyna...! Read More >>

When you go to the Envirox website, you will learn that the company started in 1995 as a research project with a goal of developing a cleaning technology that would reduce toxicity in a meaningful way. The company wanted to reduce the use of packaging materials, energy, and landfill space by performing all or most of the general janitorial cleaning tasks with one, concentrated product. The result was one, low toxicity product called H2Orange2. Today, "EnvirOx has literally transformed the cleaning industry. The company's original goal of developing a safer cleaning product helped spur the entire industry to become safer and healthier." However, now that green technologies are becoming more and more in-demand, Envirox has enlisted the help of the Illinois MBA organization Net Impact to look at their current processes for distribution and make recommendations for improved efficiency. The hope is that with a new implementation structure, Envirox will be able to meet the needs of more customers, faster while continuing to be "green". We sat down with Net Impact member Jon Chan to discuss his involvement with the project. Read More >>

Last weekend the students of the Illinois MBA made the trip to Chicago to attend the National Society of Hispanic MBA's Career Fair and Conference. The NSHMBA fair is one of the largest organized career events of the semester and is always incredibly valuable for students. This year over 200 hundred companies attended the event with recruiters ready and excited to talk about potential full-time and internship opportunities for MBA's. Held at McCormick place in downtown Chicago, the event itself was very impressive! The booths were very representative of each company and allowed students to get a good understanding of company culture as well as an opportunity to interact with recruiters, executives and managers. We were able to speak with a few of the students who attended and get their opinion of the event. Read more to see what Illinois MBA's are saying about NSHMBA... Read More >>

This week we sat down with first-year MBA Josh McDonald from Nashville, Tennessee. Josh came to Illinois MBA after graduating from the University of Louisville with a Bachelors Degree in Business Management and a minor in International Business. He played football for the Louisville Cardinals and had the chance to experience an Orange Bowl win! In his free time, Josh enjoys writing for his blog "Just GQ" [www.justgq.blogspot.com], reading and cooking. During his time with the MBA, he plans to concentrate in Marketing and Sports Management. We had the chance to talk with Josh, on the record, about stress, time travel and his favorite part of the Illinois MBA. Keep reading to learn more...! Read More >>

Two weeks ago the Illinois MBA headed to Louisville, KY to attend the National Association of Women MBA (NAWMBA) career fair. While the majority of the attendees were women, students came from all over to meet with companies, attend professional development workshops and network with students and executives alike. It was a very successful conference thanks to help from companies like Ford, Campbell Soup Company, GE, AT&T, Yum! Brands, Humana and Goldman Sachs. However, with the ideas of 7 universities, 30 women and the sponsorship of Home Depot, a different kind of case competition took place. Using their business-minds and a passion for volunteerism, 5 Illinois MBA women competed and almost took home first place! Read More >>

Event Details: Thursday Oct 7, 2:00 3:30 p.m. BIF Deloitte Auditorium All Business students and faculty/staff members are invited Art Alderson, Vice President in Financial System, Information Systems Division of Wal-Mart, will lead a panel discussion (with four other managers from Wal-Mart with job functions in logistics/ supply chains, innovation management, HR/ Payroll systems, and development) to discuss the current state and future vision of IT applications at Wal-Mart as well as IT career opportunities. All business students and faculty/staff members are welcome Read More >>

Another week, another new student! This week meet Stephanie Mills...a first-year MBA, second-year law student. Stephanie comes to Illinois from Midland, Michigan and hopes to complete her MBA with a Strategic Management concentration in addition to her corporate law degree. We decided to change up the questions this week to keep you all interested and continually learning about the students of the Illinois MBA! Read More >>

The weekend of 9/24 was an exciting one for the Illinois MBA....a group of students flew to the city of angels, California to attend the National Black MBA Association Career Fair. The overall fair was a huge success and our students certainly had a great experience. They had the chance to meet with top companies like IBM, Kraft Foods, L'Oreal USA,GE, Humana, Campbell Soup Company, American Airlines, American Express and many more. Brian Cox, first-year MBA, went to LA for the event and sat down with us to share his thoughts on his first fair, some unexpected things he learned and his advice for future MBAs! Keep reading to hear more from Brian... Read More >>

Yes, it's that time of the week again! In the third installment of "Five Minutes With..." we meet MBA1 Alex Clemons. Alex is quiet, but don't let that fool you! He is full of interesting stories and unsuspecting hobbies! A lawyer from Peoria, Illinois (actually, he's from Metamora, but most people haven't heard of it, so he sticks to Peoria!), Alex recently finished law school and decided to pursue his MBA. He says its the perfect marriage of his passions - law and business. Keep reading to learn more about Mr. Clemons... Read More >>

Last week, MBA students were invited to attend the inaugural MBA Career GPS. The event was different than most of the panels hosted on campus. Instead of being formal and very structured, event organzanizer (and current MBA2) John Foley decided to think outside the box. With feedback from current students and alumni came an event that put successful alumni in front of students who are anxious to jump-start their career search. This student-led intiative is the first in a long line of opportunistic events for current students. The professionals who were invited to share their experiences talked about everything from MBA stereotypes in the workplace to some of the most valuable things the Illinois MBA provided them. The goal was to hear unique perspectives from those who have been in our shoes and found success beyond graduation...truly putting their MBA to work.... Read More >>

...its Thursday, which means time to get to know another one of our students! This week we spent Five Minutes with Alex Garcia, an MBA1 from Guatemala. His interview was not only surprising...but full of interesting perspective and opinon. Read on.... Read More >>

The Illinois MBA is constantly giving students opportunities to learn more about the world outside and how it will impact their education and their future. Government regulation is a complicated and mysterious process that affects the lives of Americans. Few people know what goes on in Washington as Congress, lobbyists and other groups fight over rules and legislation. Tonight, at the Business Instructional Facility from 4:00 - 5:30 pm in the Deloitte Auditorium, experts will examine the purpose of regulation and whether or not it has been successful and suggest changes for the future. Speakers include Susan E. Dudley, Director, Regulatory Studies Office, George Washington University, and Former Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the US Office of Management and Budget, Beth Milnikel, Director of the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship, University of Chicago, and author of Regulatory Field and Cindy Skrzycki, Senior Lecturer in English, University of Pittsburgh, and author of The Regulators: The Anonymous Power Brokers Who Shape Your Life. Be sure to stop by so that you can continue to stay in tune with current issues and global happenings! Read More >>

Since the MBA program is home to about 200 students with so many different experiences, we thought it would be great to start featuring them on the "Student Life Blog"! There are so many amazing stories to hear...what better way to start learning about our students then to spend five minutes with them! One of the great things about the Illinois MBA is that both the MBA community as well as the larger campus community are home to men and women from a variety of cultural, economic, racial, and religious backgrounds. The diversity of the student body creates a truly experiential, exciting environment where we can learn, work, and play. Each week (we hope!) we will feature a new student. A quick five minute interview can reveal a lot! Without futher ado, meet Cecilia Araya, a first-year MBA student from Santiago, Chile... Read More >>

"Experiential learning" seems to be the new buzz word of the year, already, and it's not a bad thing. "Experiential" is loaded, not only because it makes us think about the opportunity, but it also implies that there is going to be some unique experience that will stay with us well past our time in the IMBA. It's exciting to think that more and more focus is being placed on providing our students with experiential opportunities. These opportunities provide unique skills that will serve as valuable differentiators as we venture into a competitive working world. Last night the MBA hosted an "Experiential Learning Fair" that brought together various organizations around campus to showcase the various opportunities available to graduate students. The turnout was great - and students certainly learned a lot about what resources exist to help them get the most out of their time here and put their education to work. Read More >>

It's easy to get swallowed up in the rigorous curriculum required for MBA students, and even easier to forget what "sanity" means when we are totally overwhelmed with exams, papers, group work and the ever challenging career search. Regardless of our demanding schedules, in order to get the full experience of the IMBA, we have to be willing to slow down and remember there is a great big world outside the four walls of a classroom. So, how do we take advantage of these experiential opportunities? For starters, you may want to learn about a recent service trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Four MBA students, Dean Lanesskog and Courtney Hainline spent a week lending their support to help improve living conditions on the reservation. They also had the opportunity to learn about the significant history and spirtuality of the resident Oglala Lakota tribe. Although they were exposed to some of the poorest living conditions in the United States, they had the chance to meet a group of people that have managed to survive, even when the odds are stacked against them, and truly be immersed in the miracle called "The Rez". Read More >>

Orientation week is all about welcoming the new class of MBAs to Illinois and to the program. As part of his welcome speech, Dean Stig Lanesskog talks about the three pillars that we should always keep in mind as we navigate through our new experience: create your story, build your network and give back. Its no secret that as MBAs we spend a majority of our time thinking about how to create the perfect story, manage all our coursework and start our career search. However, its the third pillar that really gives us a chance to tap into the world outside the classroom and make a difference. The community service portion of orientation week is not only important because it provides students with an opportunity to work as a team, but it allows them make a difference to the community that supports them. Read More >>

In May, I was one of 23 students to attend the Tefler School of Management Canadian Leadership Orientation Program in Montreal and Ottawa, Canada. Through this program, I met with Canadian business professors, politicians, and corporate executives. This experience provided invaluable, first-hand exposure to Canada's economic, industrial, and financial market structures, and helped me become more informed about North American free trade practices. Aside from business, I had a great time as a tourist in Canada as this trip beat any of my expectations. I spent a week in the country prior to the program enjoying the sights: white water rafting, touring Montreal by bicycle, and receiving a personal tour of the Canadian Parliament building. Canada has so much to offer. This was a wonderful experience, and I highly recommend a trip to Canada. Read More >>

Hello everyone! Many of our students are spending their summer completing their summer internships across the United States and locally. Find out more about their summer internship experiences here. Matt Lesh - Sales Intern, Cooper Industries Hey everyone! I'm working as a sales intern for Cooper Industries B-Line Division in Highland, Ill. My primary project for the summer is to produce a sales conversion manual for the Cooper sales team. The sales conversion manual will help sales managers accurately identify and execute customer product line conversions from our competitors to Cooper products. As part of my research, I am traveling with Regional Sales Managers throughout the Midwest and Gulf Coast in order to observe and document current sales conversions methods. I am residing in St. Louis for the summer as well. In my free time I have visited many St. Louis attractions including Anheuser-Busch, Busch Stadium, St. Louis Zoo, museums, restaurants, and bars. I look forward to seeing you all in the fall and hope you all have a great summer! --Matt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Michael Boryca - Intern, Ford Motor Company I did a bit of research as far as living arrangements and found a nice complex out in Euclid, Ohio, which is about a 30-minute drive to and fro, but the plus side is that its right on Lake Erie, so I am enjoying the whole on-the-water arrangement. I'm involved in putting together a preventive maintenance process for the automation tooling used on the press lines, which stamp sheet steel for auto body parts, mostly the Econoline van at this plant. The ultimate goal is to decrease downtime in the long run due to tooling breakage and set-up. It makes for pretty good work, with the best part being the autonomy I have to go about it as I see fit; while the facet I like least is quite simply the noise of the stamping plant - it wears on a person a bit. Aside from wandering around a stamping plant during work hours, there's plenty to do in the area. I've found the Warehouse District to be the most entertaining part of Cleveland with a pretty good assortment of restaurants, bars, and the like, so I tend to pass the time relaxing at various locales. One of the most interesting things I've done was the 409 and Gasser reunion at the local drag strip. There's also a 50's-themed diner in Mentor, which isn't too far from where I live, that makes for a good Saturday morning stop. There is a very good Blues scene in Cleveland, and wherever someone's playing makes for a good place to grab a drink. All in all, its a slick position, and the most beneficial thing I've found outside work is just to get to know the area. There is a lot to do and not enough time to do it all. See you all in the fall! --Mike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Anthony Stedillie - Capital Broker Hello future and present MBA-ers! This summer I am working as a Capital Broker and raising money for two private firms in Denver, Colo. I'm also working for an animation studio trying to produce a feature-length animation. My bosses are the CEOs of the companies and the producer/director of the film. Each project requires me to collaborate with and advise clients on their business plan, financial analysis, funding and investor strategies, and investor proposals/presentations. My experiences in Illinois Business Consulting (IBC) gave me a solid foundation in how to develop ideas and recommendations and how to present them. I work between home and a shared office space, where meetings and presentations are held. I'm living with my parents to save money and for the peaceful and quiet environment of the country. My favorite thing about this job is that I get to directly advise the CEOs of companies. My least favorite part of the job does not exist, because I like it all. Because my job allows me so much freedom, some of the most exciting things I have done are traveling across the country and four-wheeling, camping, and cliff-diving in Moab, Utah. My all-time favorite restaurant is 21 Oceanfront and it just happens to be in Newport Beach, Calif., but my favorite Denver restaurant is Tables. My favorite quote: "Sometimes life's greatest accomplishments happen when you're on the brink of failure." Anonymous Thats all for now - enjoy summer, school will be back before you know it! --Anthony ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alan Auyeung - Intern, 004 Technologies USA Hi All! Lucky me - I got an internship in amazing Champaign. I decided to rent a room in a house with other MBA classmates, and we are having a blast! My summer project covers a lot, including PR/Media, marketing research, and business development. 004 Technologies is a start-up; it's exciting because everything is new. Being in a small office, even though you are an intern, you play a big role in the team. However, the office is a little bit bare bones at the moment, but that will change as the business grows and matures. My favorite parts of the job are the flexibility and the relaxed atmosphere. When I'm not at the office, the roomies and I like to grill out, and I've also taken up salsa dancing. My favorite restaurant in Champaign is the Golden Harbor on Neil St., and I enjoy a cold drink at the Blind Pig Brewery. I haven't had any crazy experiences this summer yet. But, since its only June, I am still planning on doing SOMETHING adventurous. I hope you are all having fun this summer and making lots of friends. Look forward to meeting you in the fall. --Alan ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eric Reside - Project Management Intern, Volition, Inc. Hey Team MBA! I am working this summer as an intern at Volition in Champaign. The office is above Jim Gould's and Kofusion. I decided to stay in the same off-campus apartment that I live in during the school year - Capstone Quarters. I am currently working with the Project Management team for an unannounced video game. I handle a variety of tasks including workload balancing, PTO scheduling, and mid-level planning. My team is incredibly laid back and casual. Volition is a very young company with the average age of the employees in the mid-30s. So far my favorite part of the job has been the casual atmosphere and the fact that no one takes them self too seriously. To be honest, I would have preferred to be in the Chicago area for the summer, but living in Champaign is much less expensive, and there is still a lot to do. When I'm not at work, I mainly hang out with friends that are also down here for the summer. We like to grab drinks at Firehaus and Guido's, and I have been spending a lot of free time at Farren's (burger joint) and Aroma Cafe, both located in the vibrant downtown Champaign area. I spent 10 days in Italy this past May and plan to go skydiving before summer is over. Enjoy your vacation! --Eric ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pablo Bonnin - Intern, Studley Hello everybody! This summer I am in Washington, D.C., working for Studley, a leading national real estate brokerage company. With my background in architecture I decided to try my luck in development and commercial real estate. The internship came last minute, so I scrambled to find housing weeks before my starting date. I currently reside in a George Washington University dorm in Foggy Bottom and have a short commute to work every day. Everybody in the city seems to be involved in politics and know exactly what is happening around the world day-by-day; just ask any cab driver. I come in to work around 8:30 and collaborate with a team of eight primarily doing research for current and future university housing developments. From there, a teammate and I create proposals and business plans for significant investment deals. After work, which comes around 6:30 in the evening, I'll enjoy my time at a nearby happy hour or salsa dancing or relaxing to a nice cigar. Weekends in the summer are a fun time to spend at a pool or biking just outside the city. Now to get back to work . . .. --Pablo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ John Foley - Strategic Resources Intern, State Farm Insurance Hi All! I am spending the summer in Champaign working as a Strategic Resources Intern for State Farm Insurance. I am living in the same apartment that I stayed at in school so finding a place to live was not a problem for me! I am working on two projects this summer. The first is gathering information about each state and producing a report on its current status in a variety of factors: economy, customer base, State Farm Agents, and competitors, etc. Many people within the company use these reports to quickly get up to a speed on the conditions of an area, especially if they are moving or traveling. The second project is part of State Farm's innovationREADY program, and I am leading a team of interns in researching opportunities for State Farm to better use technology to recruit State Farm agents. We are researching the technologies that are available, finding data that indicates how successful implementation of these technologies has been in the past, and determining what could be a good fit for agency recruiting at State Farm. The atmosphere where I work is relaxed. There are about 60 interns working here in Champaign at State Farm Research and Development Center. I work on a team with four other interns, all undergraduate students, with very different educational backgrounds (i.e. computer science, actuarial science, marketing, MBA). The management at the RDC is doing a very good job in promoting a fun learning and working environment. They have really made an effort getting to know the interns and spending some time with them. My project sponsors at corporate have also been very receptive to interns and done a good job of communicating with us and showing interest in the work we are doing. The thing I like most about my job is the people that work at State Farm and the perks that they provide for their employees. The only thing that I do not really like about my job is that one of my projects is fairly repetitive and dull while the other is much more organic and creative. At least the projects are keeping me busy! When I'm not in the office, I play and watch sports, golf, and enjoy my summer vacation. I've also had more time to visit home this summer, so spending time with my family has been a definite plus. Also, State Farm has a park for its employees, with a water park, miniature golf course, a lake, and a variety of sports fields and courts. I have spent some time there and really have fun. Finally, for those new students who need a great restaurant and a nice bar to grab a drink, try Alexander's Steakhouse and Firehaus - two of my favorites! See you all in the fall! --John ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kristen Lisa - Product Marketing Intern, Advanced Micro Device, Inc. (AMD) Hey Everyone! This summer I am in Austin, Tex., working as an Intern on the Product Marketing Launch team at AMD. I have one fairly large project to work on, and it is certainly a challenge! I have been asked to look at the entire marketing organization, as it relates to the launch of a new product, and identify points of cross-functional collaboration and process breakages. Essentially, I will create a bird's-eye view of the marketing processes in place to identify pain points, duplications of effort, and areas in need of development. Then I will prioritize the problematic areas and make recommendations for process improvements to drive efficient communication across all marketing teams and consistent work flows throughout the launch process. I have really enjoyed the time I have been able to spend with key stakeholders in each marketing division. Having the chance to spend one-on-one time with senior managers has given me great experience not only in communication but also in building relationships. There isn't really anything that I don't like about my gig, however, there have been a few days when the work load seems light and I have extra time to kill - drives me nuts! I like to stay busy and have a lot to do, which makes me feel productive! In my spare time I have been enjoying all the things that Austin has to offer: great food, live music, beautiful weather, and the lake! I saw Passion Pit at the famous Stubbs BBQ last weekend and have gotten the chance to see a lot of local bands play. The music scene here is amazing and I'm totally taking advantage! I have also taken a deep dive into the amazing cuisine here: everything from gourmet BBQ to sushi to Texas-style cheesesteaks! Everything is so delicious . . . it's hard to choose just one favorite. But, if I was forced, Madam Mams Thai is my favorite restaurant with Hyde Park's famous French fries as a close second. I have also spent a lot of time outdoors - wave running on Lake Travis, getting the perfect tan at the pool, and running whenever I can (after 8 p.m. when its only 85 degrees instead of 100!). Austin is amazing - it will be so hard to leave when my internship is over! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer vacation and looking forward to the fall semester! I cant wait to meet all the new MBAs and reunite with all my friends! Best wishes! --Kristen Read More >>