This summer, 30 top minority high school students from across the nation and Puerto Rico got an in-depth introduction to business careers and principles at Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management. Their visit marked the first participation of the Johnson School in the national Leadership Education and Development Summer Business Institute, also known as LEAD SBI.
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| From left, high school students Ivonne Snavely, Daliana Rodriguez and Byron Austin taste-test the milk product e-Moo and look over a marketing plan for the Cornell-developed beverage during their participation in the Leadership Education and Development Summer Business Institute program at the Johnson School. Frank DiMeo/University Photography |
During the program, the high school students were given a thorough orientation in business subjects. A curriculum developed by Johnson School Associate Professor Julia D'Souza and interactive classes taught by Cornell faculty members and corporate executives -- in advertising, accounting, economics, finance, marketing, leadership and organizations, operations management and other topics -- helped students understand the importance of the various components essential to business success.
In addition, during team-building exercises students took part in role-playing games to acquaint themselves with the challenges of working and reaching consensus with business partners. The program also offered workshops on the college application process, including tips on how to "sculpt" successful application essays, as well as workshops on honing communication and presentation skills.
And field trips to Wall Street companies Salomon Smith Barney and Citigroup Inc. in New York City gave the students a first-hand look at the real business world.
Johnson School Associate Dean L. Joseph Thomas, the Nicholas H. Noyes Professor of Manufacturing, expressed his delight with the group of bright and diligent students in the program who attended his class on operations management. "The LEAD students were an interesting and enjoyable group to have in class," said Thomas. "They were very involved in discussions, and they dealt with complex issues well. I believe it is very beneficial to present the students with a variety of business topics, so they can consider business careers among their options."
Thomas introduced the students to the "supply-chain game," assigning them roles as manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers, to help them understand the cyclical nature of supply and demand. He noted that they worked just as quickly as his MBA students, and by the end of the game he jokingly offered them their MBA degrees. The "offer" was greeted with enthusiastic applause.
In another simulation activity, the "stock market game," finance faculty had student teams make stock picks and invest mock funds in companies, including Procter & Gamble, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Yahoo! Inc., JetBlue Airways Corp. and Philip Morris Companies Inc. After several weeks, the professors analyzed students' investment decisions, judging them based on actual stock performance, how well the teams worked together and researched their decisions, and the persuasiveness of their "buy" and "sell" rationales.
Created as a way to attract talented minority students to business careers, the LEAD Summer Business Institute program now has more than 5,000 alumni of African American, Latino and Native American descent. Almost two-thirds have gone on to pursue business-related college degrees and more than half maintained a GPA of 3.0, or better, as undergraduates.
During the highly competitive application process, high school students chose their top five business schools from a list that includes the Johnson School and 11 other participating schools, among them the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business and the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Eligibility is based on the students' PSAT and standardized test scores, GPAs, teacher recommendations and application essays. The program covers all travel expenses, meals and housing in residence halls. About $120,000 in corporate donations make the experience virtually free for all participants.
Byron Austin, 17, of West Orange, N.J., who attended the SBI at the Johnson School this summer, said: "There are a lack of minorities in the business world. This program is a great way to encourage them to go into it. And there is nothing to lose; it's free."
Angela Noble-Grange, director of the Johnson School's Office for Women and Minorities in Business and operations director of the SBI program at the school, said: "We want to encourage people at an earlier age to explore options in business. If they choose to not study business, the reason won't be because they were not exposed to it, but rather that business wasn't in their hearts."
In fact, a significant number of students entering the program initially did not indicate a clear interest in business. Most had plans to study subjects ranging from engineering to medicine to history, instead. Still, many chose to apply to LEAD SBI because they sought exposure to an unfamiliar discipline.
José Echegaray, 17, who traveled to the Johnson School from San Juan, Puerto Rico, said: "I wanted to learn about business because everything revolves around it. How would I know that I don't want to be in business if I don't know about it?" At the program's end, he added: "I still want to pursue a career in medicine, but LEAD has changed my outlook. I'm now thinking about double-majoring in chemistry and finance."
The program reinforced the interests of the students who already had a strong desire to pursue business studies and had experience already.
Daliana Rodriguez, 17, another student from Puerto Rico, came with some basic ideas about marketing, sales and finance -- learned when she helped raise funds for her graduating class and organized ticket sales for a theater company at her school. After her three weeks at the Johnson School, Rodriguez said, "I was interested in business before I came, and the program helped me feel more sure about what I want."
Austin added: "This program far surpassed the goal [of introducing the option of business to students]. I'm really glad I decided to come here."
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