Hi! My name is Alexis Menard and I am a fourth-year business student double majoring in Marketing and Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management. I am also the Web and Social Media Assistant for the School of Management!
I love to be outside and that’s what I did for summer
vacations and time away from the office. In early June, my best friend and I
drove to the most visited National Park in the United States: Smoky Mountains
National Park. The scenic drive in the mountains was beautiful! It was both our
first time in the area and it was easy to find our way around the park in
Tennessee and North Carolina. Since it was early in the season, we got to see
11 bears and cubs. My favorite hike was going to the top of Mt. Le Conte, one
of the tallest points in the Smoky’s. It is 6594ft above sea level and a round
trip of 11.5 miles. It took us six hours to ascend and descend the 2700ft
change in elevation. I recommend everyone to go to this national park because
it has something for everyone: hiking, waterfalls, lazy river tubing, fishing,
biking, wildlife watching, and more!
The other trip I just returned from was visiting Maine and Acadia National Park. My boyfriend and I went to visit friends in Rockport, ME. While we were there we went paddle boarding, kayaking, hiking, shopping, and experienced all the seafood options they have. We also went to the famous Maine lighthouse featured in the Forst Gump film. Acadia reminds me of the Upper Peninsula with its rocky cliffs and huge waves. National Parks are one of the best things about the United States, and I’m excited I got to see two parks in a matter of months. It will be my goal to visit two national parks every year!
Lastly, the majority of the summer I have been working at SOM. I have been working there for a year and a half years and have been growing SOM’s presence on social media and activism within the Flint community. I have many duties at SOM like updating the website, posting on social media, writing articles, and planing and promoting events. Lately, I have been experimenting with different features like Faculty Fridays, aMAIZEing Alumni, Nichols & Dimes, Showcasing Success and now this wonderful summer feature for our amazing students! This summer I was able to make connections with a SOM alumni to set up a Huntington Weather Ball Tour with help from Antonio Riggs. The SOM staff were able to go see the Flint weather ball up close earlier this August and we are planning a date for a student tour. I am very lucky to have this position and to be able to connect with my peers and faculty members to highlight what it’s like to be in business at UM-Flint. I am planning on continuing to do more giveaways for students like the Egg Hunt winter semester and alumni participation contests. I’m always available to listen to new ideas, so reach out to me via email. I would love to chat and hear back from SOM’s audience!
My biggest advice to students is to get involved with SOM and follow SOM on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn! The School of Management offers great professional and networking events. I wish when I was a freshman that I was more involved and took advantage of opportunities that our school provides for students. Also, consider an employment opportunity on campus! I started out working the front desk at Human Resources when I was a freshman. I networked and made connections cross-campus which has opened many doors of opportunities within the Flint community and UM-Flint. If you ever need professional work guidance, speak to SOM’s student services coordinator, Antonio Riggs. He can help you with anything college throws at you like your first office job, elevator pitch, how you should present yourself to employers, and so much more!
My name is Benjamin Molter and I am a senior pursuing
an International Business Major, a Marketing Major, and a German Minor.
For a long time, I knew that I wanted to pursue a study abroad of some sorts during my college career and I finally made my dream a reality this past summer. At the end of May 2019, I packed my bags and flew to Germany to begin my journey! Over the summer, I stayed at our partnering university in Germany and I successfully completed an internship with private universities in Germany and Luxembourg. While working with the universities, I learned how to communicate with coworkers from around the world, conduct research more efficiently, and write proposals and emails catering to the businesses’ needs and wants. I would highly recommend an international internship because of all the unique benefits you get out of it. You get to live in the dorms in Germany for very cheap, possibly work in two different countries at the same time, learn a bunch about business outside the United States, and be able to travel often and efficiently.
When I wasn’t working, I was traveling nearly every weekend I was there. I would travel with other Americans who were also doing research at the university we stayed at. To save money, we would stay at hostels. Because of this, we met people from all around the globe which really broadened my perspective. I traveled to Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, and Austria. If I had to choose a favorite city, it would have to be Budapest because it was beautiful. The people were very friendly, there was a lot to do, the food was delicious, and it was very affordable.
What surprised me the most about the whole experience of traveling abroad was how well each country could speak English. Almost everyone from the age of 30 and down speaks English fluently on top of their native language(s) and another one based on what they learned in school. It really inspires me to continue to perfect my fluency in German as well as learning a couple other languages too.
The first thing that I took away from this summer was that to achieve what you want; you need to go out and take opportunities that come your way. I probably would not have done the internship this summer if I didn’t go out of my way to talk to people about it and complete all the work that was required for me to go. Though it was a bit pricey, I made it affordable by doing extra work and obtaining scholarships to help fund my expenses. The second thing that I took away from this summer was that you should travel often and make as many connections as you can. There is so much to see and do while traveling that teaches you so much about the world we all live in. Meeting and talking to people while traveling to different countries allows you to learn about the culture and history of each country more than staying in your home country.
What I am looking forward to most this Fall would be
continuing work with the International Business Student Organization (IBSO). We
are looking to expand our organization, creating interesting and new events, as
well as taking another trip sometime during the school year.
Greetings, my name is Austin McIntosh and I am a junior studying for a Finance Major.
During the 2019 Summer, I interned for the University of Michigan – Flint’s Office of Financial Aid. This internship was a mixture of finance, accounting, and analysis, three critical skills required to go into the Financial Analyst field. Throughout this internship, I worked with the office accountant with payroll, payroll reconciliation, and communicating on reconciling outstanding issues. I also took the reins on the office’s social media accounts and helped bring it back to relevance. Among my responsibilities I also created the budgets for the 2019-2020 Study Abroad trips. Taking on projects that taught me new skills in Microsoft Excel and even Access was critical for me to prepare for the future.
For the upcoming Fall Semester, I am very excited about taking actual in-depth BBA courses because I am now taking that classes where I hope to learn the skillset to take into my future career – Financial Analysis. I am also very excited about lifting the Financial Management Association off the ground and making it more relevant than what it used to be.
Since I have been in the Financial Aid world for a good chunk of time, my biggest suggestions are to complete your FAFSA as early as you can, take advantage of on-campus employment, and over budget yourself for upcoming semesters. Preparing and having a larger expected tuition and book expense will pay its dividends later on down the road. GO BLUE!
Hallo mijn medestudenten, my name is Jayla Rivers. I am a junior in the School of Management with a major in accounting and a minor in communication. The summer of 2019 has been filled with great joys and adventures. From interning with a great company to traveling to wonderful cities.
Over the summer, I had the opportunity to intern at Metro Community Development (MCD) as their commercial loan intern. During this internship, I have met many great people and developed several skills. I have earned an American Bankers Association certificate in business and commercial lending as well as completed multiple Bank Administration Institute courses. MCD is a non-profit that is focused around family and growth so interning here has been a great pleasure. While here most of my work was based around using Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. I was also introduced to new systems such as Ventures.
The National Association of Black Accountants (NABA)
chapter at the University of Michigan-Flint was recently chartered and has
already helped me with my future goals in life. I was given to chance to travel
to Las Vegas, Nevada to attend The NABA 50th national convention and
expo. NABA’s convention was one to remember. It was full of powerful, positive,
and exciting black energy. I enjoyed the opportunity of networking while being
comfortable and enjoying myself. I was blessed to be offered several internship
opportunities with great companies and firms.
This upcoming fall I am looking to traveling to Hasselt,
Belgium to study abroad, hence the Dutch in the beginning. I will be at
UHasselt for three and a half months studying under their business program. Considering
I will not be working during my stay, I will be traveling through Europe as
well.
If given a chance I would give incoming students the advice of utilizing the tutoring program, writing center, and library as much as possible. Some days you might not want to study or do homework but being in a space that promotes the positivity of study makes it a bit easier. I would also suggest joining organizations and getting to know people. It will be surprising how helpful it is to have someone to talk to or try new things with. Your college experience is what you make of it so make it the best.
During the 2019 winter semester, students in traditional and online Operations Management courses completed a semester long group project, led by Dr. Sandun Perera, former Assistant Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management. The focus was on forecasting methods used in excel to project how successful they were in finding the correct method to analyze what the data appeared to do in the past as well as to predict the future. Students were tasked with researching a firm of their choice that recently made a key decision to demonstrate data such as stock value, profit, sales, or other figures. Common themes included a new product launch, mergers, and acquisitions, alteration to distribution channels, or utilization of new delivery methods. In previous semesters, hot picks centered around Amazon and the buyout of Whole Foods, Meijer and its partnership with Shipt delivery service, and Wine in the evening at Starbucks.
One group comprised of two graduating seniors, Kyle Arrowood (BBA ’19 Accounting) and Peter Millar (BBA General Business ’19), as well as one senior that will graduate in December of 2019, Raymond Kusch (BBA ‘19 Entrepreneurship and Innovation), and one junior, Brant Beck (BBA ’20 International Business), exceeded expectations on this project. The group project focused on analyzing the acquisition of Dr Pepper Snapple Group by Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. that occurred in the summer of 2018.
As a member of the research group, Raymond Kusch, said about the project, “Do not just take things at their face value. It is worth the extra effort to investigate the root cause of the business problem in order to find out any underlying factors that may exist.” This dynamism lead to the group presenting at the Meeting of the Minds (MOM), an undergraduate research conference, alongside students from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Oakland University on May 10, 2019. Between the three universities, seventy-nine presentations took place at UM-Flint in the Riverfront Banquet center and School of Management classroom area. Twenty-eight individual projects were presented by UM-Flint students spanning several academic interests, such as Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, English, Mathematics, Management, Physical Therapy, Psychology, Social Work, and Theater/Dance.
Each group requires a faculty sponsor and Dr. Perera motivated his students to present and publish their findings. Beck spoke out about Dr. Perera and said “[He] was a tremendous help with the project. If you make it known that you are willing to put in the work, he is willing to help you make the project as good as it can be.” Currently, the SOM group is in the process of submitting their paper for peer review and publication. The group agreed that this experience demonstrated that the world is an ever-changing platform that requires every firm to be adaptive, as well as to think about their future for success in an increasingly demanding market setting. They also added that they look forward to applying the knowledge they learned in this class to other classes, as well as their careers.
The
2018-2019 academic year was a massive success for the School of Management
student organization, Entrepreneurs Society (ES). Entrepreneurs Society
received four awards at the Wolverine Excellence banquet on Thursday, April 11,
2019. The banquet is hosted by the Department of
Student Involvement and Leadership and recognizes the
contributions of a student organization which exhibits strong leadership skills
such as teamwork, collaboration, communication, while also implementing
initiatives that fulfill the mission of their organization. The organization is also one that is
committed to furthering the university’s mission and positively impacting the
quality of student life on campus.
Entrepreneurs Society received the Outstanding Organization Award and the Student Organization Community Contribution Award. The Outstanding Student Organization Award recognizes a student organization that has demonstrated significant leadership qualities and has contributed to the University of Michigan-Flint during the 2018-2019 academic year. Along with the two distinguished organizational awards, the School of Management Faculty member and Advisor to Entrepreneurs Society, Dr. Michael Witt, received the Outstanding Student Advisor Award. Lastly, the President of Entrepreneurs Society, Todd Fridline (BBA in Finance ’20), received the Outstanding Student Leader Award.
The
President of Entrepreneurs Society, Todd Fridline (BBA in Finance ’20), Vice
President, Elisabeth Hamilton (BBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurship ’20), and
Treasurer, Carryn White (BBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurship ’19) discuss
Entrepreneurs Society community contributions and leadership at University of
Michigan-Flint in a Q&A with the School of Management.
Q: How has this organization
demonstrated leadership and positively contributed to the Flint community?
Hamilton: The Entrepreneurs Society takes great pride in being leaders
on our own campus and also in the community in which we live. The biggest way
our organization is making a positive contribution to the community of Flint is
our Flint Green project. Flint Green is a project focused on changing the
negative connotation that the community of Flint receives, and turning it into
a positive outlook. Flint Green is focusing on promoting a greener version of
Flint, using solar and wind energy to support the members of the Flint
community who typically get ignored. By promoting and marketing this project,
Entrepreneurs Society is also promoting a positive contribution to the Flint
community.
This past December, over 20 Entrepreneurs Society members
visited the Whaley
Children’s Center to volunteer our time. The Society
believes it is important to give back to the community whenever possible. This
volunteer opportunity allowed ES students to help the Whaley Children’s Center
in one of their most crucial times of the year.
Fridline: In the fall, the Entrepreneurs Society held its first annual Entrepreneur Tour. This experience provided students with an opportunity to listen to and network with entrepreneurs here in our own city. The tour made two stops in Downtown Flint. The first was at Cafe Rhema, where ES members listened to one of the executives at OLV Investment Group and Cafe Rhema owner, Josh Spencer. The tour also visited the Flint Ferris Wheel to visit the owner of KALM Clothing. They are both thriving businesses within the Flint Community and offered great insight about their experience of crafting their businesses, as well as gaining support from other local companies and promoting them to students at the University of Michigan-Flint.
Along
with this tour, we have also had the honor of having various Flint
entrepreneurs come to speak to our society, such as Wes Stoody, Founder of
Article One, Terry Stanfill, inventor of “Lenz,” and we had a team
assisting him in his marketing and finding his market segment, Drew Lauinger,
Instagram Influencer looking to start a social media marketing company, Sean
Tabor, Project Manager at Michigan Management Specialists and alumni of ES and
many more entrepreneurs.
The
Society also visited local packaging company and Tier-1 automotive supplier,
NorthGate. Several ES students received a tour of one of their facilities and
had a great opportunity to talk with the President of the company for over an
hour. ES has also collaborated with local Entrepreneurs and alumni of the
University of Michigan-Flint. Two entrepreneurs reached out to the Society in
search of help for their respective businesses. Students from ES provided these
entrepreneurs with business plans, financial models and projections, and
helpful insight to their business sector.
White: Entrepreneurs Society has also held many events open to the
community of Flint, including relationship with the Hagerman Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurial Speaker Series, Financial Wellness workshops
and a LinkedIn Workshop. In these workshops, we have collaborated with other
student organizations, emphasizing on the idea that the community of Flint
should be an environment where everyone feels involved.
Q: How has the organization
demonstrated a commitment to furthering the mission of the University of
Michigan-Flint?
Fridline: The Entrepreneurs Society is dedicated to the success of
its members, the community and the University of Michigan-Flint. Through
collaborations, student engagement, and various events, the Entrepreneurs
Society has worked hard to create opportunities for students across campus at
UM-Flint. Entrepreneurs Society provides students with valuable, hands-on
professional experience through events and projects. Among many things, we
provide students with an opportunity to explore career opportunities and learn
the skills needed to succeed as a student and professional.
Hamilton: Our two main events engage the community locally and
globally. The first being our annual Entrepreneurs Society Dinner. This event
is an opportunity for everyone in the Flint community to network with each
other and grow positive connections along with each other, thus continuing the
mission of bringing positive collaboration of members of the Flint community.
This dinner is also a way to get the University of Michigan-Flint name out there
in a positive way and show anyone from outside of this community the great
things our school and organization are doing. The Entrepreneurs Society invites
esteemed alumni and business professionals in the Flint area and connect them
with current students on our Flint campus. The goal of this dinner is to
provide these current students with a chance to network with local businesses
and entrepreneurs. Over 120 people were in attendance, making it a great night
of networking and opportunities for UM-Flint students, alumni, and community
members.
White: The other main event the Entrepreneur Society participates in is the annual Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization Global Conference. In November of 2018, ten Entrepreneurs Society members attended this global event in Kansas City to represent the University of Michigan-Flint and its values. At the conference, each member built leadership, networking, and teamwork skills through various seminars and workshops. In addition to learning these new skills, our Entrepreneurs Society also placed in the top five for awards in Outstanding CEO Chapter Leader, Outstanding CEO Chapter Advisor, and Best Cross Campus Innovation & Networking Award. Our President, Todd Fridline, was also able to represent our chapter and university during a Chapter Development session allowing ES to reach a global base by speaking about our practices. The conference is an opportunity to network with other students and executives from Fortune 500 companies. By supporting individual endeavors, as well as hosting these campus-wide events, the Entrepreneurs Society has been able to draw student involvement from multiple disciplines (including pre-med and engineering) to the organization.
Hamilton: Lastly, the Entrepreneurs Society has worked diligently to
include students of all majors in events, projects, and meetings. Specifically
at UM-Flint, ES has had student volunteers participate in coordinating a Zillion
Solutions, another event hosted by the Hagerman Center, competition and Think
Tank sessions hosted in the fall semester. Through collaborations with the
Hagerman Center, and outreach at events like Admitted Student Welcome, Mgagement,
and Pre-Business Welcome, ES has continually offered assistance to students
beyond the School of Management.
Q: How has this organization
positively contributed to student engagement at UM-Flint?
White: The Entrepreneurs Society is a resource that enables
students to shape their careers and advance themselves in the professional
world. Every semester, Entrepreneurs Society works hard to create opportunities
through various projects and events. Members can take part by leading their own
project or volunteering to support ongoing endeavors.
Hamilton: The organization has engaged students by providing team
members to help students start their own businesses. ES alumni, Hane Cho, has
launched DASH, a social networking app on
Google Play and in the app store. Cho has been interviewed by several local
news outlets about his work and aid from the Entrepreneurs Society. Another
current project we having been supporting is an Italian import startup.
Fridline: Entrepreneurs Society invites students from all areas of
campus to join the group for weekly workshops held during meeting time. These
include etiquette tips, how to network effectively, intellectual property
basics, how to improve your LinkedIn profile, and financial wellness for
students. Additional involvement comes from collaborating with other
organizations, such as SHRM, Marketing Club, and SCOMA, to host these events.
Entrepreneurs Society also works closely with the Hagerman Center by hosting a Zillion
Solutions, which received over 200 idea-solution entries. ES members are
developing a sales pitch to aid the engineering department in participating in
the annual Baja race. Collaboration with these organizations has resulted in
the promotion and involvement of our members, as well as members of other
student organizations.
Where: The School of Management, Riverfront Center
The Summer Entrepreneurship Institute will assist participants with an interest in business and entrepreneurship decide if this is a route they would like to pursue in college. The program will engage students in a series of life changing sessions, allowing them to get a feel for the field. Click here to read more.
The Hagerman Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation held its Summer Entrepreneurship Institute camp for the first time on July 12-14.
High school juniors and seniors spent three days learning about multiple aspects of entrepreneurship, business, and marketing. The camp aims to help high school students understand entrepreneurship and the excitement surrounding new ventures that can solve real problems.
Professor Amy Gresock, Assistant Professor of Management, said she hopes to challenge the students to think about entrepreneurship in a multi-faceted way.
“Opportunities are everywhere. It wasn’t just sitting in a classroom with the students. We were in the Flint community. We were on campus and we challenged them to look for opportunities,” said Gresock. “In some of the exercises we did, they came up with some really good ideas that played off of opportunities that they saw in the external environment. Their problems don’t have to be something really grandiose. It can just be solving a problem that they see in everyday life.”
Professor Greg Laurence teaches summer camp students about the basics of Entrepreneurship.
Students spent time with School of Management Professors Amy Gresock and Greg Laurence inside the classroom and in the community working to develop their entrepreneurial venture. During day one, students toured the UM-Flint campus looking for opportunities and quickly found that Flint has a lot of prospects for entrepreneurs.
Sean Mason, a high school junior from Davison, said he appreciated the implementation of lessons learned during the Summer Entrepreneurship Institute.
“I liked that it was hands on. I didn’t know exactly what to expect coming into it but I liked that after we learned something, we got to try it out,” said Mason.
Sean Mason asks a question during a Skype interview with Chris Trejbal.
The camp aimed to encourage entrepreneurial thinking by engaging students with course materials, community experiences, and a field trip to Skypoint Ventures in downtown Flint on the second day of the camp.
Interim Director of Hagerman Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and camp organizer, Professor Brian Blume, said he believes the Summer Entrepreneurship Institute was an engaging experience for the high school students.
“The camp was effective in introducing students to entrepreneurship and helping to develop an entrepreneurial mindset,” said Blume. “We, also, were able to show students how downtown Flint is being transformed to support and encourage entrepreneurial ventures, as well as introduce the strong entrepreneurship program at the UM-Flint School of Management.”
Summer camp students tour Skypoint Ventures. Bryce Moe, Managing Director of Skypoint Ventures, shows students a portion of the Dryden building that is under renovations.
On day three, the students wrapped up their work and learning by presenting their feasibility analysis projects to fellow students and their parents. Mason said he believes he gained a lot out of the camp experience.
“Before this camp I had a rudimentary understanding of business and certain opportunities. I learned about how to find your niche, how do you look at an opportunity and seize it and use the correct branding and marketing to really succeed and advance your cause,” said Mason.
The School of Management will be hosting another summer camp next year for high schoolers. Blume said he hopes to see more student participants in the future. He also has a piece of advice for other young entrepreneurs who want to get started.
“I suggest exploring these entrepreneurial interests early on. I encourage you to become involved with a business venture or to start a business, even if it’s a part-time business. Also, be sure to watch the TV show Shark Tank.”
International Students At UM-FlintGlobal Advocates for Vehicle City BY ALLISON ROSBURYON JULY 1, 2016
This past year, there were more than 700 international students attending UM-Flint – the most they have ever hosted.
“We are an international campus that has been progressing over the past decade,” says Dan Adams, International Center Director. “The reality is that having this identity isn’t just our students. It happens with the curriculum and student life make-up; it’s a matter of embracing what is here now. Diversity means nothing; it’s really about what you do with it. It’s how you incorporate it into your everyday life, your student and professional lives, your friendships and relationships.”
And UM-Flint is not short on diversity. Students hailing from China, India, South Korea, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Jamaica and even more countries decide to live, work, study and play in Flint.
UM-Flint senior Greg Hooper was energized throughout his recent trip to Detroit.
Hooper, and two others from the Flint campus, spent the day with peers from the Ann Arbor campus last month, visiting startups in Detroit, meeting with alumni, and networking. He was one of 49 University of Michigan students participating in DTrek, a program of The Center for Entrepreneurship, which is part of the university’s College of Engineering in Ann Arbor.
Hooper, who is studying entrepreneurial management, enjoyed representing UM-Flint during the trip, and sharing his experiences and expertise with those from the Ann Arbor campus. He also learned from them, along with from the entrepreneurs who relayed their stories of starting up ventures in Detroit.
