International Business Students Visit Top Companies in NYC

Undergraduate student Laila-Rose Galvin, class of 2020, international business major, writes about SUSA's Smith in the City trip, held on October 25 & 26, 2018, in New York City.

This past October, the Smith Undergraduate Student Association (SUSA) hosted its annual Smith in the City, a two-day opportunity for Smith students to learn about career possibilities in their prospective area of study and to gain exposure to the culture of specific companies. Of the eight treks represented, the Center for Global Business supported the International Business (IB) trek to encourage students to learn international business concepts and to follow their career paths in IB. Students visited a different set of companies and, on the evening before the visits, attended an alumni event to make connections with Smith alumni in the NYC area. Students were challenged to step outside of their comfort zones throughout the program, making for a powerful learning experience for all.

Bright and early Thursday morning over 150 Smith students, staff, and faculty piled onto buses for the journey to NYC. Once they arrived, some treks had to race to company sites for their first visits, while others had some time to get settled before the alumni event that night. The alumni event consisted of a panel with Kim Boulmetis, managing director of Oppenheimer & Co., Inc., Malcolm Gillian, a partner at Cogent Entertainment Marketing and Matt McCance, head of global sales learning strategy & operations at Facebook. The topic of the panel was "What I Wish I Had Known..." and some of the key points was the importance of finding a balance in your career between; 1) what you're passionate about and good at, 2) what career will provide financially, and 3) what will fulfill and allow you to create great social impact. After the panel, there was a networking reception where undergraduates, graduate students, alumni, faculty and professionals were able to mingle together. For many of the students, this was their first networking event which allowed them to get comfortable before the company visits on Friday. The networking event served as a great opportunity to make connections with local professionals and further explore opportunities in prospective fields of interest.

Friday consisted of a jam-packed schedule starting at 10 a.m. with the first company visit. Throughout the day, Smith students loaded into busy metro cars, eagerly getting to the next company. For the IB trek, students kicked off the day at Facebook where they were given a presentation that explored how the company’s mission and values are implemented in everyday work. Students had over 30 minutes of Q&A where they sought to understand how Facebook plans to grow as a company and meet the demands of their users. The next visit was with CDM Agencies, a healthcare advertising firm that was responsible for notable advertising campaigns for products like Viagra. Smith students learned about the advertising industry and even created their own campaign in an activity hosted by their creative director and Maryland alumna, Stephanie Markell. The last company that the IB trek visited was Dahlberg Global Development Advisors, a strategy and policy advisory firm that has provided expertise in over 90 countries. Students learned about the work Dahlberg advisors do in the many different areas within the development sector and the value business majors would bring to the field.

In the end, Smith students left Smith in the City very informed of where their business education could lead them professionally. Many students walked away excited about the new opportunities they hadn't been aware of before and energized for these future possibilities.

The support for the Center for Global Business was provided in part by CIBE, a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education.