The Business Leadership Community returned from its summer hiatus with a kickoff party in C225 from 2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Organized by project managers Tulio Moreira and Jinnie Hui, the party was an opportunity for leaders of the BLC to introduce new and current BC students to the club and the opportunities it can offer to anyone in the business transfer programs. Pizza and pastries were provided to keep attendees interested.
BLC is a large community that encompasses business transfer students, alumni in four-year colleges and alumni working for large companies. The community first blossomed from the Connect to the Future Conference in 2004, which was an event fostered by the Business Transfer Program. BLC became a student network that focused on the different business programs at BC, provided opportunities for networking within and outside of the club and encouraged student success through engagement and collaboration with each other.
The kickoff event was held to reinforce those ideas as well as invite more members to the society. Attendees were given name organized tags and sat in groups, which later on became teams for the prepared games. One of these games was for each team to compete in building the most accurate representation of a designated monument such as the Eiffel Tower with marshmallows.
Through this event, BLC leaders Moreira, Hui and club president Mayra Surber hoped to introduce to the students an activity outside of classes that they might find useful for networking opportunities and transfer applications.
“We want all the students to realize that school is not just to come and take classes,” explained Surber. “We want the students to interact others and get to know all the opportunities that we have and all the things we can learn about internships, the transfer process or the Writing Skills Assessment test.”
The Writing Skills Assessment is a mandatory exam that everyone must take in order to apply to University of Washington’s Business bachelor degree program. The test is used at all three UW campuses and it examines an applicant’s communication and critical thinking abilities. The 90-minute test requires applicants to write two essays – one in which the writer must take a stance on an issue and another will ask for a written reaction to fictional situation. For example, one question might ask the applicant to write an e-mail to a coworker that gives a clear reasoning on how that person should spend their money, whether it is to save it, donate it or pay off debt.
In addition, the BLC meetings are intended to be a mix of fun and productivity. The kickoff party, for instance, aimed to introduce new members with food and games as well as inform them of future events that the BLC might have such as resume workshops. One upcoming event is an internship panel on November 16, in which Surber plans on hosting representatives from Boeing, Starbucks and the City of Seattle.
Both Moreira and Hui also acknowledged the impact BLC had on their goals as transfer students. “We learned to work with one another and network and build relationships, which is important in the business world,” said Moreira.
Similarly, Hui’s position as a project manager helped improve her time management and leadership abilities. “I think that in order to transfer to a good university, you need more than a good GPA. It also depends on how you’re engaged in the campus,” explained Hui. “I developed my project management skills. Organizing either a small or big event takes a lot of work. You have to consider multiple circumstances.”
“These skills are essential for all business students,” Hui noted.
For business transfer students, Moreira advised to be outgoing and explore new things. “It can be nerve wracking, but in the end, it’s really rewarding because you meet some great people that have the same goals as you. You’ll learn new skills and become knowledgeable in the world of business,” Moreira remarked.