Overview of the Executive Mentor Program

At the beginning of the year we business students were informed that we would be taking part in the Executive Mentor Program. At first we did not really know what the program would entail exactly, but we were quickly informed what we would be doing while involved in the program. The objective of the Mentoring Program is for these mentors to:

·       introduce and inform us students of the college of business the different types of jobs/careers hat are available to us business students

·       Discuss a variety of topics, including time management, personal finance, goal setting, communication skills, and job market realities

·       Provide networking opportunities in the New Orleans business community so that the students can find excellent internships, summer jobs, and post-graduation employment

·       Take the students on field trips to local businesses( some examples: Berning Productions, Canal Place, Hubig’s Pies, etc…)

By taking part in the Mentor Program it has been nice and beneficial to meet with fellow Loyola Alum. The reason I guess this would be the most valuable and beneficial part of the experience is that as fellow students of Loyola they can inform us on what we should be doing while we are freshmen and where to start so that we do not prolong our goal to be successful in the business field, as well as tell us what we should be doing to get involved in our community. Also they have helped advise us with what we should do with our specific majors and how to make us stand apart from others so as to make us more valuable to the specific business field.

After taking part in the Mentoring Program for already a semester, my expectations did change a bit. My expectations at the beginning where a bit higher than what I have experienced over the course of the first semester, not saying that none have been met during this period of time, but I believe that my complete expectations were not met because seeing as we have only met about four times it is impossible for all of my expectations to be completely met, so I am sure and have no doubt that as the program continues that my expectations will surely be met and probably go beyond.

In regards with advising fellow peers at other universities with finding an executive mentor I definitely would recommend finding one. The reason being is that by having someone there advising you on what you should do in order to become successful in the business arena is definitely beneficial seeing as one is technically on their own in college and definitely could use guidance, especially from someone in that field of work which you are interested in, is definitely a great assistance and support system, not to mention providing one with beneficial advice.

         For the next semester, in regards with the Executive Mentor Program, I am greatly looking forward to hopefully doing more hands on activities in regards with my major/field. Also possibly to meet people who are professionals in my field of work to see what they do, what their everyday to day job consists of, and to get some feed back as to what to do in order to set my self apart from the rest of the crowd. As for next semester at Loyola I am looking forward to keep on working and learning more and to strive ahead in order to get closer to specializing in my field/major. Also I really hope to get involved with a group at school, my main interest is to become a member of the Loyola International Business Organization, which I believe would be very beneficial for me since that is the major which I am currently declaring. And ultimately to keep enhancing myself as a student here at Loyola.

         While we are all away during Christmas break it is going to be key for us business students to keep up with current business events in order to keep up and not get behind in the business world. So some helpful and useful sites for current business events are:

 http://www.businessweek.com

˜  http://www.nytimes.com

˜  http://www.news.bbc.co.uk

˜  http://news.google.com

˜  http://www.npr.org

Wolves on The Prowl 2008 :))

On Saturday, November 8, 2008, I woke up at 7:30 a.m. in order to go to the annual Wolves on the Prowl Community Service Day, which was held by the college of business. When we got there at 8 a.m. we received t-shirts that were made for the service day, which we were to wear during the day and our service project, and they also had breakfast for all of us before we began our endeavors Once every one was there we were split in to four different groups:

1. "Cubs in the Den" Good Sheperd school field day at Loyola. Volunteers will coordinate games and activities for the Good Shepherd students.
2. "Service Starts in Our Own Community" Volunteers will be cleaning up and painting a space i the basement of the Danna Center that will be used as a WFF break space.
3. Wilson Charter School Volunteers will help clean up and paint at the Wilson Charter School
4. LUCAP's project SMILE (Students Moving Into the Lives of the Elderly). Volunteers will be potting plants with the seniors at the Uptown Shepherd Center followed by lunch and fellowship. 

My group went to the Wilson Charter School. So we took a bus and were bussed to the charter school. There at the school there were multiple projects which could be done. Some people could help put gym equipment together for the physical education department, do garden work, make bulletin boards, or help teachers out with class tasks. Also when we got there we were informed about the history of the charter school and that the actual school was under remodel at the moment and that after Katrina that the community was going to be turned into a green area. While there Nataly and I helped out with one of the teachers in her classroom;we cut out laminated pieces of paper that would

 form to be a game that would help with the children in learning and we put the name of the teachers in the class books. Even though they appeared to be minor tasks and not important, it actually does mean a lot and especially for the kids. Because when they come back to school on Monday  they will be very excited and grateful for the tasks that we have done and will appreciate the effort we put in during that morning. And even though it was not a huge task it felt good to help in the some way and give back to the community around me. 

~Wolves on the Prowl is " an annual day of service planned and led by the Office of Alumni Affairs, which pairs volunteers from the Loyola community with programs that need help. This year, alumni in eight cities, including New Orleans, will roll up their sleeves for

 charity"(www.loyno.edu)

~Another compelling service organization in New Orleans would be the Global Green Rebuilding New Orleans Project. The reason I believe this is a compelling project is because after Katrina, besides other Gulf Coast Cities, New Orleans was affected a tremendous de

al and we all know had to be re-built. And now with the new craze of going green it makes perfect sense for this necessity. The Holy Cross Project, Global Green is committed to:

• "Creating a green model or showcase for development and rebuilding for New Orleans, and green affordable housing in the US"
• "Ensuring the sustainability and log term affordability of the Project's housing units for residents, and socioeconomic fabric of the neighborhood through the center"
• "Educating NOLA residents, the Gulf Coast and broader American public through the Project's visitors center, NOLA resource center, and website about the benefits of green building"
• "Advancing smart solutions to global warming that both benefit communities and engage stakeholders in building will for action"

Executive Speaker on Personal Finances...$$$

During the first half of the Thursday night class we listened to a speaker from Regions Bank give us information on personal credit for college students and the do's and don'ts. Some of the things we learned were: 6 Ways to Kill Your Credit

• Ways in which to build your credit
• The Causes and effects of good and bad credit
• *In pretty much any situation, your credit determines what you can and can't get. For example if you want to take out a loan on a house or a car, the amount you can take out and the interest will differ greatly if you have a good or bad credit score.
  
• You should always try to pay the complete or minimum balance on time, because if you're a day late you will be charged with a late fee.
• Don't buy items which are too expensive and put them on your credit card if you don't have the money to pay it when the bill comes. Basically don't spend money you don't have. 
• Use credit cards to buy big purchases not for little things 
• Have a couple of credit cards to build your credit

Besides the information which we were given about personal credit during the presentation here are other related web sites which provide good information as well:

• Financial Tips for College Students
• Money Matters for College Students
• Money Management

By taking into consideration the information given to us during the presentation and from these web sites we as students can hopefully stay away from being in debt and ultimately feeling like this:

CareerBeam Values & Vision

What is the vision of your ideal future?

When I think about my future and what I envision it to be like I see my self working for an international fashion company,preferably spanish or italian,either in Europe, New York or Miami. Possibly working for a company like Zara, H&M, Tiffany's to Miss Sixty. Or I see my self working in the marketing area of an international national soccer team. Ultimately environments in which I am passionate about those hobbies, in this case languages,fashion and sports. 

What are the benefits of writing a vision statement?

When writing a vision statement it first allows your creative juices to start flowing and ge

ts one to actually start thinking about what they really want to do with their life after college. Therefore by creating a vision statement and at the same time envisioning ones future, it serves as a building block to achieve that vision. Basically creating a goal that you wish to see be met and obtained since that is what you ideally would enjoy doing in your future, some what like your dream job.

What are the challenges of writing a vision statement?

An evident difficulty when writing a vision statement is that fact that it forces one to have to think far in advance as to what they wish to do in the future. The difficulty with that is that you may think that what you envision now is what you will want to be doing and at the same time you don't know if you will still want to be in the same career and strive for that vision in years to come; because as they always say people change careers multiple times in their life, so its not necessarily easy to automatically decide right then and there. 

Which of your values are most important to you?

When taking the Value assessment test on careerbeam is

 stated that my results were: 

YOUR SCORES:

• Driver:26
  
• Creator:23
• Humanitarian:25
• Pursuer:22
• Maximizer:24

When going over my value results they are all obviously important to me because they are what describe me as a person. However, if I had to choose which are most important to me would probably have to be driver and pursuer, because those are two key values to have if you want to get ahead in life because one lives on that and if you do not have drive or a desire to pursue then you will not achieve your goals and it also says what type of person you are in the fact that you will keep going until you achieve what truly wish to have and ultimately what makes you happy.

How do you express/display your values on a daily basis?

In my day to day life I believe that I always try to express or display my values even if I do it subconsciously. I always try to bundle them all together whether it be a combination of drive, creative, or pursuer, I use all of these in order to get any task done. For example if I set a goal for my self to finish something by the end of the day I will give it all I have and do everything possible in order to complete the job. Another way in which I use my values on a daily basis is when there is an obstacle in the way I will try to find a creative manner in which to over come it so as to continue going forward.

Find an organization that expresses a close match between your vision/values and the organizations vision/values. Quote the organization's vision/mission/values. Describe what it would be like to work for an organization with these vision/values.

When looking for an organization/company that expresses a similar vision and value system as me I looked at Zara. Zara believes that:

" The customer is the center of our particular business model

, which integrate design, manufacture, distribution and sales through its own network of stores. All processes, beginning with the creation of the product, share the same objective: to give the customers the fashion they expect. Every day, Zara interprets, adapts and takes trends to millions of people...The co-ordinated product is always the protagonist and shopping freely and in comfort is a pleasant experience"

Now knowing to some sort of degree as to what the company stands for I believe that working for this company with these sort of vision/values would be definitely a great experience. The reason being is that they know what they must do in order to compete with the competition there fore, with my drive, creativity, pursuance, and maximizing abilities to be able to meet the customers needs of providing them with affordable and fashionable clothes but at the same time maximizing dollars and cents, ultimately being innovative and putting my values to use.

Picture representing vision/value:

First Meeting with Our Mentors

On Thursday night, September 11, we finally got to meet with our mentors from the Executive Mentor Program. That night we basically learned that we wold be participating in this program in order to gain knowledge and advice from actual accomplished business people who have been in our same position and will advise us on how to get to the top. Ultimately, they are there to help us become the best that we can be in our desired business field and profession.

Once we finally divided in to our separate groups we each went in to different rooms and began to converse with our mentors. That night I got to meet two out of the three mentors because the other one was traveling, that is the reason as to why I was assigned three mentors because of their busy schedules and constant traveling, all of which working for Ernst & Young LLP. Besides the information I already knew about one of my mentors, Allison, is that she has switched majors constantly and did not know what she wanted to do , but after getting her masters at the University of New Orleans she was able to do what she wanted to do and was finally satisfied. Also with her profession it allows her the ability to travel to foreign countries, which is definitely appealing. In regards with Michelle, I learned that even though she majored in accounting she did not want to be an accountant or auditor, and therefore decided to go beyond and do something with her degree that she herself wanted to do. One main thing that we were told and is definitely good advice, is that it is definitely an advantage to decide what you want to do after you graduate because if you wait till your senior year you will be stressed and put in an unpleasant situation. 

By participating in the Executive Mentor Program, I ultimately expect to gain hands on knowledge on my specific field that I wish to go into after graduating and learn the do's and don'ts so that once I am out in the "real world" I can perform as best as I can. I also expect to obtain hands on experience with both marketing and international business endeavors so that once I begin to apply for a job I will already have experience since that is what many companies look for when hiring, not someone who does not have any experience; ultimately to get a head start on things. 

In regards with the Executive Mentor Program, I think that it will definitely be valuable in the long run in regards with how I should do certain things in order to work my way up the latter and improve and at the same time enhance my skills that I already pertain so to use them properly and as an advantage in the field I wish to work in. Also one key element that can be definitely useful is that bey doing this Executive Mentor Program it can open the doors to connections in regards with meeting people who work in the marketing and international business fields, specifically with fashion since that is what I intend to work with once I graduate. Ultimately it will give me value of knowing how to become the best that I can be correct any errors before I go out in to the real world and work in the business arena.