Blog 2

I am retyping this blog due to the fact that I wrote mine just after the last mentor meeting as I thought that I was supposed to but the questions had not yet been posted. I had assumed that by this point we should be able to write on our own and I apologize for the inconvenience. I have learned from my mentor that you must be assertive yet respectable when talking to members of the business community. In order to communicate effectively one must establish that they know what they want while still being respectful of their peers or bosses. The second thing that we have learned from our mentor about business communication is that first impressions count. On first impression, not only does a professional size you up based on appearance but also on demeanor and diction. I have learned about being involved in a profession in which communication with customers is imparitive. My mentor has not yet mentioned any specific jobs that I would necessarily pursue, though he has told us about his and I know that I can communicate effectively thus I would be successful in any field related to that. Well the next question I have already experienced, and I did not get into any scary situations relating to being robbed or hurt on Mardi Gras. I did get to experience the parades and a crawfish boil, so I can now check those off of my list. I definitely now know why Mardi Gras is important to New Orleans, and that is because it brings the whole city together regardless of ethnicity, social class, or profession. That closeness of the community makes Mardi Gras an extremely important part of New Orleans Katrina recovery effort also. I personally loved the holiday and am counting the days until next year!

Mentor Meeting 2

In our second Mentor Meeting of the semester there was a whole lot to catch up on. The group and I met our mentor, Mr.Neunhaus, at a restaurant called Copeland's to discuss the current business issues at hand in the world today. The dinner consisted of a whole slew of appetizers and some riveting conversation on issues with the economy and what is being done, political standings and their influence on the economic position of the United States, what each of us planned on doing in our future, and some good old catching up of course. Since the last time we met with our mentors a lot had changed and to be able to discuss not only the business issues at hand with the world but also to be able to relate to our mentor about our lives was a much appreciated oppurtunity. This semester has started out wonderfully and I look forward to more meetings and meaningful insight from our mentors in the near future.

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Mentor Networking Event

Hello everyone, glad to be back in action with the new year and spring semester ahead of us! On Thursday January 15 we all attended the Mentor Networking Event where we were basically tested to see if we were socially adept enough to even keep our heads above water in a business setting. Stressing the importance of dressing professionally, each of the students in our class had to attempt to obtain at least five different business cards from the assorted business men and women that were gracious enough to participate in the event. Growing up in the south I already knew the significance of a firm handshake and looking your acquaintances square in the eye while introducing yourself with your full name, though some students did not. I personally met with professors, a financial adviser, and a slew of other professionals from the New Orleans area. I felt that the event was good because it forced us to dive head first into what we are soon to see upon graduating and jumping into a real business setting. All of the men and women who I met seemed extremely happy to be helping in the sculpting of our soon to be business-like states of mind. It was empowering being able to talk to successful members of the community not necessarily as young adults but as men and women following the same path that they were on only years and decades ago. I personally had a wonderful time and appreciated being given the opportunity to attempt and thrive in a real professional environment, and I think that I did a good job at doing holding my own with people clearly far ahead of where I am financially and professionally. All in all it was a good time and I hope everyone else appreciated the event as much as I did.

Passport Assignment 6

The objective of the Loyola University College of Business' Executive Mentor Program for Freshmen is to instill the knowledge that only a professional in the field of business could understand, in a casual environment that enables us to ask questions and converse with established members of the New Orleans business world. The mentors who work with our class right now have achieved a level of success that we all hope to someday attain. Check out more at: Loyola College of  Business Executive Mentor Program. I definitely most valued being able to discuss the matters involved in the economy with individuals that knew exactly how the economy works and had advice to give to us on how to work around it as our world changes. Reading things in the newspaper and watching the news is important for understanding the ever changing world of business but speaking to people who are have actually been there seemed a whole lot more effective in my perspective. Upon approaching the prospect of having to meet with our mentors I was honestly a bit apprehensive thinking the experience might be a bit awkward and I did not think the conversations would necessarily exactly just start flowing. Though after meeting just a few times I soon realized that my mentor had a lot of knowledge not only in business but in a key element at being good at business, conversation skills. Our dinners ended up being two to three hours long and the whole time riveting conversation and laughs enveloped our small group as we discussed not only business but stories and hilarious advice. I feel that other Business Schools that do not offer some program similar to ours here at Loyola are missing out. I would tell those students to go seek out an Executive Mentor who is willing to open up about things that all the members of our population just do not know about. By approaching someone in the business field in a professional manner and telling them that you absolutely need to learn, that student might have a shot at having that savviness that that executive mentor has earned relayed onto them. Our mentor gave our group advice and perspectives that I honestly did not know and had not heard and I soaked up every last line of it because I know that I am going to need that knowledge that they have someday. Next semester I look forward to learning even more to get me closer to my goals in the world I live in and my mentor has been and will be more than willing to help get there I am sure.

  Some websites to keep YOUR business savvy up to par during the holiday season! 

Business Week

New York Times

CNN Money

Colbert Report

Wolves On the Prowl Community Service Project

  The Wolves On the Prowl Community Service project that the COB freshman students attended on November 8, 2008 was a solid experience. Dragging our feet, the majority of us managed to begin our day by pulling ourselves out of the warm Saturday slumber that we were all ever-so deserving of and go hit the town with all the enthusiasm that could be sucked out of our dreary bodies and fogged minds. Shortly after we all got some fruit and coffee everyone began to finally open up their squinting red eyes and get a smile on their face, having gotten over the worst part of the day, waking up! Breaking into small groups we all began to see what the next four hours entailed, most of us now a bit more awake and smiling. My group hopped on a bus, actually filling up every seat on the bus if I remember correctly, and headed to clean up some public parks. Fearing the worst, it seemed as though everyone on the bus was ready to do some real work  and show what we were capable of, but devastatingly enough we arrived at a near perfect park that needed the absolute bare minimum of work done. But spirits still high, the group threw on the provided work gloves and grabbed the paint cans. Upon approaching our obstacles the rather large group split into two smaller groups. One group began repainting benches that were in a little need of painting I'd say and the rest of us began pulling overgrown vines off of a chain-link fence. Now the majority of the group had fully awakened and we were bright eyed and on a mission to do what we woke up to get done, and with our overwhelming determination we picked the fence clean and painted those benches black in about 30 minutes.Grabbing a bottle of water and a banana, we all kind of looked around as if we were thinking "Is that all you got?" The group took a short break and then back on the bus we went to proceed onward to our next park. Probably 15 minutes of riding on the bus got us to our next park, actually this one was more immaculate than the last believe it or not. We still picked up the little trash that was sprinkled throughout the field but it only took five minutes. Hopping back on the bus again everyone was still in a good mood and as talkative as ever. We got back to school a bit early and were actually able to see some of the other groups still volunteering. All in all it was a good experience that we all enjoyed, most of us anyways. Another compelling organization  that I have researched in the New Orleans area is the Habitat for Humanity. This is an organization that most everyone is familiar with that helps to restore communities and specifically houses of those impoverished victims of Hurricane Katrina. I feel that the restoration of these homes and communities is vital to the flourishing of our city and that is why I feel so compelled by what this organization strives to achieve. www.habitat-NOLA.org The organization that the clean-up crew worked for was not listed on Blackboard so I was not able to give either a link or brief overview.

Passport Assignment #4

The presentation on Thursday night was based on the importance of establishing credit and the ways in which one can gain a high credit score. The Regions Bank representative explained to us how we should go about this. He stated that we need to get a credit card and make payments on time in order to gain any credit score at all. My mentor elaborated on this by explaining that if we had more than one credit card we have a larger sum that we can work with if we are able to pay off that amount in a timely manner. Basically meaning if we have the means to pay off $10,000 worth of purchases but our card only allows up to $7,000 in credit, we could have two credit cards thus enabling us to have $14,000 credit while simultaneously helping our credit score. I personally have a credit card and have recently begun the process of making payments on time in an effort to establish some sort of credit as that is extremely important once I step out into the real world. http://money.cnn.com/2005/03/16/pf/creditscore/index.htm

Career Beam Values and Vision

My vision is to be not only financially independent but also financially successful. I want to gain a strong understanding of the stock market and the economic status of the world at this point in time, then apply  that knowledge to the market utilizing the assets that I have, in an attempt to reach the financial status that I want to attain. By having this vision statement I have a set goal that I need to reach and because it is only a vision and not a mission there is leeway to alter my plans. My vision is broad, to be economically successful, a goal that can be reached from a wide spectrum of career paths. Writing a vision statement is difficult in the sense that it is somewhat frightening to make a statement that sums up my life goals and should be applicable in whatever path I do in fact take. The values that I uphold are logic, power, and innovation, all of which I know will aid me in my struggle to get to the top. I express these values on a daily basis in my general reasoning of my environment and my analyzation of the position that I am in. By logically looking at any hurdle in your way, you can attain the power that you need to beat the competition(hurdle) and then  apply that logic and power to create innovative solutions to those obstacles and further yourself  on your route to success. The mission statement that I felt was most similar to the vision that I have chosen is that of The Bank of New York. Their statement is "We strive to be the acknowledged global leader and preferred partner in helping our clients succeed in the world's rapidly evolving financial markets." Though the statement is not identical to my ideal vision, it is similar in the sense that it references not only the constantly changing financial markets but the success in that market. Success is what I am aiming for and I am eager to reach the plateau of financial independence that I have chosen to strive for. I would thoroughly enjoy working for a company with such simple yet direct values, financial success is the key to be successful in the world of business in my eyes and I think I could easily keep my head above water in any business i choose to affiliate myself with.

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