My Experience with the Executive Mentor Program

The Executive Mentoring Program is a great asset if you attend the College of Business at Loyola University New Orleans. The Executive Mentoring Program's objectives are stated below.

Introduce different types of jobs/careers available to 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 (Hubig's Pies, Berning Productions, Canal Place, etc.)

I have to say, one of the best experiences I had with the Executive Mentoring Program is when we went on a field trip to Berning Productions and Berning Marketing. I valued this experience because it really showed me how a job can be after college. This experience made me realize how much i will enjoy my job in the marketing feild.

My expectations going into the Executive Mentor Program were very high! The Excutive Mentor Program has definately, without a doubt, met and went beyong my expectations. The Executive Mentor Program is one of the best parts of the College of Business.

For all my peers at universities other than Loyola University New Orleans, I would try to establish a relationship with a business man or women in the community that is willing to offer time to business students. This relationship will open many doors throughout college and after you leave. The relationship may lead to many job opportunities. The mentor you choose will also be able to help you throughout college with resumes and internships.

I am so excited about next semester! I will be taking more business classes. My core curriculum classes do not interest me at all but my business classes are very intriguing! Next semester we pick up the Executive Mentor Program again. I love the program so I am also very excited about doing things with my mentors again. The Executive Mentor Program is fun and, at the same time, very informational.

If anyone would like to follow business current event throughout the break, I would recommend visiting this site. It is called iBlog Business. It is a directory of many business' blogs. The blogs are very interesting an informative.

Well I hope everyone that is following my blog has a great break and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Wolves on the Prowl

On Saturday November 8th, students at Loyola University New Orleans came together for a day of service in the community. There were many activities the students could choose ranging from painting to potting plants with senior citizens. I decided to pot plants with the seniors at the Uptown Shepard Center. I absolutely love to spend time with seniors. They have the GREATEST stories and they are so appreciative. We started out the day at Loyola. We signed in and we split up into groups based on what activity we wanted to do. The activity I wanted to do was put together by a LUCAP (Loyola University Community Action Program) sub-group called S.M.I.L.E., which stands for Students Moving Into the Lives of the Elderly. We then took buses to the locations of our service. When I arrived at Uptown Shepard Center, I knew it was going to be a great day! We walked in and were greeted by the sweetest seniors! They were so excited that we came to spend time with them. We then set up all the pots and flowers at the tables. We helped the seniors make beautiful flower arrangements and shared many laughs with them. After we finished the arrangements, we played BINGO. Everyone had a great time playing BINGO. Lastly, we shared stories and refreshments with the seniors. I feel that they had a great time and loved our company!

LUCAP is an awesome organization to become a part of! LUCAP, as stated above, stands for Loyola University Community Action Program. They have thirteen active programs to get involved with that range from rebuilding to advocacy. LUCAP's mission is very inspiring and is stated below.

Composed of and directed by student volunteers, the Loyola University Community
Action Program (LUCAP) is a campus organization having three primary goals,
the first being to provide and direct volunteers in service-oriented
activity within the community and the university, the second being to inform
and promote involvement in the area of social justice, and the third being
to aid in the volunteers' social and spiritual growth through their involvement in service and care-giving activities.

When i was searching for another service opportunity I stumbled upon a site that I found very intriguing. The organization is called Replant New Orleans. Their mission is stated below.

It is the mission of Replant New Orleans to provide trees and shrubs, healthy
soil, and education outreach services to the residents of New Orleans at no
cost. We seek to help New Orleanians create a lush, healthy, and vibrant urban
forest canopy, emphasizing equitable distribution of resources and grassroots
community involvement.

I feel that Replant New Orleans can really make a difference in the lives of New Orleanians by providing lush landscaping in our community.

Good Credit BAD Credit

On Thursday, October 2nd the business students had another meeting with the executive mentors. This meeting was about CREDIT! This was a much needed meeting for us. We really need to know how to manage credit cards and our money early. During the meeting we discussed what is GOOD credit and what is BAD credit. We also discussed how much easier and cheaper life is when you have GOOD credit. We learned with BAD credit all interest rates are substantially higher than those interest rates of those with GOOD credit. A helpful hint I learned: DO NOT SPEND MORE MONEY THAN WHAT YOU MAKE. I think that is an easy principle to grasp. My personal mentors discussed their experience with not knowing the rules of credit while they were in college. I also found an informative site that has tips for students about credit and money management. I think this meeting was very informative, fun, and most of all, HELPFUL!

CareerBeam Values and Vision

Walt Disney once said,

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to
pursue them.”

I feel that this is what makes me want to pursue my dreams. My vision for my ideal future is in ten years I would like to be the Marketing Director of a large corporation in the fashion or beauty industry. I want to be the Marketing Director of Saks Fifth Ave. or Sephora. I want to be able to start a family also. I am going to be able to travel the world, but I will also have time for my family. I will attend New York Fashion Week and see what is new for the next season. At the same time, I will be a great mother and wife.

There are many benefits of writing a vision statement. First, you can really see what you want to do in the future when you put it in words. Secondly, when you write a vision statement you can put your greatest idea of the ideal future in words without any limitations. I think everyone should have a goal written down in a vision statement so you can always look at where you are going and what you are aiming for.

I have known what I wanted my career to be since I was a child. I was always interested in fashion, makeup, and the newest, hottest things. I also was curious about how things become popular through marketing. For me, who knows exactly what I want my career to be, writing a vision statement was difficult. Writing a vision statement is difficult because sometimes it is hard to put in words exactly what you want to do. For other people, it may be difficult because they do not know where they want to be in ten years.
When I took the CareerBeam values assessment, my results said I was a pursuer. It stated that “The Pursuer” is motivated by an environment that values truth and knowledge above all else. The values that are most important to me are honesty, knowledge, learning, and appearance. I feel these values are important because without them it is harder to become a successful business person. I feel like I display my values everyday by being prepared to listen and learn, to always be a truthful person, and always present myself in a respectful manner.

I feel that Saks Incorporated has similar values to my own. The values of Saks Incorporated are:
Quality: Do things right.
Integrity: Do the right things.
Service: Be responsive to other's needs and goals.
Teamwork: Work is a team process. Success is a team result.
Responsibility: One can be counted on to deliver. Period.
Winning: Consistent, winning results are a requirement.

To work for Saks Incorporated would be a dream come true. I have always wanted to work for Saks Fifth Ave. which is owned by Saks Incorporated. To work with a company with strong values is a way to stand for something you believe in.

Executive Mentors

The Executive Mentor Program at Loyola University New Orleans is a great learning experience for freshmen like myself. Not only do we get advice from accomplished men and women in the business field, but we also get the networking tools we need when we graduate. I feel the mentoring program is very beneficial for new students studying business. We can learn core values through our mentors that we cannot learn in the classroom.

I am personally lucky enough to have two mentors. My first mentor is Erin Berning who is the Executive Director of Berning Marketing, LLC. My second mentor is Leslie Monson who is the Advertising Manager for Harrah's New Orleans. Erin Berning started out wanting to be a producer in the film industry. After some time working directly with filming and sets, Erin decided she wanted to go more into the marketing aspect of the business. She is now a very successful business woman that loves her jobs. She makes sure to check on all her employees everyday! I think this is a great quality that she possesses. She is also really fun and has a GREAT personality. Leslie Monson is also a very personable businesswoman like Erin. Leslie went to school for marketing/advertising. She started out working as the Marketing Director for Planet Beach Franchising. Through this job Leslie did marketing for Planet Beach through Berning Marketing, LLC. Now Leslie is a very successful Advertising Director who is innovative and also, like Erin, an awesome boss to her team of employees.

The outcomes I expect from the Executive Mentor Program are that I learn more about the business world through my mentors and also that I learn what I can do to better prepare myself for the business world. I would also like to learn how to acheive my goals after college. I feel I can also learn different concepts through my mentors that I do not expect to learn.

Through the Executive Mentor Program I believe I will be better prepared to make a smooth trasition from college into my first job out of college. I am extremely excited to see what more is to come through the Executive Mentor Program. One day I hope to be as successful or more as the role models we have access to through this program!