Kevin Wagner ’19 LABB Intern – First of all, I would like to thank the Lilly Endowment for making the Liberal Arts Bridge to Business (L.A.B.B.) program possible. This program has been a great introduction to business and it has shed light on some of the more unfamiliar areas to me, such as marketing and consulting. Due to this program, I have been introduced to a wide variety of business aspects and I am eager to learn more in the future.
In particular, our most recent accomplishment was completing our consulting project. During this project, we focused on the renovation of one of Wabash College’s most dated buildings. The Armory is a building that is overdue for a remodel. During our time spent on this project, it became apparent that there are a lot of moving parts when attempting to complete a large project such as this one. We looked at floor plans, heating and cooling, wall reconstruction, paint, carpet, etc. As it is pretty apparent, a simple remodel quickly turns into a complex list of requirements that is no easy feat. With any complex project, there must be an appropriate amount of teamwork and task delegation. I believe this is why this project was such a valuable portion of the L.A.B.B. program, it facilitates teamwork, as well as organized collaboration. These are two staple skills that will be required in the future, regardless of a person’s career path. These are qualities that everyone should improve upon as they gain experience since teamwork will always be required not only in business, but life in general. This project has introduced me to the complexity of consulting projects and also sharpened my interpersonal skills when it comes to collaboration.
Thus far, the L.A.B.B. program has been a great experience that has introduced me to financial literacy, efficient teamwork, and business terminology. I think this program has been a great introduction to business, while still being fun and interesting. I look forward to learning more as I get older and come upon more difficult problems. I think that after this program, I am more equipped to merge my business knowledge with a liberal arts education. In doing so, I will be able to advance my career and find some success along the way following graduation. I would like to again thank the Lilly Endowment and all the faculty at Wabash involved with making the LABB program such a rewarding experience.
