Throughout the Business Immersion Program (BIP), our group had the chance to participate in multiple networking opportunities. Whether it was guest alumni speakers, visits to the headquarters of various companies in Indianapolis, helping out at Big Bash, or specifically organized networking events, the opportunity to make valuable connections with alumni was present throughout the program.
One of the first instances this came up was when our group had the chance to help out at Wabash’s annual Big Bash celebration. Here, we got to interact with 250 alumni coming back to visit Wabash. Specifically, I had the opportunity to speak with Jon Pactor ‘71 about his career path and he was able to offer me advice as a college student yet to decide what I want to do with my life. Jon’s advice was practical and fit in with the greater professional development theme of the BIP.
Another example of a great alumni connection was when James Kennedy IV ‘16 came in to teach us about brand and its value within our companies. For the business I was a part of, Mimiry, James gave us some pieces of advice about horizontal partners for our company and how it fit with our brand image. We took this information into our pitches, and it played an important role in winning the pitch competition for our group. James offered real-world advice that applies to starting my own company someday.
One last opportunity we had to network was when the CIBE put on a dinner for us at the Crawfordsville Country Club. At this event were the likes of Nick Sommer ‘15, Darren Chadd ‘92, Logan Smith ‘23, Herm Haffner ‘77, and Ben Grisemer ‘88. All of these alumni were able to offer us outstanding career advice as well as general advice about Wabash. Specifically, I talked to Nick Sommer about his career in accounting and finance. As an aspiring financial economics major, he was able to offer me information about his courseload at Wabash, education after Wabash, and what career paths he’s been able to find success in. This is invaluable guidance for me when searching for future career paths.
All in all, we were exposed to numerous alumni networking events that proved to be incredibly valuable and I cannot understate my gratitude to the CIBE for giving me the opportunity to participate in such a prestigious program.
