I had the great opportunity this summer to work for CIBE (Center of Innovation, Business, & Entrepreneurship), where I was able to explore various career paths while talking to many Wabash alums. Being picked to be a founder by my peers was at first a proud moment of mine, but later I realized what that role contained. As a founder of my mock startup called MCRS (Military Claims Resource Services), I was faced with a role of leadership that I have not had in a business setting before. This came with the daily tasks of setting daily objectives, motivating team members, and being perceived as confident in what I was doing. Also, during our time during CIBE, we visited many Wabash men in their fields, like Eli Lilly and many workplaces in Chicago. A quote that stuck with me was from Wabash alum, Patrick Bryant ‘16 who is now the Sr. Director of Finance at Eli Lilly. Bryant was faced with the tough task of being one of the leaders for Lilly’s new Lebanon location. Not only was this a challenging task, it was something that Bryant’s peers saw him as the perfect fit for, but he did not exactly see himself that way. But the powerful message that came within this was his ability to remain composed and act confident. Confidence can have many representations, whether that is knowing what you are doing, or in this scenario, having the courage to ask questions when you don’t understand, even when you are a leader. Taking Bryant’s story, I applied that to my leadership of my mock startup. I took every interaction with the fact that I was supposed to be the guy who knew the most, but also I wanted to be the guy who viewed my peers as equal team members, creating a positive and motivating experience, where even I was not afraid to ask questions.
During CIBE, we visited Chicago, where we were able to see Wabash alums at the top of their fields, working in the big city. As most college students are, I knew what field I wanted to work in, but I was unsure exactly what role I wanted to pursue. The trip to Chicago had the power to solidify the roles I wanted to pursue after talking to an alumnus at Driehaus Capital (Chad Cleaver ‘00) regarding roles in Portfolio Management and Equity Research. Though Chicago was a long day with a 4 am wakeup call due to the weather, it was an experience that I would do over and over again with no questions asked. Having the opportunity to meet so many people and connect with them relating to their career paths and how Wabash shaped them was special.
Lastly, thank you to the alumni that not only poured their time into us so we had a positive experience while visiting the workplace sites, and thank you to the alumni that donate to the college so my peers and I can have tremendous growth regarding our next steps in our life. This experience not only allowed me to hear valuable lessons and career insight from Wabash men, but it taught me to be a better leader and person.
