Ernst & Young Signature Series Cohort

I am currently participating in a professional development program with Ernst & Young. It is called, “EY Signature Series Cohort.” This past week I attended the second of three sessions in this program. I can already see changes in my mindset as a result of these sessions. As I entered college a few months ago, I was a business student but I did not think like one. Going to these sessions has shown me how to look at things from a professional perspective.

The first session focused on teaming. An EY employee spoke to us about his thoughts in regards to how to build a good team. He was an excellent speaker and certainly changed my outlook on the topic, especially in regards to group projects. He made me realize that every team can be a great team if they work together well. Every person is valuable and has strengths that can be used to contribute to the goal. As a result of this newfound perspective, I intend to apply this theology to my group work in class. Essentially, if I utilize my opportunity to work in groups during my college years, I will be a much more effective team member by the time I enter the workforce. In order to improve my collaboration skills, I will try to figure out the best way to communicate and work with each of my team members. Like I said before, every team can be an effective and efficient one as long as they work well together.

The second session focused on a global mindset. As they asked us for examples during the session of times in which we interacted with people on a global scale, I could think of nothing! Soon after I left the room, the most glaringly obvious answer came to mind. I actually hosted a foreign exchange student for 10 days during my sophomore year. We still skype a few times every month! The session that I attended with EY completely changed my outlook on those 10 days. At the time, I was just hoping to have a cool experience and meet some new people. While I did just that, I also developed crucial skills in adapting to other cultures. Through conversations with my foreign exchange student I have actually gathered a lot of information about her culture. I have adapted communication abilities that allow easier and smoother conversations between us (although her English skills are very impressive). The EY speaker for the second session, who was also very inspiring, did an excellent job of making me realize that experiences like hosting a foreign exchange student, even for a small amount of time, can help better prepare me for the global diversity of the business field.

As I am coming to these realizations I am feeling even more renewed in my desire to excel and build a career in the business field. I am beginning to think like a business professional and that could not be more exciting!

#ambition #profession #skills