Kellstadt students begin their MBA/MS journey for a variety of reasons; they may want to continue their studies right after a bachelor’s degree, advance in their careers or transition into a new career. Often, life as a graduate student means that there are work, family and community commitments. While it could be possible to earn an MBA or MS degree interacting with professors and fellow students only in course lectures, students can translate education to experience by getting involved. To enhance your MBA and MS experience at DePaul, Kellstadt provides numerous opportunities to get involved, such as career-building resources, graduate student organizations and community service.
Career Building Resources
The Kellstadt Career Management Center (CMC) provides networking and career counseling that can be developed in parallel to the academics of your degree. Also, the CMC offers a variety of workshops, as well as résumé review and mock interview opportunities.
Student Organizations
There are many Kellstadt graduate student organizations related to each graduate focus of study that you can join. Joining a student organization is a great way to meet fellow students, professors and alumni. Kellstadt’s student organizations allow you to put theory into action while networking with professors and alumni who are experts in their fields. From Kellstadt Marketing Group’s Case Competition to the DePaul Society for Human Resource Management’s “Innovation in HR” panel discussion there are countless opportunities to get involved.
Volunteerism
One of the biggest advantages of DePaul is that it is located in Chicago, providing many opportunities to become involved in community service. I’ve had the opportunity to work with two accounting- and finance-related local organizations: Ladder Up, which provides tax preparation assistance, and Operation HOPE, a nonprofit that brings financial literacy to younger generations. There are also several community organizations such as the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Care for Real, as well as other local shelters and religious organizations. DePaul also hosts Vincentian Service Day, an annual tradition that brings together students, staff, faculty and alumni to participate in a day of service with more than 50 community partners in the Chicagoland area and cities around the world.
Becoming involved will help tie in your academic experience to your original goals and make it more meaningful. It may even confirm your decision to pursue a particular concentration of study.
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Author: Sabrina Wing is pursuing her MBA part-time at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.
A group of 19 DePaul students traveled to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland/UK over Spring Break to better understand Brexit (the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union). Led by Economics Professor Tom Mondschean and Christa Hinton, assistant dean and director of the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, the experience offered students the opportunity to learn about Brexit from two perspectives: Ireland and the United Kingdom. The trip also offered students the opportunity to visit cultural venues to learn about Irish history, the troubles in Northern Ireland, the role the Titanic played in Belfast industry and the business history of Guinness and Irish whiskey distilleries.
Students had the opportunity to experience local culture, such as Dublin’s famous Temple Bar.
“This trip was a fantastic way for students to comfortably experience two countries and cultures in one week and learn about a topic that will directly affect businesses and individuals,” said Mondschean. “By meeting with business and government officials from both countries, students were able to begin to understand the complexities of Brexit and how people continue to grapple with the uncertainty.”
Hilary Perschke, a Kellstadt part-time MBA student, said, “The opportunity to study abroad in Ireland has given me a perspective that is invaluable to my career growth and a chance to differentiate myself in a competitive market. I have gained knowledge from both a business and cultural standpoint that has set me apart from my peers in my field. The connections I have made helped me expand my network to view business dynamics from an international lens.”
Part-time MBA student Jory Nelaimischkies also described the benefits of the experience. “I knew I wanted to take advantage of a Study Abroad program while at DePaul, and as a working student I was incredibly excited by the idea of a ‘Spring Break’ trip,” said Nelaimischkies.
Nelaimischkies and Perschke, both J.P. Morgan employees, had the opportunity to visit their firm’s Dublin office.
“Visiting international businesses, talking with local governments, and hearing firsthand how people will actually be impacted by Brexit was far more informative than a book or a lecture. Not only did I get to travel to a new country, but I was also able to envision the potential of a career with travel outside the United States.”
This trip to the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom was just one of the many opportunities Kellstadt students have had this year to experience education on an international level. DePaul students have countless opportunities to set themselves apart in the job market by utilizing study abroad and other experiential learning.
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On March 2, nine teams of DePaul MBA and MS students participated in the inaugural Kellstadt Marketing Group Case Competition. Working in small three- to five-person teams, the students developed a strategy and delivered a 20-minute pitch that outlined the recommended course of action for the company. The goal of the competition, originally conceived by Mako Kosugi (MS Marketing), was to give students real-world experience of business strategy development and proposal pitching to a panel of expert judges from Microsoft and DePaul.
First Place: Evening Cohorts (Team includes Julie Blackhall, Eric Acevedo, Amanda Blumeyer, Jacque Bishop, and Katelyn Gimpert)
“This competition was designed to enrich student growth through experiential learning, as well as to build greater engagement with the business community,” says Olena Cruz, an MBA student and president of the Kellstadt Marketing Group. “Not only did the students have to work together to conduct research and come up with evidence-based recommendations, but they had to pitch their strategy directly to a panel of expert judges. This experience helped prepare students to handle such project requests of this
magnitude and scope post-graduation.”
Cruz applauded the support of DePaul’s administration and faculty. “It was not only the students who were so motivated and engaged. This event wouldn’t have been possible without the participation of our proud alumni, our beloved professors, and the support of the Kellstadt administration, including DePaul President Dr. Esteban, who also attended the event.”
Second place: DPC Marketing (Team includes Matt Krause, Ellen Kriz, Bob Harbin, Jing Liu, Shweta Gujrathi, and Yibin Wang)
A trio of Microsoft executives served as judges for the event, including Joe Veverka, strategy, innovation and analytics program manager; Diran Hafiz, head of advertiser analytics, automotive & careers/EDU; and Teresa Swinton, strategic sales director. From DePaul, Mark Skroch, adjunct professor of marketing, and James Moore, director of online learning, also evaluated the presentations.
“Results of the KMG Case Competition were eye-opening,” Veverka says. “In addition to the huge amounts of innovation displayed by the teams, the diversity of both ideas and team members was exciting to see unfold. Student expertise ranged from marketing to economics and a broad range of age, gender and backgrounds were represented. It was inspiring to witness how the inclusive culture at DePaul translates into exceptionally diverse thought and creative solutions to real business challenges.”
Third Place: WM Consulting (Kevin Natale, Sabrina Keane, Dwain Speese, and Jae Kim- not pictured)
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