College Leadership Conference: Changing Perspectives

I attended the College to Business Leadership Conference on April 10, 2015 in New York City. I remember feeling incredibly happy when I was in my “Beyoncé Feminism and Rihanna Womanism” class and I read the congratulatory invitation to the C2B conference in my email.

I was highly anticipating the event. What was I to expect? One minute, I was booking my flight to New York, and the next, I was arriving at 40 Rockefeller Center and riding the elevator up Deloitte’s headquarters.

I first learned how to create a personal pitch from Marjie Terry, Vice President of Client Service and Business Development for Great on the Job. Shortly afterwards, I was introduced to the business simulation we would be working on. I had a déjà vu moment. It was none other than Marketplace – a simulation that I had started in my accounting class with Professor Verduzco at UT Austin a few weeks before.

My favorite part of the conference was completing the marketplace business simulation with my teammates and team lead, Amelia Kearns. I felt although the game remained the same, my perspective was changing.

I was reminded through Marketplace that every decision, intentional or unintentional, has a consequence. Furthermore, I was able to improve on my communication skills, mindfulness skills, and critical thinking skills in this interactive environment.

Forté provided me with the opportunity to apply lessons I learned in class with a team in a business setting.

If there is one thing I remember from my freshman year of college, it will be the interactive simulations I participated in during both my ACC 310F class and the 2015 Forté C2B Conference.

Karalyne Martinez is a Longhorn at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in mathematics and minoring in sociology for her undergraduate degree.