NextGen Scope

I grew up in an environment where I was heavily guarded against the plights of the world by five older and protective siblings and other loving family members. However, I was still exposed to the hardships of relationships and the reality of how emotions--if not adequately handled--can breakdown even the strongest of people. I made a pact with myself. If I fell in love and got into a relationship, I would not allow it to affect my career and the academic goals that I set for myself. Although I am currently at the young age of 20 years and do not have all the wisdom of the world, heartbreak is not age-biased. Throughout this post, I will share my story of not just heartbreak but perseverance

A college degree represents all of the academic tools you’ve mastered in four years. However, even in the best programs, I think one core skill is overlooked; networking. Networking, in its simplest form, seems like a basic skill: a business card hand-off with a dash of charm, but there’s so much more to it. Networking is about creating a connection with another person and nurturing the relationship long-term. Most programs don’t explicitly teach us how to conduct ourselves as professionals that employers are seeking. Students send CEOs an email with the subject line “Hey” and wonder why they don’t get a response. Upwards of 85 percent of jobs are filled by networking alone, according to an

Chicago, also known as “The City of Broad Shoulders," “Beantown," and most commonly, “The Windy City," was one of the most amazing cities I’ve visited. I visited Chicago for the first time on a National Millennial and GenZ Community trip, back in August and absolutely fell in love with it. Not only was the food amazing, but the people were too; and the city was very diverse. While in Chicago, I was able to try several different foods and cuisines. One of the dishes I was able to try was a Swedish dish, which tasted delicious! The meal consisted of some of my absolute favorites, including real Swedish Meatballs, mashed potatoes, and a lingonberry sauce to top everything off with. In addition

Beijing is a fascinating city filled with lots of rich culture and history. I was experiencing a world unlike any other and through all of my fears I was able to explore a country that was unknown to me. The trip opened my mind yet humbled me. When we first arrived in Beijing the language barrier proved it was going to be a huge challenge. Luckily my friend and I had brought a book along with us that would eventually guide us through the captivating streets of Beijing. Rather then making the trip easy and simply taking a taxi, we wanted to adventure off and get around using the city’s metro system. As we tried to find someone who spoke English and could put us in the right direction of the M

My curriculum as a Business Administration Major is meant to prepare me to manage a company. Part of managing a business is being able to make decisions that will best support the business, its wealth, and its various stakeholders. Recently, I learned about a different approach to problem solving in my business communications marketing course: the Design Thinking Process. The Design Thinking Process originated from Stanford University’s Design School and was created by David Kelly. The definition that Kelly provides for design thinking is the “designer’s sensibility and methods to match customer needs to determine a viable business strategy.”1 The five steps of the process are: empathize, de