Baylor Bears in the Big Apple: Lessons in Networking from the Baylor MBA Leadership Summit
“I can’t teach you in Waco what I can teach you in New York.”
This was the explanation that Amine Qourzal, our professor and career success professional, gave us a week ago as he handed out the itinerary for the Baylor MBA Leadership Summit in New York City.
The explanation made enough sense to me. There’s no IBM in McLennan County, and there’s certainly not a Waco Stock Exchange. But during the six days of this trip, I discovered this explanation meant far more than that.
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The key events of the trip were the company visits, where we heard from professionals at major corporations. These people took time out of their days to show us around the office, answer our questions and provide us with practical career advice. We saw the opening bell at the NYSE and the closing bell at the Nasdaq. We heard from Felicity Tan, founder and managing partner at Red Ember Capital, who shared how her Christian faith impacts her job as an investment banker. I was part of a group that toured the Dow Jones and saw where writers at The Wall Street Journal communicate crucial business and market news to the American public.
In short, I saw where the magic of business happens.
One particularly impactful experience was hearing from Joyce Russell when we visited Tapestry, the parent company of Coach and Kate Spade. Russell is the CEO of The Adecco Group Foundation, an organization dedicated to upskilling and reskilling individuals. Equally important, Russell is a Baylor Bear!
“Your network is your net worth,” she told us, emphasizing that relationships matter. I answered a question during her lecture, and afterward, she remembered my name. She saw me as an individual person, and that personal connection matters.
The trip also provided us the opportunity to explore New York City. We were responsible for finding our way to each company visit and arriving early. We helped each other navigate the subway and the city streets, strengthening our ability to adapt to new situations. It also instilled personal accountability within us – something crucial as future business leaders – as we made sure that no Bear was left behind.
One lesson that stood out to me came from something David M. Szymanski, PhD, Dean of the Hankamer School of Business, said at the Baylor Night in NYC. At the beginning of this alumni networking event, Szymanski told the MBA students we are never alone in this world. Why? Because there will always be a Baylor Bear wherever we go. This was a lesson I saw repeatedly throughout the trip. Whether it was networking with an alumnus at a coffee shop, hearing from Joyce Russell or just getting to know my classmates, I discovered that Baylor alumni truly fling their green and gold afar. The MBA program has taught me that your network is everything in business, and with so many Baylor Bears around the world, I’ll be able to build that network wherever I end up in life.
As I sit here on the plane back to Texas, writing and reflecting on the last six days, I realize this may be the most important lesson I learned on this trip – and it was not a lesson I could have learned in Waco. I don’t know what God has planned for me in life; I’m not even sure which state I’m flying over at the moment. What I do know is that God has given me a network that will bless me wherever I go: that Good Old Baylor Line.
