Annie Studer, one of our MBA students, reflects on her and her classmate’s experiences at an annual conference in Washington D.C.

“During fall break, twelve of my peers and I had the privilege to represent the David Eccles School of Business at this year’s National Association of Women MBA’s (NAWMBA) annual conference in Washington, DC. We were also joined by our graduate admissions director, director of the GCMC, one GCMC staff member, and one of the GCMC’s career coaches.

Our school representation was very well prepared and we made a lasting impression. We were unique to other schools in that both our MBA 1’s and MBA 2’s attend a Careers Course. It was apparent during the conference that this class had helped us best prepare for the conference by learning key networking skills, knowing resumes to summarize during interviews, and nailing our elevator pitches with our unique value proposition. Throughout the conference, I watched and heard MBA’s network amongst recruiters (including Fortune 500 companies as well as the CIA), keynote speakers, NAWMBA board members, with other MBA’s. My observation is that I can proudly say my cohort stood out: we asked questions, spoke up during sessions, volunteered stories, and sought connections with recruiters. Additionally, Cassi Zsckidsky recently became the NAWMBA Region 5 student board member.

When it came to speaking with recruiters, our MBA’s targeted companies, did our research, and made sure to shake hands confidently. Furthermore, we supported each other’s goals; for example, one of my classmates is pursuing a position at a top-tier tech company and to assist networking opportunities a group of us helped make connections between my classmate and the recruiters. This conference made it clear that my fellow classmates will support me in my career pursuits, especially since many of us are natural networkers.

Moreover, the GCMC staff was an invaluable asset to making sure we were prepared for NAWMBA, had the resources we required, and encouraged us to pursue opportunities during the conference. In addition, our advisors knew our stories, goals, and desired culture fits. Our staff’s personal dedication to each MBA made our candidates stronger and unique.

My personal experience over the weekend was fabulous. After asking a keynote speaker, Jennifer Way, a question, I was interviewed for a documentary for Way Solutions. Later that day I won a beautiful “signature look” necklace during a break-out session for getting promoted hosted by Annette … at Show Up LLC. Also, while at the kick-off dinner with a small table of other MBA’s, board members, and sponsors, I made lasting connections with women I saw throughout the conference. Lastly, an unexpected encounter with one of the event sponsor’s (Nissan) recruiters resulted in an impromptu interview opportunity. And although I had not anticipated interviewing with the company, nor with their top recruiter, I was prepared and also look forward to applying to the positions and departments she suggested I pursue at headquarters.

I am so thankful and proud to be a David Eccles School of Business Class of 2015 MBA Candidate who represented our school at NAWMBA. In the future, I look forward to attending NAWMBA further into my career as a breakout session speaker, keynote speaker, or board member.”