Birthdays and Send-off
The last GBM was expectedly bittersweet. On a bright note, the meeting coincided President Tingle’s birthday so BWUA was able to help him celebrate, however, it was also the last GBM for graduating seniors. Historian Ashimedua Okonneh and VP of External Relations Oyinda Adeofie partnered to host the meeting, which was centered around maximizing your summer internship. Ashimedua and Oyinda took turns offering tips for how to find the best success in summer internships, with key and often overlooked pointers on what to do both before and after the internship. One of the biggest pieces of advice was that members should adequately research the firm they are to be working for as well as to have a full understanding of their role as an intern. Also notable was the fact that members were encouraged to remain cognizant of the reputation they were creating for themselves. Oyinda and Ashimedua warned against involving oneself with office gossip or overusing personal email and texting, as both could actions could be negatively perceived.
Finally, the hosts reminded the members that they should stay current with their firm after finishing the internship, especially if they one hope to return to that firm in a future summer or stay within that same industry. Coupled with the advice were hypothetical situations with an interactive component. The hosts first polled the membership on what they would do in the event that they had booked a vacation before the internship dates were made clear to them. The room was generally in agreement, with almost everyone saying that given that the internship should still take priority to the vacation. There was more discussion with the second hypothetical, in which one had to decide how to handle conflicting assignments from two different supervisors. While most people said that they would hope they would have a strong enough relationship with one of the supervisors to ask for an extension, others suggested contracting a fellow intern to help them complete the assignment. Finally, the last hypothetical asked what do in the event that you have a return offer but you are considering switching industries. Seniors Quasie and Balfe responded that it would be important to be sure that there are opportunities in the industry you are thinking of switching to before rescinding the current offer.
After the internship presentation, the meeting transitioned into dinner, and from there current events. Ashimedua presented on the Philadelphia Flyers/Pittsburg Penguins series, as well as the latest developments in the case against George Zimmerman. From there, Oyinda returned and the two presented BWUA: A Year At a Glance, in which they highlighted HEMM, GALA, and the other numerous activities and events the club hosted this academic year. Then came the moment all had been waiting for: Senior Appreciation! Those honored were: Ex President Triston Francis, Ex VP of Internal Relations Balfe Morrison, Ex VP of External Relations Oyinkansola Ayobiojo, Ex Marketing Chair Quasie Jones, Ex Marketing Chair Brooke Hinton Ex Treasurer Tobi Obegunde, Ex HEMM Co-Chair Ruth Gillis-Harry, Ex Director of Professional Development Dave Thomas, and finally Ex Social Chair Joseph Smalls-Mantey. After a hearty round of applause for the seniors who have meant so much to BWUA, the board closed the meeing by surprising Jarrid with cake for his 21st birthday!