Summer Business Institute Marks 15th Year
Posted by Joseph Phillips on Thursday, July 6, 2017 at 3:19 PM PDT
June 24-29 we hosted the 15th Annual Summer Business Institute, bringing thirty-five sophomores and juniors from 19 different Puget Sound area high schools to the SU campus. SBI seeks to inspire under-represented students to pursue a college education, including the possibility of studying business, of course!
SBI offers the students the opportunity to explore various aspects of university life. This includes living in college dorms for the duration of program, attending business classes taught by Albers professors, visiting sponsoring company headquarters, participating in a team business plan competition, and workshops on the college admission process, college financial aid, and financial literacy.
One of the most important parts of the program is the Albers students who serve as counselors. These students serve as inspirational role models for the high school students. This year we had another great group of counselors – Joe Maisterra (junior Marketing major), Max Napadiy (Senior Management and Marketing major), Maria Medina (Master of Professional Accounting student), Catherine Sepulveda (junior Management major), Haneia Simpson (junior International Business major), and Samone Washington (business sophomore). At the closing luncheon, they all made wonderful closing remarks to the students and their families and friends. You could tell how our students had such a positive influence on the high school students and I was so proud of them!
SBI Closing Luncheon and Awards Ceremony
One of the changes we have made over the years is to follow up with students after they complete the summer program and invite them back to campus for activities that will assist in the college application process. This includes a Personal Statement Workshop and a Scholarship/FAFSA Workshop. These students often are the first students in their families to attend college, so they have no one guiding them on the process at home, and at some schools college counselling services have been cut back significantly. Knowing how the college application process works can really make a difference in determining one’s success in pursuing a college degree.
Several companies in the Seattle region recognize the power of this program and how it contributes to creating a diverse work force, and they support the program with their financial contributions. Many thanks to this year’s sponsors – The Boeing Company, Wells Fargo, and Washington Federal.
Albers alum Duron Jones is the program director, and he works with our Director of Marketing and Communications, Barb Hauke, to organize the program. They do a terrific job every year of putting together an incredible program for these students!