The face of corporate America has been gradually changing over recent years, transforming itself into a more accurate representation of the diverse world we live in. The business environment has begun to fully acknowledge that diversity in the workforce is essential for the success and development of a business. The Leadership, Education, and Development (LEAD) Program in Business foresaw this inevitable transformation. The LEAD program is intended to introduce some of the nation’s brightest minority high school students to the business world, with the notion that an early introduction to various aspects of business encourages participants to pursue business-related careers. The program seeks to increase the number of historically underrepresented minority students pursuing business degrees. As president of the LEAD program, Rick Ramsey, states, “Creating a talented, diverse workforce is key to America’s future. LEAD is at the forefront of making sure that American business is prepared for challenges of the new economy.”

So what does participation in the LEAD program entail? The LEAD program partners with leading summer business institutes (SBIs) across the nation and each individual SBI creates its own challenging curriculum spanning from three to four weeks. The programs consist of college-structured lectures, visits to partnering corporations, and team projects and presentations, all the while exposing participants to various aspects of business. The hosting SBIs are prestigious universities, some of which include: The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

This summer, I participated in the 2004 LEAD Program in Business at the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. I discovered that my experience with LEAD was more than just exposure to the business environment but it also encouraged me to really trust that I had the capacity to successfully pursue a career in business. Prior to this, I had never really considered business as a career. I never had a mentor encouraging me to pursue any interests I had in that particular field. Nor did I perceive that business was a suitable career for me. Society’s image of the ideal CEO is Caucasian, and preferably male -- an image contrary to my own. I had been trained to believe that professional success for me meant becoming a doctor or lawyer. But what about becoming a budding CEO of a fortune 500 company, or a marketing specialist for IBM, or an investment banker for J.P. Morgan Chase? The LEAD program opened my eyes to job prospects that I had not given serious consideration to or may have felt were out of my reach.

Upon arriving at Cornell University, driving over its narrow bridge overlooking powerful waterfalls, I took notice of the huge campus; there was a myriad of buildings standing on acres of land and the enormity of it was intimidating to me. I knew I was embarking upon a new journey- one that would require me to utilize the skills I had acquired over the years. On the other hand, I eagerly anticipated that the weeks ahead of me would not only be challenging but also exciting, and even life-changing. I didn’t know exactly what to expect and that worried me, but the first day set the tone for what lay ahead. During orientation, the students were asked to play a game called “the Green Glass Room”, the purpose of which was to note a pattern in what was being said and then come up with a statement that followed that certain pattern. The first speaker said “You can have apples but you can’t have oranges in the green glass room” Some caught on quicker than others did. When someone suggested that we try visualizing the Green Glass Room, it finally hit me. Then I uttered, “You can have winners but you can’t have losers in the green glass room!” Sure enough, I had discovered the pattern. This was precisely what LEAD expected of us; we were expected to be innovative, critical thinkers.

In the upcoming weeks, I would learn basic business principles from world-renowned business school faculty, go on a study trip to New York City and engage in two competitive case study analysis presentations. Some of the more memorable business lectures were on nanotechnology (we actually got to create microchips), entrepreneurship, accounting, oral communication skills, the hospitality industry, and modern ethics. The study trip was exciting because we were able to get first hand exposure to fast-paced businesses located in NYC. I recall students being overly enthusiastic about visiting the office of MTV Networks and eventually getting a tour of the MTV studios where the popular show, TRL, is filmed. In the financial district we had to patiently wait outside of the building of the New York Stock Exchange while we were asked for our social security numbers and photo IDs, but the inspection and long wait were worth it. We actually listened to traders talk about their work on the exclusive trading floor. At PepsiCo, we learned that Pepsi is a strong supporter of the arts and it even has its own garden containing unusual modern art structures. We were also told by marketing managers about some of the ways in which the company gets consumers to buy its product. This was fascinating because we were receiving private insights into business philosophy. And of course, when it was time to depart, we were given bottles of Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Tropicana juice, and Gatorade to satisfy our thirst on the long bus ride back to Ithaca, New York.

The first case study assignment was on the Stock Market and the guidelines were that we had a hypothetical $100,000 to invest in stocks with the intent of earning a substantial net profit gain. The only setback was that we weren’t allowed to sell our stocks once they began to lose value in the market. This was a complicated task because we reasoned that we needed to invest in both risky and stable companies so as to avoid losing a substantial amount of money. This was a valuable assignment because I learned many lessons that any investor, whether a beginner or an expert, should be aware of when investing. Our second project was not as technical, but it still involved a lot of research and creativity. We were to market a new ice cream product, and then a panel of judges was to select the ice cream product they deemed the most marketable. Our team, known as Team B- “The Biz”- created an ice cream product that had a blend of fresh strawberries and chocolate mocha chunks in a vanilla base and called it, “Espressoberry!” It also contained the herb ginseng, because our target audience was health conscious female college students. I learned so much about effective marketing strategies, and even better, I got to sample five other original ice cream flavors.

My experience at LEAD was undoubtedly exceptional, but I also believe that one’s experience at LEAD reflects how much work he or she puts into it. I dedicated myself to this program, whether by running frantically around campus in an effort to get the Cornell community to fill out an ice cream survey or by simply taking good notes during lectures. I feel assured that my dedication will help me in the near future. I feel more confident that I can work efficiently in a team, network effectively, and make informed decisions concerning career goals. I am appreciative that LEAD was the facilitator in helping me to hone the characteristics of a true leader.

If you would like to apply to the LEAD Program in Business, please visit its website, www.leadnational.org