A group of high school seniors spent six days immersed in the 2014 Summer Business Experience at UTC, where they interacted with College of Business professors and successful business professionals in workshops, field trips, and seminars.
“This Summer Business Experience program gave me a good look at the business world and helped me see what it is like to be a business student at UTC,” said Jonathon Blancett, who attends Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe High School. “The experiences we’ve had are really giving me a chance to plan ahead for my college career. It’s also made more aware of what UTC has to offer. At first, I didn’t want to consider UTC because it was so close to home. Now that I’ve seen what the business school has to offer, I’m absolutely considering UTC.”
This residential summer program gave students a preview of college life and the Chattanooga experience through recreational events that include athletic activities, picnics, visits to area attractions and more.
“Getting to know the student ambassadors and the faculty in the business school has been a lot of fun. I loved the fact that we’re in a relatively small group—it gave me a chance to really connect with the professors and students,” Mr. Blancett added.
Student participants previously expressed an interest in pursuing a career in business. They had the opportunity to explore each of the business disciplines – accounting, finance, economics, marketing, management, management science, information systems – in interactive formats designed to provide insight into those disciplines and potential business career paths.
“I toured UTC early in my junior year and loved the campus, but now I think I love it even more! I knew I wanted to do something in business, but I didn’t know what specifically. During the Summer Business Experience, I’ve seen great career options that I didn’t even know existed,” said Caroline Waldron, a student from Loudon High School.
Ms. Waldron spoke positively of having a chance to interact with College of Business faculty. She particularly enjoyed a presentation by Dr. Christi Wann.
“I really feel like this program has allowed me to consider career tracks that I would have never considered. Being exposed to all of this as a high school student really puts me ahead. I feel like I’m better prepared to choose a school and do well in college,” Ms. Waldron said.
Students also experienced interaction with top-level executives as well as behind-the-scenes tours of operations and facilities, including Volkswagen Group of America, PlayCore, Tuftco Corporation, and U.S. Xpress.
“This has been my first trip to see the UTC campus. I really enjoyed visiting all of the firms and businesses during the program and I loved the diversity of the businesses we explored. There were a few business tours where I initially thought, ‘This is going to be so boring,’ but all of them were really interesting and fun,” said Tilea West, Northwest Whitfield High School. “I had a list of schools that I’ve been considering, but this opportunity has caused me to put UTC as one of my top choices. I loved meeting and interacting with the faculty—Dr. Sompayrac was really cool and made accounting seem fun!“