In September 2018, The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management welcomed the inaugural class of Competitive Advantage: The Consortium Undergraduate Program in Oak Brook, Ill.

Competitive Advantage is a career and postgraduate readiness program that targets college undergraduates who are African American, Hispanic American and Native American whereupon graduation they are more employable or admittable to graduate and professional school, regardless of their academic discipline.

During the two-and-a-half-day leadership conference, 120 students were immersed in career exploration and attended a variety of workshops, such as identifying and developing relationships with academic allies, internship selection and maximization, and making the transition from college to work.

Participating schools included Georgetown University, Indiana University-Bloomington, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Rice University, University of Rochester, University of Southern California, The University of Texas at Austin, University of Virginia, Washington University in St. Louis and University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“I had a such a rewarding experience being part of the inaugural class,” said Kathleen Ortiz-Tenesaca, a student at the University of Michigan. “I was able to connect with not only admired companies, but with such innovative and creative peers from across the country.”

Lead corporate sponsors of the 2018 Competitive Advantage conference were 3M and General Mills. Other sponsors included Discover Financial Services, Exxon Mobil, Colgate-Palmolive Company and The Dow Chemical Company, to name a few.

This year’s conference will take place Sept. 6-8, 2019, in Schaumburg, Ill. Mentorship opportunities for Consortium alumni also will be available. Stay up to date on those opportunities and more at gainyouradvantage.org. Also, follow the program on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. 

Written by Tiffany Hudson