- April 4, 2017
- 9:27 am
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Quinlan Ramble Reflection-Emma Kautz
I can’t begin to tell you how many people told me that going on the Quinlan Ramble as a graduating senior wouldn’t really be useful. People told me that I had job shadowed before so I probably already knew my career route and what the business world held for me. I can’t tell you how much they were wrong.
When applying to the New York trip, I knew I wanted to network and meet successful women in the business world. I wanted to hear about their experience in a large city like New York where competition is fierce and it is easy to feel small. Every company we visited introduced us both men and women who were friendly, inviting, and well experienced. We were exposed to so many different companies and career routes from P. Diddy’s Revolt Media to KMPG’s innovation team. It was incredible to see all of the different aspects of the companies aside from their obvious duties. We all thought going to an auditing firm would be very formal and just talking about auditing. Instead we learned about how they are staying a cutting edge company by working with technology like the super computer Watson, that can teach itself. It was exciting to see how each company approached innovation and the challenge of constantly changing technology. All of these companies made me excited to join the working world soon and showed me that most companies really are working on that “Google” culture of openness, transparency, and fun at and outside of work.
As a finance major, I was in heaven visiting the New York Stock Exchange and Bloomberg. Being on the floor of the NYSE was a once in a lifetime experience. Everyone we met was so eager to answer any questions we had and many people jumped in to say hi to us all. At Bloomberg we got to see just how powerful the Bloomberg terminals are and learned how their company has a strong mentor ship and friendly employee culture versus a competitive culture. All of the companies we visited had strong values that aligned with both my personal values and some of Loyola’s. I know that this is something that is very important for me when looking for a job. I want to be able to see how the work that I’m doing helps others, the community, and the greater good. I thought it may be hard to see some Jesuit values in the companies in New York because it is such a large city that is intense, competitive, and sometimes rooted in older values like money and preconceived gender roles. Instead I found kindness, giving back, and a mix of powerful men and women. It was really refreshing and encouraging as a woman in finance to see just how many women are successful in the business world in a city like New York.
Businesses aside, we also did so many fun things to get to really experience the city! From boat tours to Broadway shows, we got a taste of everything New York has to offer. We also had plenty of free time to explore the city on our own although we were almost always exhausted at the end of the day. I have been to New York before, but the Quinlan Ramble to New York really made me fall in love with the city and see it as a potential place to live. The opportunities are endless, the Loyola alumni network is strong, and the food is delicious (although I think I would miss deep dish pizza). Throughout this trip I learned just how useful networking can be and gained the confidence to reach out to alumni because they really go want to help out their fellow Ramblers. This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the ins and outs of powerful companies in New York. The Quinlan Ramble experiences, connections, and memories added to my Loyola experiences and will last a lifetime.
Emma Kautz
Quinlan Class of 2017
Finance