- April 4, 2017
- 9:53 am
- Quinlan Ramble
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Quinlan Ramble Reflection- Oleg Pitchuk
After spending the previous spring break working back home, going on the Quinlan Ramble to New York City this spring was not only a welcome change of scenery, but also one of the coolest experiences I have had so far during my time at Loyola. I would like to thank Alex, Chelsea, Meghan, Dean Stevens and everyone who made this Quinlan Ramble possible. I passionately urge every business student to consider going on the trip because it offers a fascinating, real-life perspective on what it is like being a professional in a new city.
Every trip is only as good as the people who come with you for the ride. I was extremely fortunate to have had an amazing group of friends with whom to experience NYC for the first time. Their enthusiasm and curiosity allowed me to see so much more of New York that I would not have on my own. One of the most special things about Loyola that I saw in our group was that people here are genuinely fascinated about the world, other cultures, and languages. I was born in Ukraine and came to the U.S. when I was 5, but we had people from across the globe: Spain, Albania, Panama, Madagascar, and Minnesota. We also had students and alumni who had studied abroad in Rome, Spain, and Beijing. While many universities insulate their students, what differentiates Loyola is that it tries to open them up to the rest of the world. Throughout the trip, we were teaching one another words in our languages and sharing music from our cultures. We got to tour New York’s Little Italy and Chinatown neighborhoods. Big cities attract interesting and remarkable people from all over the world. It was special for me to experience that with my group and see it happening all around me.
The second valuable aspect of this trip was learning about some of the most respected and successful companies that reside in NYC. We visited companies from a spectrum of industries: accounting, media, entertainment, retail, city government, and finance. A common thread I found throughout was how technology was forcing them to modify their businesses. While far from Silicon Valley, they all wanted to share in the prosperity created by technology, but are still trying to figure out how to weave tech into their businesses. I thought a lot about the future of work and automation. Visiting the New York Stock Exchange was a surreal and historic moment, but the place was not quite how it was built up to be in pop culture and the media. It was tamed down compared to what I was expecting. Computers had taken over many of the duties that were specialized by people. A question that was posed to us by one company I found relevant to all the companies we visited was, “What business are we in?” The opportunities and possibilities with tech are exciting and abundant, and I know that change is inevitable. But in the name of being “innovative”, I wondered if companies were losing focus of their core business. My two favorite company visits were to Blackstone and Bloomberg because I saw they remained true to their identities and focused on what they were best at. The atmosphere of their offices breathed confidence and determination to remain number one in their categories. The trip was a time of reflection. It allowed me to learn more about my own professional goals and envision where I wanted to work.
I believe the trip was a big achievement. I had an opportunity to network with successful professionals, learn about diverse businesses, eat fantastic food, and explore the city with a great group of friends. After coming back from the trip, I feel inspired to continue taking risks, learning about people and their cultures, and trying different things. NYC was even better than I had imagined and I am looking forward to the next time I get to return!
Oleg Pitchuk
Quinlan Class of 2019
Accounting