In May I wrote a post about taking a group of my existing students on an exploratory visit to a large financial services company. The event was hosted by one of my former finance students who is now a rising star at the firm.

In order for the students to take advantage of this opportunity they had to  do their homework on the company first; they had to show up dressed and ready to play in the big leagues because on this visit,  four reputations on the line – theirs, the university’s, their host’s and mine.

A few days before the trip, we had a phone interview with our host  to ensure they were well prepared. When he asked if the students had any questions about the company, the trip or his position at the firm. One student asked about proper dress and that was all – not one question about the company. After the phone conference, I emailed all the students and told them I was disappointed with their level of preparation and knowledge of the company and the fact that they didn’t even know what to ask our host to get ready for the visit. They took my comments to heart and got to work.

We had a two hour bus ride from the school to the financial services firm; departure time was  six a.m.so I had planned to sleep on the way. However, my students had another idea of how I would spend my time. One-by-one, each student came to me with his/her questions for review and advice. They had all done extensive research and had good questions to ask and were ready to do more research on the bus if needed. They performed excellently during the visit.

Our host recently emailed me to let me know that one of the students who had been in the group received and accepted a job offer at his company. He was so excited that he had helped create a positive image for Bowie State University students at the company. He demonstrated his commitment to the university and our students by sharing his success with them and creating a network within his firm to ensure others get and share the same opportunity the way he has. As an instructor/mentor/coach for my students, my job is to ensure that my students are well prepared when they are presented with a great opportunity; there is no better reward than confirmation that the job you’re doing directly contributes to your students’ success.