Every year, after wrapping up their first quarter, hundreds of 1Y Boothies embark on Career Treks. These treks are organized by 1Ys, with support from the various industry groups. Career Treks are an opportunity for the students to visit companies, big and small, in their office space to understand the organizations’ values and culture. This year, we had students on the Tech Trek, led by Eileen Feng, Aakanksha Marwah, Laurie Beth Michaelson, and Asad Hassan. Two marketing treks: one to the East Coast led by Patrick Yate and one to the West Coast led by Candace Tkac and Erin Wang. Investment Management Group trek also went to the West Coast, led by Juan Pablo Sans Quiroz, Samantha Xue, and Yan Zhang. And, for the first time ever, we had a Health Care Group Trek to the west coast, led by full-time 1Y Inbar Goodman and two part-time students Caroline Cornelius and Changhao Wei.
Flip through the photos and quotes to see and hear about the various treks!
“Marketing Trek was an amazing experience to meet companies firsthand and have intimate conversations with alumni and company representatives. The trip provided an inside look into each company and insights into the day-to-day. We had a chance to go beyond the typical recruiting spiel and talk about emerging industry trends, workshop ideas, and connect personally with alumni.” — Michael Paik, West Coast Marketing Trek“Marketing West Quest attracted a close-knit group of trekkers and allowed for intimate discussions with executives at AirBnb, Instacart, Mulesoft, Sephora, and Constellation Brands. It was really fun to get to know my peers at small group dinners and very helpful to get more personalized visits at inspiring companies.” — Grace Adelson, West Coast Marketing Trek“At Booth, it’s easy to get bogged down by the stress and pressure of classes and recruiting. During Tech Trek, we got to see the amazing opportunities that a Booth MBA can unlock. And most importantly, we bonded as a group of students who want to see each other accomplish our dreams.” — Derek Bekebrede, Tech Trek“Coming into my MBA, I faced some skepticism from friends and family about how an MBA would support a career in tech. With Tech Trek, I got firsthand exposure to how leading tech companies are thinking about MBAs and how MBAs fit into their overall growth strategy. It was also interesting to see how the demand for MBAs is impacted by company maturity and business model. This is invaluable information that will be directly applicable not just to my summer internship but also to my career.” — Jessica Goldberg, Tech Trek“So many amazing tech companies don’t come to campus for recruiting. Tech Trek gave us an inside look at many small and growing companies alike, providing an amazing opportunity for networking and enjoying the beautiful offices.” — Jessica Chung, Tech Trek“The HCG trek was great fun and very helpful in getting a better picture of the healthcare landscape: we saw blooming biotech start-ups, established Fortune 500 companies, and met with VC investors who are investing in mere concepts/ideas. The group itself was very diverse and so there was something interesting for everyone. I was most impressed by the fact that people were willing to share their time with us. It’s not everyday that the CEO of a Fortune 500 company takes time to have lunch with a group of students! I know that it is thanks to Booth’s brand name and the alums who paved the way before us.” — Glen Gubbay, Health Care Trek“I had a very fun and educational experience at our very first Booth healthcare trek. We had visits to a good mixture of healthcare business, ranging from small-sized startups and VCs to impressive mass operations such as Genentech. I am also touched by the warmth of the hosting alums both in Seattle and in the Bay Area. The four-day trek is a great opportunity to bond with classmates and alum of similar career interests. I feel fortunate be part of the debut year and wish it even more success in the future!” — Nancy Cheng (2Y), Health Care Trek“The HCG trek was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the healthcare industry, connect with alumni and regain motivation for this rather specific career focus. It was astounding to see how open people were to hosting us and sharing their stories with us. For me, planning the first healthcare-focused trek was a live demonstration of Booth’s ‘define your own impact’ mentality, and I hope that the new connections we made and the existing collaborations we enhanced will benefit the entire Booth community. I hope that the HCG trek will become a new tradition at Booth.” — Inbar Goodman, Health Care TrekPIMCO welcomes Chicago Booth IMG!“The trek was a wonderfully additive learning experience that augmented my Booth experience. We got to meet some of the top investment firms on the West Coast and throughout the process really bonded with each other.” — Yan Zhang, Investment Management Trek“The trip was not only an opportunity to network but also a chance to learn about new industries, technologies, and trends. I especially enjoyed learning about pop-up stores, champagne marketing, chocolate packaging, and Nielsen ratings” — Andrea Aractingi, East Coast Marketing Trek “The east coast marketing trek was an amazing opportunity to intimately engage with a diverse array of companies with a fantastic group of classmates. It was incredible learning about data analytics at Nielsen and agency at WPP, then trying new products at Mars and YSL before discussing the future of brands at Moet Hennessy, AB InBev, and Reckitt Benckiser.” — Lindie Wang, East Coast Marketing Trek“A small, but mighty group had a chance to take on the Big Apple for three days. The trek provided opportunities for us to learn about agency work, luxury brands, and CPG marketing as well as network with some amazing people. It was a perfect example of the ‘pay it forward’ mentality that Booth cherishes, with many companies opening their doors to us” — Patrick Yates, East Coast Marketing Trek
