High school juniors and seniors got a glimpse into the life of an undergraduate business major at the Terry Business Academy, a weeklong summer program hosted at the University of Georgia by the Terry College of Business.
About 25 students from as nearby as Athens and as far away as Colorado learned about business and explored career opportunities with help from Terry College faculty and staff.
“The Terry Business Academy was designed to train high-ability students in problem solving,” said Randy Groomes, Terry College’s director of diversity relations. “We give them the skills and confidence to know they can influence others, develop effective strategies and come up with the resources to address issues in their communities.”
As part of the annual program, students attend sessions on core business disciplines like accounting, finance and marketing, as well as specialized areas like international markets and music business. Groomes said they also participate in team-building activities, such as a ropes course, leading to small-group projects that culminate in formal presentations at the end of the week.
This year, students in the program also visited Mercedes Benz Stadium, which opened a year ago and is home to the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC soccer team. At the stadium, they met with executives in charge of facilities and operations.
“The Business Academy has exposed me to so much,” said Miles Nelson, a student at Wakulla High School in Crawfordville, Florida. “I didn’t know anyone coming into this, but everyone has been so nice to me. I learned a lot about business and the University of Georgia.”
On the next-to-last day of the program, students Alexis Smith and Faith Wagner took center stage in their Correll Hall classroom for a demonstration in negotiation. The two acted out a scenario in which Smith offered Wagner a job and then negotiated a starting salary. The class watched intently as the two went back and forth, eventually reaching an agreement.
“Coming here confirmed that I made a great choice in choosing the University of Georgia and that business really is the best platform for me to pursue my passion,” says Smith, a 2018 graduate of Johnson High School in Flowery Branch, Georgia, who enters UGA as a freshman this fall. “It’s given me different perspectives on what my life could look like depending on which track I choose.”
For the academy’s final project, students were tasked with developing a pitch for a socially conscious company around the theme of “conscious capitalism” that encourages employees to embrace diversity and inclusion.
“One of our objectives is getting students to think beyond profit and consider how they can be leaders who operate in a way that’s healthy and holistic for all of their stakeholders,” Groomes said.
“It’s fascinating to me how we’re all similar in age, but we’re all so different at the same time,” Wagner observed. “I’ve learned so much about how to relate to people and interact with different personalities, and I’m grateful for that.”