Colleen White, second- year MBA student, left a position in higher education administration at Northwestern University to join the Illinois MBA. Colleen chose the Illinois MBA program because of the small class size. “I wanted an intimate graduate school experience where I would personally know all of my professors and classmates.” When she arrived, she was thrilled by the diversity of her class. “I had never before been so closely involved with such a diverse group of people. I enjoyed learning from my classmates about their unique cultural backgrounds. I learned something new every day!”

Colleen is building her career in marketing and has already successfully completed a brand management internship at McDonald’s Corporation last summer. She obtained information regarding the position through a networking contact and was able to secure an interview with the company for this very competitive internship. She claims extensive company research and interview practice provided her with the confidence and knowledge needed to interview and successfully compete for a summer internship offer. The summer proved quite exciting and challenging as she worked on a marketing strategy for children’s Happy Meal products.

Returning to campus this fall as President of the Women in Business Society (WiB) is keeping her busy. Colleen has been providing professional development opportunities for the members including intimate breakfast socials with professional women. She is also currently planning the 7th Annual Women in Business Leadership Conference, which will be held on February 19, 2010. “We have a great lineup of speakers who will inspire and motivate Women in Business members, as well as all MBA students, to achieve excellence by becoming leaders and innovators in their professional lives.”

Colleen continues to seek out new opportunities for growth. Over Winter Break she looks forward to traveling to Vietnam where she will be backpacking with an organized group for two weeks and exploring yet another new culture.