Business students, faculty trek to Dallas to explore life in city

Northwest students recently visited Medium Giant, an integrated creative marketing agency, during a tour of Dallas. (Submitted photo)

Northwest Missouri State University students and graduate assistants of the Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth School of Business traveled recently to Dallas to explore and experience the business industry in a metropolitan area.

The annual Bearcats in the Big City travel experience, March 26-29, was organized by Kathleen Kobayashi, the Booth School of Business’s office manager, and graduate assistant Maggie McNeely.

The objective of the experience is to connect students with professionals, even if their fields are not directly linked. Especially for students who come from rural areas, Bearcats in the Big City also helps students try life in a city environment – from using public transportation to strolling through a business district during a lunch hour.

Students must apply to participate in the experience, and GPA factors into their selection.

Students toured AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, which provided an opportunity to network with professionals in the sport. (Submitted photo)

Trey Smith, a senior marketing major from St. Joseph, Missouri, said the tour reinforced his desire to live and work in a big city like Dallas.

“I would highly encourage every person to apply for this opportunity,” Smith said. “It was not only great for connections and career insights, but it was also a ton of fun and an incredible experience.”

During their time in Dallas, students and faculty visited Medium Giant, an integrated creative marketing agency, and toured AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Both stops gave the group an opportunity to network with professionals, in addition to a social dinner with Northwest alumni working and living in the Dallas area.

“I think they see that, as an alum, they can still participate and the importance of being connected – and that maybe this alum doesn’t work in your field, but their spouse does,” Kobayashi said. She added, “I always ask the people, ‘What did you get your degree in?’ And ‘What did you think you were going to do?’ ‘Now, tell us what you do,’ because I think keeping an open mind is super important for coming out of college.”

The travel experience also exposes students to job opportunities at companies they may not have considered as a home for their field of interest.

“Even if you’re not a sport management major, the Dallas Cowboys still need marketing people, accounting people and finance people,” Dr. Ben Blackford, the director of the Booth School of Business, said.

McNealy, a Falls City, Nebraska, native who graduated from Northwest this spring with a Master of Business Administration degree, participated in previous Bearcats in the Big City visits to Minneapolis as well as this year’s Dallas experience.

“At both cities, we were able to sit down and talk to people who live there, especially early graduates who have entered the career field,” she said. “They gave us some pointers. They gave us some advice on how to succeed in the business field, how to apply for jobs. Even just living in the city, they said, if you want to move to a new city and meet new people, it’s good to apply for organizations and join clubs – a volleyball club, biking, trails, running.”

Also this spring, Northwest business students visited Altec and Herzog in St. Joseph.

The Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth School of Business, which is accredited by the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs, equips students with essential skills such as critical thinking, effective written and oral communication, ethical decision-making, teamwork, and problem-solving. For more information, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/business/.