High school students explore business, education at Fordham

Undergraduate | Jul 11, 2016 | Gabelli School of Business

High school students taking part in the Gabelli School’s first NYC Business Insider program listen to a presentation at PVH.

High school is a time to explore options for careers and college choices, and a group of 40 juniors and seniors recently had a chance to jump start that exploration during the Gabelli School of Business’ first New York City Business Insider program.

Billed as a chance for high school students “to experience New York City as the commercial capital of the world,” those who attended the week-long program were exposed to lectures from university faculty and visiting professionals at Rose Hill and Lincoln Center.

But that was not all. They also had lunch with current students and other university representatives, and made site visits to some of the city’s most prominent businesses, said Greer Jason-DiBartolo, the Gabelli School’s senior assistant dean for undergraduate studies, and the coordinator of the program.

Jason-DiBartolo said Associate Dean Lerzan Aksoy was the inspiration behind the program.

“What we wanted to do was to provide an opportunity where students would be exposed to different business disciplines so that they could get a sense, before they apply to college, of what it would be like if they applied to a business school and what it would be like if they pursued a career in business,” Jason-DiBartolo said.

The program proved to be popular, with the 40 available slots filled quickly and a waiting list established as well. One other student also joined the program for the lectures and lunches at the university, Jason-DiBartolo said.

Site visits were arranged to five companies, PVH for fashion, JPMorgan Chase & Co. for financial services, Citi Field for major league sports, Glamour magazine for communications, media and entertainment and Grand Central Tech for startups and technology. The PVH visit, arranged by Fordham adjunct professor Patrick Tormey, featured presentations on a number of the company’s fashion brands, such as Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein.

See more photos of the students’ visit to PVH here.

The 40 who attended were mostly from the tri-state area, Jason-DiBartolo said, but two students came from California and Florida, staying with relatives during the program.

Feedback from the students about the program was enthusiastic.

“There was not one thing I disliked about my week with you and the other students,” wrote one student, “and I cannot wait to share my experience with others and hopefully suggest that they look into attending this program in the years to come.”