By Justin Erickson '25 BSB
February 24, 2023

Over the course of one group project, five first-year strangers became close friends and ambassadors for the Carlson School.

In BA 1011: Leading Self and Teams, they were challenged to complete a project that would make a positive impact on the world. The team, which consisted of Conner Xiong ‘26 BSB, Jenny Lin ‘26 BSB, Isha Sasi ‘26 BSB, James Yousef ‘26 BSB, and Jessie Lara Pliego ‘26 BSB went above and beyond. They developed a presentation and traveled to two schools around the metro, giving a total of ten presentations to encourage middle and high school students to consider college, business, and the Carlson School.

“We wanted to take this project and not just do something to get the grade, but also make a mark and do something that was meaningful to all five of us,” said Xiong.

He initially proposed the idea of traveling to schools in the area and presenting about the Carlson School. Over the summer, he had been contacted by the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) Coordinator from his former middle school, who asked if there were any opportunities to do a career panel with their students. 

Pliego also reached out to his former AVID Coordinators in Eden Prairie. Those connections gave the team an avenue to reach middle and high school students and teach them about business at the Carlson School. 

They received immediate enthusiasm about their plan from their contacts, especially as all five of their team members were recently in the same shoes as the younger students they would be talking to. All five members of Explore Business are students of color and could share their unique experiences with identity and how their experiences shaped their journeys. 

They developed different presentations for the different ages of students that they were speaking to, and provided breakout activities and time for the students to ask questions.

“What surprised me most was how well articulated and curious some of the students are. We had a group of seniors that asked phenomenal questions,” said Lin. “Looking at the topic from an outsider’s view helped us visualize our results and develop a successful presentation.”

Explore Business faced challenges in their journey. The concept of a semester-long project was new for the students, especially as they learned and developed their teamwork skills. They were also daunted by working with a team of students they had never met before. Balancing their project with other commitments, as well as each other's schedules, was difficult. With a focus on organization and clear responsibilities, they were able to stay on track for the entire semester. 

The team also had team bonding activities outside of their work on the project. Their activities, such as going out for dinner, increased the team’s cohesion and comfort working together. 

“I think our team bonding really helped our project because we all were comfortable with each other and we all were very friendly with each other at one point,” said Xiong.

For their work, they have been unanimously awarded the Carlson Acts of Kindness Best Student Initiative Award. 

“This team of students independently came up with this creative idea for their project, which combines their passion for helping others and their strengths and expertise as Carlson students,” said Professor Betty Zhou. “I was also really glad to see they bonded as a team throughout the semester. Every time they work on exercises in class or share with me their progress on this project, you can tell they are having a great time working with each other and helping each other learn.”

Early in the project, the students met with Eric Ly, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Enrollment at the Carlson School of Management. 

“One of my goals was to challenge students to simply think about why they decided to pursue the idea. As we unpacked the conversation, it was clear that the students had thought of a micro-level solution. I challenged the group to think about the issue at a meso and macro level, for example, why don't some students consider business as a major or what made you consider business?” said Ly.

“If there's anything that people should take away from this, from our story, it’s that when you really immerse yourself in your work, and you do something that you're passionate about, and you have a vision for it, everything comes very naturally,” said Xiong.