Leadership Project

Kathleen Phan- Leadership Lab Participant

"For my leadership project, our team collaborated with Gopher Athletics to develop strategies that increase awareness and educate a broad audience with diverse perceptions, keeping them engaged and supportive in this new era. We conducted research on NIL/Revenue and Dinkytown Athletics to identify ways to better engage the Gopher Athletics audience, and we designed survey questions to gather insights on perceptions of Gopher Athletics, NIL, and revenue sharing. Based on the survey results, our team created a new campaign and proposed updates to the Gopher Athletics website.

Throughout this project, I learned that each teammate operates differently and brings unique ideas, so effective collaboration requires recognizing each other’s strengths and dividing work accordingly. Overall, this project taught me patience with ambiguity, teamwork, and valuable skills in research, survey design, and public speaking."

Niko Vasilopoulos - Leadership Lab participant

"For my Leadership Lab project, I was a member of a select four student group working with the Executive Team of Gopher Athletics to analyze the economic impact of sports on campus. We know that Gopher Athletics spends money, but through our work we are looking to dive deeper into how sports programming is impacting campus, surrounding neighborhoods, and local communities & businesses. This project has been defined by strategic partnerships engaging both internal and external stakeholders. Our student team meets frequently with the CFO of Gopher Athletics, Senior Athletic Directors, their marketing team, and have consulted a Senior Economic Analyst at the University to guide our work. We also utilize knowledge of our team advisors, a Carlson Alumni who works at a local Fortune 500 firm, as well as a tenured professor with incredible research experience. 

This work has been an incredible learning opportunity for me and my peers, all while it perfectly exemplifies Carlson’s dedication to experiential learning. Student’s are being trusted to conduct high-level research that examines the intersection of University resources and programming with the broader Metropolitan community. Through my Leadership Lab project, I have been able to combine my interest in sports with my passion for business, all while expanding my network and getting once in a lifetime opportunities." 

Brendan Scarlett - Leadership Lab participant

"What really stood out to me was how we had the freedom to take the initiative and make impactful decisions ourselves. We were constantly communicating with the athletic department, but we had a lot of freedom to figure things out on our own. I really enjoyed facing the ambiguity of not knowing the end goal, but being able to work through that and eventually reach an outcome. I think that is something that I’ll face both personally and professionally in the future, so being able to gain experience through this project was extremely valuable!  "

Abigail Boettcher - Leadership Lab participant

"Dealing with ambiguity was one of the greatest challenges we had in this project. However, is it a skill you need to have for the real world, and being exposed to it in a safe setting helped me grow as a person. I also learned a lot about the content of the project, economics, and even though my major is not related to economics, I love having a well rounded range of knowledge. Learning how to use new technology and collecting, cleaning, and analyzing data were big things that I can take with me into my career. Personally, I feel a lot more comfortable and experienced working with high ranking executives and effectively communicating my ideas after being a part of this experience."

Mia Ashenfeler- Leadership Lab participant

"Elizabeth Doman, Jasmine Nguyen, and I (Mia Ashenfelter) were partnered with a small outside organization called Software for Good. Software for Good is a software development company that has a unique apprenticeship program that aims to help underrepresented populations of software engineers branch into professional careers... Being an MIS major and someone with a strong passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion, I could not have asked for a better project assignment. I learned a tremendous amount from the Leadership Lab program. Even though Carlson does its best to prepare us for a career after graduation, I believe this program has given me a better insight into what a professional career as a consultant could look like and how I should conduct myself in a professional setting. I learned that many projects come with ambiguity and continually asking questions and following up on something is just part of the process. The Leadership Lab is one of the best opportunities Carlson has to offer. I not only got to apply what I learned in my leadership class to such an applicable, real-world project, but I also got to work closely on something that I’m passionate about.

Elizabeth Doman - Leadership Lab participant

"I thoroughly enjoyed working with my leadership lab team whose energy illuminated enthusiasm for creating a successful project.  It included two females in Carlson who I am constantly inspired by, Jasmine and Mia, and female adult leaders we knew from Carlson that were a constant source of support as well. I learned more about working with my team as student consultants to solve real-world problems than I have in any class ever.

If there is one thing I want someone reading this to take away is that Leadership lab was constantly the highlight of my week and reminded me why I love learning. I am in school to learn and this experience provided by Carlson allowed me to test my professional and team-working skills. I am forever grateful to the leadership team and hope that everyone has a chance to experience the life-changing experiences I had because of the Leadership Lab."

Jasmine Nguyen- Leadership Lab participant

"Leadership Lab was a life changing experience for me I am beyond grateful for. I felt like I had a place to challenge everything I had learned up until that point, whether through school or personal development. I was able to be my best self, work hard, and make a positive impact on the future of technology in the world. Meaningful work only goes up!"