Northern Virginia/Washington, DC: Day Three, March 24, 2015

Today all the students on the trip split up into three tracks: Finance, Marketing/CIS, and  Entrepreneurship.  I was on the Marketing/CIS track.  In the morning of few of us traveled on the Metro to Chevy Chase, Maryland where we visited WeddingWire.  WeddingWire is a tech startup with a very fun atmosphere!  Their offices had some neat perks for employees such as a massage room, catered breakfast, a speakeasy, and multiple types of working stations.  All of the employees were young and energetic and were happy to share their stories with us.

We then traveled out to Reston to visit Upper Quadrant where we learned about the company’s data analytics services and new apps they are developing.  JMU alumnus Bill Vance, Executive Vice President of Upper Quadrant, was a wonderful host.  He and his staff gave a terrific presentation and treated us to a great lunch!

Our last visit of the day was to BRMi, a consulting firm founded by JMU alumnus Mike Battle.  It was great to be able to compare a smaller consulting firm to the large firms we had visited the day before.

We rounded out the day with a dinner in Arlington with an incredible group of JMU alumni.  Overall, the trip has been amazing.  We were so grateful to be able to meet and learn from so many JMU alumni from the Washington, DC Metro area.  It is an experience that we will always remember!

Posted by Madison Fazio

Northern Virginia: Day Two, March 23, 2015

Today we were able to compare and contrast many of the big consulting firms in the Washington, DC area.  We toured the Accenture offices first.  The offices provide a variety of different work environments for employees.  They can sit on the open floor, be in a private room, or even walk on a treadmill while doing their work.  We learned about their business strategy and JMU alumni at Accenture answered our questions about their journey from JMU to their currents roles at Accenture.

We then traveled to Deloitte where JMU alumni gave an informative presentation about the company and the responsibilities of the technology consultants at the firm.  We then took a break for lunch and then interacted and learned from another group of JMU alumni.

Later in the afternoon we traveled to Booz Allen Hamilton where we learned more about life at a consulting firm.  It was great to meet so many JMU alums at all these firms!

That evening we continued with our networking at a College of Business Student/Alumni mixer at the Deloitte offices in Tysons Corner.  Over 50 JMU alums came to the event to network with us.  It was a great event to make connections!

Posted by Madison Fazio

Northern Virginia: Day One, March 22, 2015

On Sunday afternoon twenty-two JMU College of Business students packed up and headed to D.C. We arrived at our hotel and were greeted by two JMU alumni Dan Dziuba and Jeff Mullen, who along with Sam Collier of JMU coordinated the trip. This evening we attended an alumni networking event at the Boulevard Woodgrill. Thirty-five JMU alumni who work in various industries in the D.C. area attended the event. We enjoyed talking to recent graduates about their transition from JMU to the working world. We gained some great advice and insight on a multitude of career paths. Now it’s off to bed to prep for the long day ahead with Booz Allen Hamilton, Accenture, and Deloitte. Posted by Tory Zehnder and Madison Fazio

Getting Ready for the Washington, DC/Northern Virginia Trip

Today the CoB Office of Experiential Learning is preparing for our Washington, DC/Northern VA trip.  Twenty-two students will be visiting companies in the DC area from March 22-24, 2015.  More details will be posted soon.