I was awoken this Saturday at 7 o’clock to the sound of a “hello moto” alarm playing on my phone. Why was I waking up at such an early hour, especially on a Saturday morning? The 16th Annual Student Leadership Conference, of course! While the dorms slept, I was showering and dressing up in “business casual” for a day of enlightenment that IEA can’t quite give you.
The conference began at 8:45 am with check-in at the Union. Participants were each given a blue IBM folder filled with information on the day’s activities, a mechanical pencil, a sticker nametag, and their original $10 deposit. The next 45 minutes were a chance to mingle with IBM representatives between sips of much-needed coffee.
When breakfast was over, we were herded into the McNeil room and given a quick overview of the day’s activities. Shortly after that, everyone headed off to the first of their two “workshop sessions,” which, for me, was “Mission: Trade Secrets.”
The first workshop started with the customary “icebreakers” with a bit of a twist. We were asked to line up according to our birthdates, without talking. After much hand signaling and flashing of driver’s licenses, we were broken into groups and given the mission. We were all members of a community council. In order to survive, we needed a specific amount and type of food, indicated by index cards. The catch? We didn’t have all of the food we needed and getting it would require trading with the other “communities.” Forty minutes of hectic bartering later; we were spared from the famine. The exercise taught us how to work together as a team and formulate sometimes cunning strategies to trade those two rye and one flax for much-needed rice.
After the first workshop ended I had ten minutes to get to Workshop Session 2, “It’s a small world.” Small World was a game show similar to “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” executed Power-Point style. The questions tested our knowledge, or lack thereof, of diversity. Did you know that women buy 65 percent of cars? Or that 20 percent of gay or lesbian couples have children?
When the workshop ended, it was time for lunch. The Chief Information Officer of Rensselaer, John Kolb, gave a welcome address and was followed by the President, Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson. “IBM employs 1,000 RPI alumni. I told them that’s not nearly enough,” joked Dr. Jackson. She went on to note that three of the top 17 executives at IBM are from RPI. She extended many thanks to IBM, and then introduced Susan M. Puglia, vice president for IBM technical support and quality. Mrs. Puglia is a graduate of New York University and serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for Rochester Institute of Technology. “But we can forgive her for her past mistakes,” quipped Dr. Jackson.
Puglia delivered the keynote address about IBM values and what you should know to be successful in your career. Key points included the importance of people skills, communication skills, leadership skills, and time management. Her speech was followed by a short question and answer session where members of the audience asked her questions.
After the speeches, we broke into groups for a “Business Case Scenario.” Our goal was to utilize low-fidelity prototyping to create a “website” for a fictitious travel agency. We had to create a webpage layout on pieces of paper. Think post-it note pop-ups. After each draft, one of the IBM representatives would look at the design and give feedback, which would lead to further modifications and a better design. Low-fidelity prototyping can be very useful in business because it allows people to make changes quickly and cost-effectively. Changing an aspect of a product once it is in development would cost 10 times more and making changes to a finished product would cost 100 times more.
Once Business Case Scenario ended, it was time for closing remarks by Dave Hans of IBM, and a raffle. When all the prizes were given away, the participants were asked to fill out a survey and return it for a shiny IBM/Rensselaer thermos as a memento of the day. When the 17th conference comes around, be sure to sign up. It’s a wonderful learning experience you don’t want to miss. Plus there’s free food and prizes.
