#MizzouMade: Trulaske Leadership Conference pairs students with corporate partners on professional development

Written by Jenna Williams (business emphasis: marketing), Leadership Conference Tri-Chair

This, year I helped lead the 20th annual Trulaske Leadership Conference in collaboration with co-chairs Jake Nabat and Rebecca Burkhart and an Executive Board of business students. We were excited to have 200 students attend the day-long conference on campus to learn more about leadership skills and prepare for our careers.

Boeing was our main sponsor this year – they launched the very first conference 20 years ago as our inaugural sponsor. Along with Boeing, 11 other companies provided sponsorship and attended the conference: PwC, Veterans United, Altria, KPMG, Sherwin-Williams, Aldi, Deloitte, Mars Inc., US Bank, EY, and Commerce Bank. This level of corporate engagement is such an important element of events in the Trulaske College of Business. Each company sends a recruiter or representative to network with us, sit on panels or provide leadership advice and guidance. The Leadership Conference is a meaningful way for us to get to know recruiters on a one-on-one basis, in a setting that is relaxed. Last year, I connected with Edward Jones at the conference and getting to know the recruiter led to an internship, and now a full-time job offer!

The conference consisted of several networking opportunities, a volunteer event, raffle drawings, a mini career fair, as well as lunch, a keynote speaker and a panel Q&A session. We are thankful for all of the support from Business Career Services, our company sponsors, as well as our executive board.