As Director of the Career Center at the Marilyn Davies College of Business (MDCOB) since May 2014, Brett Hobby is always on the lookout for internship and career opportunities for undergrad and graduate students alike. The key to his continued success is strong, strategic partnerships, so he welcomed the suggestion of MDCOB partner Ivette Mayo, Founder & CEO of Power on Heels Fund, Inc., to help facilitate a new program at the college: the Progressive Leader Program (PLP).
A seven-month program, the Progressive Leader Program unfolds through three phases: professional leadership development, training through one-on-one mentoring, and internships. This three-stage approach allows students to identify and master different competencies before moving into the mentoring phase. The professional leadership development sessions are primarily led by Mayo with Hobby kicking off the training.
“Brett started the first presentation by talking about personality types: introverts and extroverts,” said Bauer Scholar and PLP participant Valerie Parada, who is a senior majoring in Finance. “We then took a quiz, and I found out I'm in between, which made perfect sense to me. And then we had a really interactive conversation with Brett the entire classtime and that's when we all felt comfortable.” Parada shared that he remained involved throughout the program—showing up and finding out how she was doing with her internships. “He was always there, every step of the process.”
The participants were required to attend classes during the professional leadership development phase. “Ivette gave us such a great foundation, helping us gain confidence because she knew we had leadership skills within us. I found I have a natural instinct to lead—it just happens naturally, and I learned to embrace it.” Topics ranged from how to interact with colleagues to public speaking skills. “Each class was something different. We would have homework to bring to the next class, and then we would speak on what we did,” said Parada.
During this time Parada was interviewing for internships, and she found that her time spent with PLP prepared her to interview better. “I found I was getting very good at talking with recruiters and was overall presenting myself better.” She landed an internship with Metrix Vibration.
For the second phase of the program, Mayo worked with United Airlines to provide mentors with Hobby also securing several UHD alumni from different industries.
“We find that mentors provide our students with someone to turn to. It can be a safe space to share goals and dreams,” said Hobby. But at the same time, a mentor can provide guidance. Especially for our students who are first generation and whose family may question why they are going to school over working.”
“It’s bittersweet now that phase is over,” said Parada. “I would look forward to meeting with my mentor. She was an amazing lady. She's also a UHD alum. We all came together at the end with our mentors, and each pair shared a reflection on the experience with our mentor talking to the class about how it went, what we learned, or what goals we have.”
Parada admits she wasn’t sure she’d get into the program at the beginning. PLP started last fall with five in the first cohort, so Parada knew it was competitive. But she made it with seven other students for the second cohort and now has begun her paid, summer internship with Memorial Hermann Health System, focusing on planning and budgeting.
Valerie’s long-term goals? “I would say to achieve success in a way that I'm fully happy with it,” said Parada. “So I can help the people around me and feel happy. And I can basically give back to my parents as well. Then I will feel like I made it.”
For the time-being, her plan is to graduate and get a stable job. “PLP is just overall a great program that helped all of us develop in such amazing ways. I'm super thankful and honored to be a part of it.”
The Progressive Leader Program is just one of many programs across the UHD campus designed to empower academically exceptional students to become leaders and excel in their careers.