Back in January, right before the second semester started, I participated in the Fullbridge Professional Edge Program through the Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, and Society.
One concern that some students have—as I did before coming to the college—is that Holy Cross does not have direct finance or business majors. The Ciocca Center, however, offers a certificate program to still prepare students who want to follow that track.
In Fullbridge, we learned a lot about self-awareness and the process of creating business ideas. Later in the program, we began looking at more logistic aspects of business. We looked at financial statements, as well as important margins and ratios, for instance.
Public speaking was also a huge part of the program. We did several presentations and dove into important practices when carrying business conversations and making connections, but also in every-day interacting. At the end of the program, we analyzed different financial figures of a specific company and created business ideas for growth, then presented them in public.
One of my favorite parts of the program was the negotiation section. We picked sides—buyers or sellers—and worked on getting to outcomes that would benefit both sides, utilizing selling strategies and interaction skills.
Without a doubt, Fullbridge was a great experience that will be extremely useful in the future, considering my career goals, and I believe that every student interested in business will find it just as useful!
