The students powered through arrival day in the chilly 50 degree weather on Sunday afternoon to kick off the week at St. John’s University. They were greeted warmly by CEOs, Resident Business Leaders (RBLs), and the rest of the MBV staff outside St. Mary’s hall. After the hectic process of moving in to the dorms and saying goodbye to their parents, the students were motivated by Daniel Shannon. Shannon gave advice on how to be a visionary and achieve not only your goals, but reach your visions. Not only did students hear an inspirational speech by Shannon, they learned about an up and coming philanthropical business run by siblings, Heather and John McDougall. The siblings’ company is BOGO Brush, which is a buy-one-give-one toothbrush to those who don’t have the means of receiving good dental hygiene.
The first exciting team-building activity the companies worked together on was picking random pieces of “junk” from a pile and creating a product or service. After a brief company meeting of creating a product and making a skit, all 15 companies had to perform their skit on stage in front of their peers. After many laughs at not only the skits, but the jokes told by Janae (Program Manager) and Kallie (MBV Intern), the judges of the competition chose Company A as first place winner.
After the busy first day of camp on Sunday, students and staff enjoyed an ice cream social in the dining hall during their recreation time. It was a great way to hang out with friends and meet new people while also enjoying a cool treat. To work off all that delicious ice cream, students could participate in basketball in the gym or volleyball on the outdoor court.
Monday morning started off with an interesting Shareholders Address by the founders of Circa Vista, a company that specializes in virtual tours. Michael Shimshock spoke to the students and answered their questions about entrepreneurship. After the Shareholders Address, students went outside to participate in Corporate Olympics. Companies competed in multiple activities to strengthen their company ties. Students had to untangle themselves in Human Knot, act out different words in Charades Relay, and balance a dowel on all the company’s index fingers while trying to set it on the ground as a team while playing Down to the Ground.
After the students refueled at lunch, they headed out to breakout sessions. These sessions consisted of learning about credit, paying for college, renting an apartment, and buying a car. Students signed up to attend two of these hour-long sessions.
Students will be looking forward to a picnic dinner and camp photo later this evening. The students will also be preparing for their mock interviews which will happen tomorrow morning!