SCSU 2018: Day 5 – Game Day

Campers woke up with jitters knowing that today was the day they had been preparing for all week. However, Jeff Munneke, the Vice President of Fan Experience with the Minnesota Timberwolves was able to calm their nerves by speaking about the importance of building healthy relationships. By saying “be interested rather than interesting,” Jeff stressed the importance of being selfless in personal and professional relationships. Jeff urged students to be aware of first impressions by sharing a story about his son, who once bought a ticket to Portland to be in person for what was originally set up to be over Skype. Students were reminded to thank and to remember those that support them.

 

During the company meeting that followed, volunteer speakers presented to individual companies on how to manage time and money in “Paying For My Lifestyle.” Volunteers fom North Star Resource Group, Jacobs Financial, Wings Financial Credit Union, Sandvold Financial Group, OptumHealth, KPMG, and Charter Point Health Strategies taught students about money management. Students left those meetings feeling more prepared and empowered for their futures.

 

After lunch, students felt the nerves set in. Companies met in Atwood and ran through their business plans. Three to four companies competed in each room, and as students went in, they were buzzing with nervous energy. By the time they re-emerged after fifteen minutes, that energy morphed into excitement.  The judges took five minutes to discuss after each presentation and then called the company back in to deliver the verdict. Many companies received the loan they asked for in full, but others received more or less than their request. Even though there can only be one overall winner per room, students left feeling like champions.

 

That energy only increased when speaker Jesse Ross from The Minneapolis Foundation spoke to the students. He asked the students these three questions: what do you want from and for your life, what are you willing to start or stop to get it, and who’s counting on you? As the students contemplated their answers, Jesse encouraged them to make connections and to seize every opportunity that they are given. He said “do anything with your life, just don’t do nothing.”

 

After a long week of hard work the students let loose during the Minute to Win It Challenge. Students had to do different small challenges such as an impromptu fashion show, get a cookie from their forehead to their mouth, and find a piece of gum in a bowl of rice. Then the students went to a dance where they worked off the rest of their energy.