UM Business School’s Most Recent Career Trek to Memphis

On October 8, students, along with business school career services staff members and development officers, met and networked with potential employers.

 The goal of the trek was to give students insight into how business concepts translate into real-world practice.

“We are very fortunate to be geographically able to visit both of these great companies, who opened their doors for our students to explore their entire work environment,” said Tyler Meisenheimer, director of the Business Connect program. “Our students benefited from a first-class tour, panel, and presentation of operational and IT-based opportunities with these two highly reputable industry leaders.”

This was not the first career trek taken by the Business Connect program. The business school began the Career Trek program in 2020 as a way to connect students with professional opportunities and have traveled to Dallas, Nashville, Atlanta and Birmingham, among other cities to explore career opportunities.

“We invite students to tour our centers and meet our leadership, giving them a firsthand view of the industry and how their studies connect to real-world work,” said Rhonda Atkins, manager of talent acquisition at FedEx Freight. “We’re committed to bringing in top talent at all levels of our organization, and we look forward to engaging with students, answering their questions, and sparking their interest.”

Students gained an appreciation for the complexity and precision required in large-scale business operations while visiting both FedEx and Medtronic.

“The Memphis Trek was honestly a great insight on anything but a desk job,” said Ashton Summers, a senior from Jackson, Mississippi, majoring in management information systems. “I got to see true hard labor and how the backbone of many corporations work.

“The best thing about it all is seeing how much planning and logistics can go into even the smallest of details when carrying out a process.”

The Career Trek program continues to provide experiences for business students that guide them to develop professional networks and explore a range of potential career paths.

Photo Caption: The career trek included a visit to Medtronic in Memphis. (From L to R) Jaylin James, Horn Lake, marketing; Zachary Rhea, Dallas, business analytics and information systems (BAIS); Anton Singleton, Hernando, BAIS; Austin Mills, Olive Branch, BAIS; Morgan Garrett, Louisville, Kentucky, professional sales; Ladarius Jackson, Olive Branch, BAIS; Isaac Copeland, Saltillo, BAIS; Ashton Summers, Pearl, BAIS, and Wesley Pomerlee, Bruce, marketing. Photo Credit: Bailey Bracken