College of Business

You Belong in Business!

Wednesday, Apr. 21, 2021, 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

First Generation Early Career Success & Leadership Summit

How to Register:

REGISTER HERE!

When:

Wednesday, April 21st, 2021
9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Join us all day or by topic of interest

Where:

Virtual via Zoom. An event link will be sent to you after completing registration.


About the Event 

YOU Belong in Business! First Generation Early Career Success & Leadership Summit will provide practical leadership development and strategies for a first-generation college student majoring or minoring in a College of Business degree plan.  

This event will be virtual and is comprised of a nationally known keynote speaker, Dr. Joshua Fredenburg, followed by FOCUS 2, a Career & Leadership self-assessment with Betina Wildhaber from the Chico State Career Center, and breakout sessions lead by some of our most prominent College of Business faculty Katie Mercurio, Katie Oseau and Kristin Minetti.

*Participants are asked to take 15 minutes before the summit to complete the Leadership portion of FOCUS 2 Career Assessment

Program Outline

9:30 a.m. | Welcome

Krystle Tonga, Director of the Cross-Cultural Leadership Center, and Jenn Duggan, Senior Coordinator for Business Student Advising.


9:40 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Keynote Speaker Dr. Joshua Fredenburg.

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Joshua Fredenburg

Dr. Joshua Fredenburg is a nationally acclaimed speaker, author, leader & diversity consultant, TEDx speaker, and the founder of the award-winning Circle of Change Leadership Experience. In the keynote, he will help students discover the leader from within and how to interact with diverse groups of people more effectively with an inclusive lens of leadership.  

Dr. Fredenburg will also close out our event from 1:45 pm to 2:15 pm for an interactive student discussion on takeaways from the summit that you can apply immediately! 


11:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. | Introduction of FOCUS 2 Leadership Assessment Betina Wildhaber

Betina Wildhaber

Betina is one of our career advisors in the Chico State Career Center that assists students and alumni through all phases of career development to bridge the gap between the academic environment and the world of work. Our Career Center provides support with resumes, cover letters, practice interviews, job/internship search, and so much more. These services are also FREE to students for LIFE!

Betina will provide an overview of FOCUS 2 an online career and major planning system. After lunch, Betina will guide participants through their individual Leadership assessment results.


11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. | Lunch break!

Take the Leadership portion of FOCUS 2 if you have not done so already.


11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Betina Wildhaber Reflection & Discussion of Leadership Skills Self-assessment.

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Kaylee Mcallister

A national survey identifies Leadership as one of the top competencies employers want in a candidate. Betina will guide participants through their results to help discover more about yourself while learning how to market your leadership and other top competencies to employers.

Immediately following the FOCUS 2 Leadership reflection & discussion, Kaylee McAllister Knutson with Student Life & Leadership will share ways to build your leadership experience during your college experience at CSU, Chico.

Kaylee has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Women’s Studies from Western Illinois and a Masters of Education in Higher Education Administration from Texas Tech University. She first joined the Wildcat family in 2015 as an intern for University Housing and has since worked as a Residence Conduct Coordinator and most recently as a Coordinator for Student Life & Leadership. Kaylee has over five years of experience helping students with leadership education opportunities and ways to build your resume while still in college. 


12:30 p.m. -12:45 p.m. | Instructions for breakout sessions. Associate Dean for the College of Business/Dr. Suzanne Zivnuska.


12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. | BREAKOUT SESSIONS!!!

(Choose one to attend but know that all three will be recorded to view later at your convenience).

I’m First! Strategies to Develop Your First Generation Brand After Graduation - Katie Mercurio

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Katie Mercurio

Katie began her career in the marketing department at Nestle USA in Southern California.  She worked on projects in their Confections & Snacks Division, Beverage Division, and Infant Nutrition Division.  After receiving her doctorate at University of Washington, she worked as a post-doctoral researcher at University of California, Los Angeles. In 2018, Katie joined CSU, Chico as an assistant professor of marketing. She teaches MKTG 305 Survey of Marketing, MKTG 485 Brand Strategy, and MKTG 673 Strategic Marketing Management at CSU Chico. Katie is an active researcher, and has 8 peer-reviewed, refereed journal publications including: Journal of Consumer Research, Advances in Consumer Research, Brand Touch Points, and Wiley International Encyclopedia of Marketing.

Session description: Discover how to develop your professional brand so that you can be successful after graduation. Skills can be duplicated but strongly held beliefs and attitudes surrounding your personal brand cannot. How do you build personal brand equity? How do you capitalize on your personal brand equity to have a flourishing career?


Figuring It Out Together: Building Confidence to Communicate across Campus and Beyond! | Katie Oseau

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Katie Oseau

Katie has been teaching writing for 10 years, and has been part of the College Of Business since 2017 where she teaches Business Communication. She received both her Bachelors and Masters in English from Chico State, where she was a First Generation Transfer student from Yuba College. Katie also takes pride in her constant engagement with Diversity and Inclusion learning communities on campus.

Session description: As a First Gen student, it can be difficult to navigate your education, especially in an online environment. We have questions, but might not know where to start, or might not feel confident when asking those questions to members of our campus community. Emailing your professors, club advisors, and other support staff across campus can seem daunting at first. Part of the work we will do in this session is build confidence and credibility in writing, and specifically in emails. With the right set of tools, you will be better equipped to advocate for yourself and your needs as you navigate your college career.


How Emotional Intelligence can help first-generation college students succeed | Kristin Minetti

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Kristin Minetti

Kristin graduated from California State University, Chico with her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She then went on to work for an advertising agency as an Account Coordinator and Media Buyer. After, she switched careers and went to work for Target Corporation where she held multiple roles over six years including in-store and district management positions. She gained valuable real-world experience from these positions that she loves to share in the classroom.

Kristin graduated with an MBA from Washington State University in 2015 and was then able to pursue her true passion; teaching at the college level. Kristin has been faculty at California State University, Chico since 2015 and has taught for both the Marketing and Management departments. She is an Adviser to the American Marketing Association, District Director for Delta Sigma Pi, and a Faculty Coach for sales competition students. She is also a mentor through the REACH program to help assist first-generation freshmen with navigating the college experience.  Kristin believes it is important to engage and gain experience both inside and outside the classroom.

Session description: Emotional Intelligence is incredibly important and can be a useful tool for both the personal and professional world.  Known as EQ, emotional intelligence focuses on Self Awareness, Social Awareness, Self-Management, and Relationship Management.  Studies have shown those who are high in Emotional Intelligence are more successful in the business world and get more promotions.  They have higher job performance and make a higher salary.  However, many people do not focus on developing their emotional intelligence.  The good news about EQ is that it can be developed and improved. This session will teach the fundamentals of EQ and allow you to find ways you can improve this area personally to have a higher chance of succeeding in the business world.


1:45 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Wrap-up closing.

Dr. Fredenburg will also close out our event with an interactive student discussion on takeaways that you can apply immediately.


Event Details and Registration Information

How to Register:

REGISTER HERE!

When:

Wednesday, April 21st, 2021
9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Join us all day or by topic of interest

Where:

Virtual via Zoom. An event link will be sent to you after completing registration.

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