The MBA Student Voice

Anderson Travels to 2013 Net Impact Conference

A few weeks ago, 20 students from UCLA Anderson’s chapter of Net Impact traveled to San Jose to attend the 2013 Net Impact Conference. This year, the conference attracted 2,500 students and professionals from around the world, all of whom have one thing in common: a desire to use their business skills to create positive social and environmental change.  UCLA Anderson had a proud showing among business schools, reflective of our recent efforts to increase student engagement.  

The conference kicked off with keynote speaker Denise Morrison, President and CEO of Campbell Soup Company. She talked about the company’s efforts to fight obesity, a cause she considers Campbell’s responsibility, and her goal of becoming famous for creating shared value for shareholders around the world. We also heard from Caryl M. Stern, President and CEO of U.S. Fund for UNICEF, who spoke about her mission to battle hunger, poverty, and disease across the globe, and shared excerpts from her moving new book, I Believe in Zero. The energy throughout the opening reception was exhilarating; it is amazing the conversations that take place when 2,500 do-gooders come together in the same room. 

Finally, an update on what happened at NICC and beyond!

Last month, UCLA Anderson Net Impact wrapped up the Eighth Annual Net Impact Consulting Challenge (NICC), a two-week consulting project that offers students the opportunity to assist local nonprofits and for-profit social ventures with specific business challenges. All 17 student teams presented their strategic plans to teams of judges and members of their assigned organizations. After the first round of presentations, the finalists were called on stage in Korn Hall to present once more, this time in front of a crowded auditorium. And the winners are…

First place: The Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice - Kiara Barrett (MBA 2013), Diana Lin (MBA 2014), Ana Peña (MBA 2013), Alisa Sommer (JD/MBA 2013)

Second place: The Mary Magdalene Project - Megan Groh (MBA 2014), Suzanne Howard (MBA 2014), Shuhan (Bali) Majid (MBA 2014), Ada LingJun Peng (MPP 2013)

Third place: EVO Farms - Chris Calice (FEMBA 2015), Dan Freeman (FEMBA 2015), Axel Guerra (FEMBA 2015), Don Sutherland (FEMBA 2015), Allyson Tom (FEMBA 2015)

Congratulations to all winners! 

NICC proved an extremely valuable experience for both the partner organizations and student teams. In talking with the participating students following the competition, one thing was very clear. All of us felt proud to have done work that had real impact on a real organization. It made us realize just how much we have learned in business school so far!

Many of the organizations have asked the student teams to present their recommendations at upcoming board meetings. In fact, just last week my team attended our client’s board meeting to give a presentation and discuss how our recommendations can be implemented going forward. This was a great opportunity for us to get to know the board members on a personal level as well as to address their questions and concerns. The board was very excited to get going on the plan we created, and to show their appreciation they even got us a cake! 

All in all, NICC was a very rewarding experience that I highly recommend to anyone who is interested in putting their newly acquired MBA skills to use to have a real impact on a real client in the Los Angeles community. So all you first-years and incoming students out there, remember to sign up next year! 

Real case. Real client. Real impact. The Eighth Annual Net Impact Consulting Challenge!

Last Wednesday, the UCLA Anderson chapter of Net Impact held the kickoff for its Eighth Annual Net Impact Consulting Challenge (NICC). NICC offers students the opportunity to assist local nonprofits and for-profit social ventures with current strategic challenges across various areas, such as marketing, finance, operations, and leadership. The students work with their assigned organizations for a period of two and a half weeks, and the competition culminates in a presentation on Sunday, January 27th, when all teams will present their strategic recommendations and compete for a cash prize. 

In an effort to bring together students of various disciplines and levels of expertise, NICC is open to FEMBA and EMBA students, as well as graduate students outside the business school. Students compete in teams of four to six, and this year there are a total of 17 teams and 86 students. The participating organizations were selected through a competitive application process, and are dedicated to causes that include education, poverty, domestic violence, healthcare, and environmental issues. In past years, NICC had been restricted to nonprofit organizations, but the application process this year opened up to for-profit organizations with a social mission, reflective of a growing interest in this business model. 

Over the past eight years, NICC has brought together 190 students and impacted over 60 local organizations.  During the kickoff event, guest speaker and Anderson alumna Gayle Northrop noted that across the years, interest in the nonprofit world has grown at Anderson from just a few students to a sizeable group of individuals with varying interests and aspirations.  

I'm also participating in NICC, and my team and I were fortunate enough to get placed with the Alexandria House, a non-profit organization that empowers women and children who are victims of domestic violence and human trafficking by providing them with access to transitional housing, a support network, and medical and career services, ultimately preparing them to lead happy, fulfilling lives. We met with our clients at the kickoff event to discuss the strategic challenge at hand and outline our plan of action for the  next few weeks. We feel honored to have the opportunity to work with such passionate, dedicated individuals, and are so very excited to compete in this challenge and help Alexandria House to reach its goals! I urge you to check out Alexandria House's website and learn more about how it helps to make L.A. a better place: http://www.alexandriahouse.org

Stay tuned for my next post later this month to find out who wins NICC!