This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 3, Issue 1 (Fall 2012)
The Travelers EDGE Program Builds UConn’s Business Leaders of Tomorrow
As Armando Jimenez sees it, his first lucky break coincided with some bad news for his hometown of Hartford. That was the year his high school lost its state accreditation and Jimenez received a scholarship to attend Salisbury School instead.
Located in the Northwest corner of the state, the private school offered Jimenez the chance to participate in his first entrepreneurship program and be exposed to what he describes as a “different world” than the one from which he came. More importantly, though, it gave him a reason to work hard.
“I made Dean’s List every semester,” Jimenez said. “I wanted to make sure they knew their investment in me was good.”
Jimenez has spent the last few years making good on that initial investment as a student in UConn’s Travelers EDGE diversity initiative program. A management major now in his senior year in the UConn School of Business, Jimenez is one of 23 students currently receiving a four-year scholarship, mentoring, and internship opportunities through the program.
Being accepted into Travelers EDGE, Jimenez said, was his second lucky break.
“It’s an amazing program. The interesting thing about Travelers is that this is a company that’s really investing in the career of the student,” said Jimenez, who has completed two summer internships, at Travelers Companies Inc. and PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers), through the program.
Tara Spain, vice president of the Travelers Foundation, said the program began in 2007 with a directive from the company’s board of directors.
“They w
anted us to do something that was good for the community, but also good for the company,” Spain said. “We feel like we get a lot out of it. It has helped to broaden our pipelines into the company for diverse talents and we’ve been able to strengthen the Travelers’ brand on college campuses. It’s great for the company, great for the brand, and great for our employees.”
The program targets underrepresented groups or first generational college students with the goal of making them more competitive in the business world. Jimenez, who is the first person to attend college in his family and a minority who was raised by a single mother in Hartford, fits both criteria.
“Neither of those factors alone would have gained him entry into the program, however, if Jimenez hadn’t displayed the kind of motivation and commitment to his education that earned him a place on the Dean’s List at Salisbury School,” said Seanice Austin, the director of Diversity Initiatives for the School of Business and manager of the Travelers EDGE program.
“We receive about 30 to 40 applications every year and we take five,” said Austin. “It’s very competitive.”
Students accepted into the program must participate actively and maintain a 3.0 GPA, Austin said. The average GPA of the students currently enrolled is 3.3, she said.
“We want students to be able to tell their own stories,” Austin said. “Once they are accepted, I work very closely with them to make sure they have all the resources and support they need.”
Jimenez agreed, and said he is already trying to give back a little bit of what he’s received. “I grew up in the Boys and Girls Club so I know that a simple “Hi” goes a long way, especially when someone is struggling,” he said.
For that reason, Jimenez started a program his freshman year, called Brothers Reaching Our Society, that provides peer mentoring and help with academics to other male students. “The idea is to do the same for those who come behind you as those who came ahead did for you,” Jimenez said.
Kathryn Giuffre, 19, wasn’t originally considering UConn when she first started her college search, even though she grew up less than 20 miles from the university. For Giuffre, who was the salutatorian of her class at Bolton High School, UConn was just too big – too overwhelming.
This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 3, Issue 1 (Fall 2012)
Elizabeth (Liz) James, a 2008 graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Business, is an International Alumni Ambassador, fundraising volunteer, and a 2012 Olympic Torchbearer. A Greenwich, Connecticut native, James was a Marketing and Professional Sales major at the School of Business and a member of the National Honor Fraternity, Phi Sigma Pi. Commenting on her undergraduate experience, Liz says, “The UConn Business School laid the foundation for my business knowledge and pushed me to achieve more than I ever thought possible.”
I am delighted to join the University of Connecticut School of Business at such an exciting time. August 15, my first day on campus, was planned around the London Olympics. When I received the phone call last January and began to consider the Deanship at the School of Business, I had standing plans to go to London with my wife and son. So joining the School of Business ultimately followed our return from a remarkable experience in London. In this issue you will read about several linkages between UConn, London, and the Olympics.
One of the most common questions I hear is, “Why would you leave the largest business school in the United States to come to UConn?” The answer is evident in the level of commitment to education in Connecticut. One of the things that immediately focused my attention was what I heard about UConn President Susan Herbst and Governor Malloy, and about the commitment they were making on behalf of education as an engine that will drive the future of the economy in Connecticut.