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Student Spotlight: Erica Simpson
CBA junior Erica Simpson has a busy year ahead of her. The New Jersey native is pursuing a challenging program of study that includes a double major in finance and marketing, a minor in economics, and a Certificate in International Business. She also was selected as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) for the College of Business Administration's Managerial Ethics and Stakeholder Management course during the fall term, and will be putting her leadership skills to work as president of the Roberto Clemente Minority Business Association (RCMBA).
Simpson is looking forward to her position as a UTA because it will allow her to assist CBA students with the required group project in the Managerial Ethics class. As a student in the class last fall, she was the leader of her team and plans to apply what she learned to help current students achieve success. Simpson is also eagerly anticipating the challenge of leading RCMBA. "I am very excited about this role with RCMBA because I believe so strongly in the organization and its mission," she says. "RCMBA is about embracing diversity-not just diversity of race or gender, but of ideas and perspectives. Also, personally, RCMBA has been a great support for me since my freshman year so I am happy to be able to give back in this way."
Simpson's vision for RCMBA for the coming year is to commit to "a year to S.E.R.V.E.." According to her, S.E.R.V.E. reflects the organization's emphasis on: selflessness, ethics, regard, vitality, and elevation. Themes for the year include an effort towards selflessness through service to fellow students, companies, and the community; regard and respect for others; a strong sense of ethics throughout the organization; and vitality and energy in the achievement of goals. Working together and aspiring to this vision will serve to elevate the organization and community as a whole, explained Simpson. Major RCMBA events this year will include the eighth annual Minorities in Pittsburgh Conference and a new corporate auction program for charity.
After completing a summer internship at Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, N.J., Simpson aims to continue to hone her professional skills. She describes the experience of working in J&J's Headquarters Finance as a profit and loss intern as "highly valuable," allowing her to apply what she's learned in CBA. "My primary task was to work with the business planning process for 2010," Simpson explained. "This involved consolidating $1.8 billion in charges across 45 affiliate companies. In addition, I dramatically increased my knowledge of Microsoft Excel, enhanced my communication skills, and gained great experience working with all different types of people."
Simpson has developed herself internationally as well. During the summer after her freshman year, she spent five weeks in Costa Rica, studying Spanish and economics. Erica describes her experience in Costa Rica as "an amazing learning experience in a beautiful country," and would definitely like to spend more time abroad-either on a formal study abroad program or just travelling independently.
Finally, when asked to describe her college experience on the whole, Simpson is unequivocally enthusiastic. It seems that her match with Pitt and CBA has been a great one. As a student, she has been able to pursue a variety of intellectual interests, grow as a leader, and make many friends and professional contacts. She has been able to craft an experience that is distinctive and will help her stand out from other college graduates when she hits the full-time job market next year.
"I have had a fantastic experience at Pitt," she says. "Although Pitt is a big school, I have truly been able to find my niche in CBA and RCMBA. I have found that the University encourages a key balance between academics and extracurricular activities, like study abroad programs, student organizations, and internships. I've also met a great range of people, including students, faculty, and alumni. I have enjoyed my experience getting to know the city of Pittsburgh and love being a student at the University!"