Over Easter break, thirty Loyola Marymount University students traveled to New York City with Career and Professional Development (CPD) as part of Career Treks, a program aimed at exposing students to potential career paths, broadening their understanding of industries, and providing a taste of what it could be like to live and work in the visited city. Originally launched in 2016, this spring marked the first East Coast trek since the pandemic. Career Trek site visits are arranged annually in partnership with notable LMU alumni and employer partners.
The trip focused on New York’s entertainment and business industries, with students self-selecting a programming “track” to ensure their trip itineraries aligned with their career interests. Students on the business track visited companies including KPMG, Bloomberg, T-Mobile, Group M, and AlphaSights, and students on the entertainment track visited NBCUniversal, Paramount, the Museum of Modern Art, and attended a live taping of “The View” with 1Iota. Both groups met with media executives at Citi and went to Yankee Stadium to meet senior vice president of marketing and LMU alumna, Debbie Tymon ‘74.
“In crafting the itinerary, my priority was to ensure that we offer students a genuine taste of life and work in New York City. We used the subway, had a robust schedule, and visited different neighborhoods in Manhattan,” said Mandy Brockhaus, associate director of events, promotions, and creative professions for Career and Professional Development. “It was also important to curate opportunities for students to connect with alumni so they can start building their network in New York City.”
In addition to Debbie Tymon, students had the opportunity to meet with Emma Carrasco ’82, senior vice president of corporate affairs for the NBCUniversal News Group, and Michael Franciscovich ’94, principal at KPMG. Allan Samson, parent of a current LMU senior and chief broadband officer at T-Mobile, also generously hosted students at T-Mobile’s Executive Briefing Center and presented on marketing strategies and initiatives at the company.
“It was pleasantly surprising to me that a school as small as LMU has such a diverse base of alumni working in fields you wouldn’t expect,” said junior finance major, Josa Chadha. “It was great to receive career advice from people who have been in the same place as us, and it was heart-warming that so many alumni were willing to be there to help us!”
Career and Professional Development plans to expand the Career Treks program for the 2024-25 academic year with visits to at least two cities along with additional site visits to companies in Los Angeles. Those interested in hosting LMU students for future Career Treks can learn more about the program on CPD’s website and email careers@lmu.edu to get involved.
