By Emily Howard, Staff Writer
For the past several years, the Ouachita business department has carried on a tradition of taking freshmen on a trip to a variety of places to gain experience in real-life business scenarios, build relationships and undergo something new and memorable.
“We [went] to Oklahoma City,” Jim Rothwell, assistant dean, said. “We went to Memphis for several years, but we’ve gone to Oklahoma City for the last three years.”
This trip provides students a range of opportunities in the OKC area and allows them to step outside of their box and create memories and make friends while also exploring the business side.
“[In the past,] we visited various places, like the River Sports Complex, which is the training center for the U.S. Olympic canoeing and kayaking teams, where we got to meet one of the coaches that worked with the Olympic team,” Rothwell said. “We’ve been to the Hobby Lobby Headquarters all three years, where we heard the history of it and the merchandising and retail part of it.”
The trip also features many fun and unique activities and experiences.
“In the evenings, we went to a restaurant that was on the top of the highest building in Oklahoma City called Vast, where you could see the whole city and lights,” Rothwall said. “We spent some time in Bricktown, which has shops and movies and restaurants.We went to the Paycom Arena, which is where the OKC Thunder plays basketball.We have heard from their marketing people twice, but this year we are going to a basketball game on Wednesday night, and we will be sitting in a private box. We have also been to the OKC Memorial Museum, which is always interesting and has a great impact.”
Each trip has its own touch of uniqueness and flare.
“The first year, we got to go inside of the arena, and all of the students had their names on the scoreboard that goes around,” Rothwell said. They got to be on the court and practice like they were playing basketball.”
The trip is not only fun and memorable, but it is also extremely beneficial to students both in a relationship and business perspective. Students are able to network with businesses and scope out job opportunities.
“We generally visit four to five businesses, and it gives [students]a chance to see how they operate,” Rothwell explained.
Students are also given the opportunity to get to know their peers better while on the trip.
“They can pair up with a preference of roommates but on the bus, while traveling and doing things together, but we really encourage them, particularly freshmen, to get to know other students,” Rothwell explained.
Faculty members also go and the spouses of the faculty members are indicted, so it gives them a chance to see the faculty members outside the classroom. There is a lot of planning and thought that goes into this trip and is an amazing opportunity for students.
“We try to do something fun and something cultural or historical,” Rothwell said. “We’ve gone to arcades and ballgames, and we are even planning on going to a musical concert that is by a group called Arrival from Sweden, which has all the ABBA music, like from Mamma Mia. We try to combine culture, history and fun, but just being outside of the classroom and seeing different things and different businesses is good.”
Kylee Braley, business administration student, reminisced on the trip she went on her freshman year.
“Even though I had friends through cheer, I wanted to be more a part of the business department, and the fact they offer trips for every classification for free is really high value, and no other department offers that. A few of my friends and I decided to room together, and it was a lot of fun. I am glad I went, and I won’t miss another business trip after the first one.”
