First Steps Toward Global Impact

The first full day of the International Leadership & Business Internship immersed interns in the consulting experience, giving them their first opportunity to connect with the entrepreneurs they will support throughout the week. Through conversations with Nigerian business owners, interactive workshops, and expert-led presentations, students began to build the knowledge and relationships that would shape their consulting projects.

The morning opened with Program Director Zac Clark, who performed a Welcome Speech, and he walked them through the week's agenda, expectations, and major milestones. His overview gave students a clear understanding of how their consulting projects would progress and what they could expect as they worked alongside their Nigerian business partners. 

Equipped with that background, interns joined their first virtual meetings with their assigned Nigerian business partners and project coordinators. These introductory conversations focused on getting to know one another while exploring each business's mission and future goals. Their business owners shared the challenges they currently face, the successes they have achieved, and their vision for continued growth, providing interns with a strong foundation as they begin developing marketing and infrastructure recommendations tailored to each organization's specific needs.

Before lunch, interns expanded their consulting toolkit through two professional development sessions. Umar Muhammad then introduced interns to Nigeria's culture, economy, and entrepreneurial landscape, providing important context about the communities and businesses they will be serving. His presentation emphasized the importance of collaboration and demonstrated how thoughtful consulting can create sustainable change. The morning concluded with Carla Brooks' Introduction to Branding, where students learned how branding shapes a company's identity, builds customer trust, and helps businesses stand out in competitive markets.

The afternoon focused on turning new knowledge into practical consulting strategies. Business Director Eli Seiden introduced interns to SWOT Analysis, demonstrating how evaluating a company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats can guide smarter business decisions. Students then explored the creative side of consulting during Business Director Zac Clark's session on Canva, Photoshop, and Web Design, where they learned how digital design tools can strengthen branding, marketing, and online engagement for their partner businesses.

Continuing the day's focus on innovation, Eric Rosenstein led Technology in Business, discussing how emerging technologies are transforming communication, operations, and long-term business growth. To close the afternoon, Executive Director Marshall Bailly facilitated a Negotiations Lecture and Activity, allowing interns to practice collaboration, communication, and decision-making through hands-on exercises that reflected real-world business situations.

The day concluded with the program's first mentor meetings, where interns connected with experienced professionals for individualized guidance and feedback. These conversations encouraged students to reflect on everything they had learned, refine their early ideas, and begin shaping the consulting recommendations they will continue developing throughout the week.

By the end of the day, interns had established meaningful partnerships with entrepreneurs in Nigeria while gaining practical consulting skills that will serve as the foundation for the impactful work still to come.