By Vanessa Shehu, Staff Writer
Over fall break, while most Bryn Mawr students took a well-deserved pause from their studies, some embarked on a week-long intensive designed to expose them to business careers, data analysis skills, and networking opportunities.
The Aesop Business Analyst Academy event, organized by LILAC, Bryn Mawr’s Leadership, Innovation, and Liberal Arts Center, is the project of Haverford alum Panos Panidis ’09. Since its founding in 2014, Aesop has served the bi-college community by creating a space for students interested in business to explore various opportunities in the field.
Panidis’ mission is to equip liberal arts students with the technical and networking skills necessary for successful careers in business. Serving as Vice President of Management Analytics at JP Morgan Chase, Panidis has enjoyed success in the corporate world and is keen to pass on his knowledge to the Bi-Co community.
Panidis was inspired to create Aesop after entering the corporate workforce and feeling like he was struggling to compete with his workplace peers who had graduated from larger universities with business programs.
This so-called “imposter syndrome” after college is a continuing concern among many liberal arts students today, especially for those who embark on careers in business. The bright side, according to Panidis, is that proactivity and participation in programs like Aesop can prepare liberal arts graduates to succeed in business careers. He says, “I truly believe that by having positive role models and with proper coaching, students can learn advanced techniques early on in order to have a bigger impact in their organizations sooner.”
Over the course of the intensive program, Panidis and his partner Chris Cruz, a consultant at JP Morgan, worked with students to craft a professional presence on paper, and taught networking and interview skills. Participants created and revised mission statements for their LinkedIn profiles, something employers frequently use to gauge potential job candidates.
Student were also asked to craft elevator pitches. They were prompted by leaders of the program who said, “Quick! You have thirty seconds to impress a top-level business executive or seasoned recruiter. What should you say? How do you approach them professionally and maintain eye contact without squirming nervously?”
Panidis and Cruz also spent time teaching the students how to use key industry data analysis programs such as Excel, Tableau, and Structured Query Language (SQL). Panidis explained that in careers in business, knowledge of data analysis tools puts students ahead of the game in the application process.
Many of the students, having little knowledge of data analysis programs, struggled the first few days. However, by the end of the intensive week, students were able to engage in a case competition, and then present their findings to a panel of judges.
Bryn Mawr student Ziyu Wang ‘22 remarked, “I knew very little on day one. We did a fifteen minute mock exam on Excel and I had no idea what to do. When the case competition rolled around, I felt that, although I still had questions, I knew the direction to head into when I saw the data. I really want to thank Panos and Chris for teaching us, and the judges for offering their valuable time and critiques.”
One of the most rewarding parts of the program was getting to meet, network with, and learn from guest speakers who have compiled years of experience in fields such as banking and consulting. Ranging from the Global Head of Consulting at Barclays Bank to a campus recruiter from Goldman Sachs, guests shared knowledge about their respective industries and gave advice to students.
Shweta Jain, a consultant and Head of Regulatory Risk at Credit Suisse described her struggles to build a career in the cutthroat, male-dominated field of consulting. Jain stressed the importance of resilience and self-advocacy. She told the participants, “[to] never give up your place at the table. Know you belong in your position, regardless of gender or race.” These words resonate strongly at Bryn Mawr, a historically women’s college that works to empower women and gender minorities.
Image credit: Aesop Business Academy
