ONE-YEAR AT GOIZUETA: BRETT PATTERSON – IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
“It’s the final countdown! Dun dun dun, dun dun dun dun!” Europe’s classic 1986 anthem blares on the speakers while people around me bob their heads and bust out their best air guitar performances. Rock concert or karaoke competition? Nope! Five minutes before at Finance Final in a Goizueta classroom? Bingo!
It is hard to believe how fast this summer has gone by and that we are almost done with the Core! Only group projects and presentations stand between us and a 10-day vacation, but from the look on our faces, you’d think we were high school seniors anxiously awaiting the school bell to chime for the first day of summer. Instead of an entire school year, we’ve been in class since May 18th and have somehow made it through everything from Economics and Strategy to Marketing and Accounting. As we round out the Core, and I prep for my vacation consisting for beach time and a little career search catch up, it only seems appropriate to countdown Block 2’s most memorable moments! Drumroll, please!
Moment 5 – Federal Reserve Visit
As one of our many outings this summer, we took a trip to the Federal Reserve in downtown Atlanta. Once inside the beautifully marbled building, we visited the monetary museum, watched money being made and then had an in depth Q&A with Dennis Lockhart, the Federal Reserve’s President and CEO.
Moment 4 – KEGS in Accounting
Accounting is an element of the Core curriculum that students either struggle with or breeze through and there is not much in between. KEGS (Keeping Everyone at Goizueta Social) has little to do with accounting, but the two turned out to be a great combination. One Friday afternoon while we were still trying to figure out how certain transactions affect the various financial statements, our professor, Prof. Waymire, could tell many of us were in need of a beer. We took a short break to tap the keg a little early and Prof. Waymire joined us in sharing a few beers during the last hour of class. We analyzed, sipped, and finished with a “Cheers!” as the last PPT slide was covered.
Moment 3 – Coca-Cola Corporate Headquarters Field Trip
Field trip #2 led us to the Coca-Cola corporate headquarters for a tour and discussion with members from the social media marketing team. All dressed in our matching navy polos, we explored the office, shopped the Coke store, and filled up on free coke products before learning what Coke is doing on social media in terms of shared, owned, paid, and earned media and advertising.
Moment 2 – GBS Prom
“It’s hard to think these people are going to be executives someday” was a comment from the DJ in response to the ridiculous outfits and dance moves we displayed at our end of summer Cheesy Prom Party. We strutted into room decorated with streamers and handmade posters in our cheesiest formal wear. We then spent the night dancing to everything from “Don’t Stop Believing” to “Watch Me Whip/Nae Nae”. The highlight of the night was when two of our international students from South Korea took the microphone and performed Psy’s Gangnam Style.
Moment 1 – Fort Benning Leadership Experience
While it was one of our first moments of Block 2, the Fort Benning Leadership Experience was certainly one to remember. It was hard and hot, but overall a great day! We loaded the buses at 6 AM on a Sunday in preparation for Army Training. We spent the day completing different challenges, putting both our leadership and physical skills to the test in hypothetical wartime scenarios. As a group we consumed several hundred bottles of water to battle the heat, but still continued to climb poles, scale walls, and build bridges with smiles on our faces!