He informed the five students in his group that the teams he’d counseled in the PwCACLI the last two years had all placed in the top three of the program’s final competition, and he wanted them to match that success. Pumped for the challenge, his group of rising high school seniors confidently adopted the name “Better Than You.” Wells spent the next week with the group guiding them through the accounting profession and preparing them for the final presentation – their analysis of a publicly traded company.
The group studied department store giant Macy’s history, prepared an auditor’s report, and examined financial indicators such as the price-earnings ratio and dividends paid.
Living up to its name, the team captured top honors as judged by a panel of PwC executives and Bryant professors. Beyond their victory, Wells hopes PwCACLI has the same effect on them as it had on him when he took part in the inaugural institute in 2005.
“Attending PwCACLI as a high school student played a huge role as to why I chose to attend Bryant,” remembers Wells. “I was able to interact with faculty and students, which helped me build my network, and I learned about the great resources and amazing opportunities I would have if I came to Bryant.”
Giving back, creating opportunities
This summer, the fifth PwCACLI welcomed 40 Latino/a, African American, and Black high school students – from as far away as Jamaica and Florida – to campus to learn more about the accounting profession. Students visited the Boston PwC offices, took part in team-building activities, and learned about the company’s commitment to social responsibility by building bikes that were donated to needy children. Since the creation of PwCACLI, Bryant has accepted 57 program graduates as undergraduate students.
Wells says he welcomed the opportunity to become a counselor as a way to give back.
“I appreciate everything that PwCACLI, as well as Bryant, has done for me,” says Wells, who plans to enroll in Bryant’s Master of Professional Accountancy after graduation. “I feel as though it is my responsibility to give back in an effort to help other students. It is gratifying to help students who are trying to improve their skill sets for the future.”
Johnny Wells '10 (Bronx, NY) (third from the right) with his team "Better Than You" after taking top honors in the PwCACLI final competition.
“I wanted to get involved because I remember how profoundly affected I was by the institute and the people who were a part of it when I was a high school student” adds first-year PwCACLI counselor Keshia White ’11 (Portland, ME), who took part in 2006.
Like Wells and White, fellow counselor Elba Monteiro ’11 (Pawtucket, RI) says her participation in PwCACLI was very influential in her decision to come to Bryant. “Before attending, I had not considered coming to Bryant,” she recalls. “The day it was over, I knew I really wanted to spend my college years here.”
Another PwCACLI counselor Sofia Matos-Desa ’11 (Bristol, CT) even applied Early Decision to Bryant after taking part in PwCACLI three years ago.
“I fell in love with the school, the campus, the opportunities that it presented, and the people I met,” she says. “I looked at other schools, but I felt a comfort level at Bryant that I did not feel elsewhere.”
“Bryant actually was not my first choice prior to Balfour,” remembers Gonzalez, who took part in 2006. “After it, my feelings changed. I began to look closer at Bryant and fell in love with the school.”
“This opportunity allowed me to work with professors and current students,” adds Kennedy, who took part in 2007. “It was their input, advice, and guidance that helped me confirm that Bryant was the right school for me.”
Luis Gonzalez ’11 (Hyde Park, MA) (third from the left) with his team "Gravity" after their final presentation in the BUILD program.
Gonzalez and Kennedy are two of the 78 students to have taken part in Balfour/BUILD over the past eight years and then been accepted to Bryant. This summer they returned to help spark the same interest in Bryant by serving as BUILD counselors.
BUILD introduces rising high school seniors, who identify themselves as African American or Black; Asian American, Latino/a or Hispanic, Native American; as well as female students, to exciting business careers.
This year, 40 students from as far away as California and North Carolina spent the week running a simulated business and filled the roles of CEO, CFO, comptroller, and COO. They created a name, target market, mission statement, and an advertising strategy for their businesses. Participants also took part in team-building activities and site visits to ChemArt and Citizens Bank.
Creating a foundation
Returning BUILD counselor Maria Acosta ’10 (Garnerville, NY) endeavored to help the students learn more about themselves and build confidence in their abilities.
“I hope that we have sparked some interests and encouraged the curiosity of these students so they are never satisfied and are always striving to accomplish more and more,” she says. “We let them know that they will always be welcome at Bryant and have mentors who will always be willing to help.”
Shawn Ayala ’10 (Boston, MA), who has served as BUILD counselor for the last two years, says the experience has opened his eyes to a possible profession – teaching.
Kaitlinh Ho '11 (Danbury, CT) (in green) looks on as her BUILD team 'Improv" tries to build the fastest Mars Rover.
“I learned that I love working with young adults, helping them to shape their futures,” he says. ‘The students are full of enthusiasm and eager to learn which, makes the job so enjoyable. It's exciting to see the growth in each student, as well as myself.”
Abraham Hunter, a management lecturer and director of PwCACLI and BUILD, says the leadership institutes are beneficial for both the high school participants and the counselors. Students like Ayala and Acosta learn to appreciate the positive impact they can have on others, while the high school students gain an introductory knowledge of business, a chance to experience living on campus, and the opportunity to interact with Bryant faculty and students.
“By working in teams with other bright, motivated students like themselves, we hope they are energized to have a robust senior year and begin to establish a strong foundation for success in college,” says Abraham.
In addition to PwCACLI and BUILD, Bryant hosted a program to introduce high school students to opportunities in international business called the Linkages in International Business & Foreign Affairs Empowerment for Youth (LIFE) Program.
Twenty-five high school freshmen and sophomores took part in the two-day event that included sessions on team building, opportunities in international business, and career planning.
It was smiles all around as LIFE participants learned about the limitless career opportunities in international business and foreign affairs.
“We want them to know that the world is their oyster and to realize there are opportunities beyond their comfort zone,” says Cheryl Watkins Snead, president and CEO of Banneker Industries and Bryant Board of Trustee member, who helped spearhead LIFE.
“Their excitement to pursue careers in international business and foreign affairs, to want to travel the world, and most of all, to want to go to Bryant in a few years was palpable,” continues Snead. “It was amazing to see to see their confidence levels build over the two-days.”
