Two former Blue Jays returned to the Elizabethtown College campus to speak to current students as a part of the Mars Wrigley Executive Lecture Series in the Hoover Center for Business on Friday, Feb. 11.
Erick Blanck and Adam Sauber gave a lecture titled “Five Years Removed, Reflection and Insights on Life After Etown.” They graduated a semester earlier than usual, in December of 2017, both with majors in business administration with a concentration in finance and a minor in economics. Blanck and Sauber now work for Northwestern Mutual as certified financial planners/financial advisors and both of their individual firms operate out of Lancaster, Pa.
“For the actual lecture, we are discussing what life five years after Etown looks like, but also giving pointers and tips as to what to do while in college to best position yourself for future endeavors,” Blank said.
In the hour-long lecture, a lot of information was covered, such as their journey as students and friends, background on Northwestern Mutual and tips for making a plan and starting young. Blanck mentioned that some important ways to set yourself up include attending career fairs, finding internships and building resumes. This was something that the two learned as students and is part of the reason why they were able to graduate early.
Northwestern Mutual is a financial services mutual organization that provides consultation on wealth and asset income protection, education planning, retirement planning, etc. Blanck and Sauber had internships with the company while students at Etown. “Internships are not just for experience, they allow you to learn what you don’t want to do,” Sauber explained. While the two of them were interns at the company, they fell in love with not only the field, but also the freedom that it provided them in their occupation.
While working at Northwestern Mutual, Blanck and Sauber are still actively involved in the College. Blank is a clinical professor at Etown’s School of Graduate and Professional Studies. He teaches courses for Certified Financial Planner (CFP) curriculum which allows graduate students and finance professionals to prepare to take their CFP Board Exam. Sauber serves on Etown’s Alumni Council.
Not only did the former students discuss their jobs and tips on how to succeed early in life, but they also involved some specific ideas on loan management and other advice that they typically give their clients. This included information and numbers on auto loans, student loans, personal loans and mortgages.
Dr. Dmitriy Krichevskiy is the professor leading the Mars Lecture Series. In an interview about the series, he said, “We’re looking to enrich student’s experience here, we’re trying to figure out advice beyond books, assignments and projects. Life is really different from textbook assignments.” The Mars Lecture Series is typically aimed at business students to set them up with appropriate tools for their future, but it is not strictly for that.
Krichevskiy mentioned that the lecture series is beneficial for all students. “Especially now with how isolated we are, it’s good to meet people with different perspectives and stories,” Krichevskiy said. He explained how students are typically driven to attend these lectures for extra credit opportunities in their classes and do not realize the
potential impact they may have. Therefore, the attendance is usually all business majors.
The Mars Wrigley Executive Lecture series picked up on Jan. 21 with speaker Brett Beckfield. This lecture highlighted tools to use in the future to better prepare yourself not only in the
workforce, but also in life. Upcoming lectures will be held on March 11 and April 22, by Fred
Rahmanian and Bryn Davis, respectively, in Hoover Room 212 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
