Hello Friends!
Congratulations once more on your admission to Marshall! I am so excited to have you as a part of the Trojan, and hopefully Pride, family.
An acronym you are going to hear a lot in the coming months is ROMBA, for Reaching Out MBA. You may already be familiar with it, but it is the preeminent recruiting and networking organization for LGBTQIA+ identifying MBA students. The centerpiece of the organization is an annual conference, this year in Chicago from October 5-7, but more timely are a series of Summer Treks hosted in June and July, all before your orientation begins on July 24.
Please see attached for the flier detailing the different treks and below for additional notes before you apply (including a note on the ROMBA Fellowship). Spots on these treks are very competitive, with applications reviewed on a rolling basis and closing when all spots are full. (So, apply early and please let us know when you submit your application!)
If you are interested in applying for the treks, as well as the ROMBA Fellowship, please see additional notes below.
Please also feel free to reach out to me or Jay Min, VP of Career Development (he/they) if you have any questions on the treks (including putting together a strong application!) or the ROMBA Conference.
Hope to talk to you soon & Fight On! (Something else you’ll be hearing a lot in the next few months!)
Yours, Henry
President, Marshall Pride
Pronouns: he/him (why they matter)
ROMBA’s Summer Treks do a tremendous job of helping LGBTQIA+ pre-MBAs get a jump start on networking with employers and other students.
Both Jay and I were fortunate to have attended the consulting trek last summer, and cannot underscore enough how much it helped get us in the mindspace for both business school and for early recruiting—as well as in making a group of friends from programs across the country!
It will also give you a taste of the larger conference in October, which is the world’s largest gathering of LGBTQIA+ business students and alumni. This is one of Pride’s most influential recruiting events, and doing a summer trek will give you a leg up on what is already an incredible opportunity.
Some additional notes:
- It bears repeating! Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and will fill up quickly, so apply early. Spots on each summer trek are very competitive.
- Please let us know if you are going to apply—we both attended the consulting trek last summer and will happily help with your application: Jay Min (jie.min.2024@marshall.usc.edu) + Henry Woodward (henry.woodward.2024@marshall.usc.edu)
- Be thoughtful and intentional on how you answer the application—in the past, students that have been selected have put in a lot of effort in answering the questions.
- Please take note that accommodations (airfare, hotel) must be provided by the student attending. Reaching Out MBA has a student access fund to help financially support some students by covering up to $500. More information on this is in the trek application.
- For those who are interested in the ROMBA Fellowship, please click here for more information. The link will take you to a website where you can express interest. This is sometimes awarded to students, even after they have been admitted into Marshall. It is also competitive, so I recommend that you fill the form out soon if you are interested.
- Stay tuned for more information about the ROMBA Conference in Chicago October 5-7, 2023! School-specific registration codes will be provided to students during the summer.
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