In Her Own Words: Karla Elena Vázquez Setzer | Maryland Made Career Experience Trip To NYC

I aspire to become the best version of myself in a personal and professional way. Maryland Made provides opportunities to support student-athletes as they develop their professional career and themselves. For this reason, I decided to apply to the 2022 Career Experiential Learning Trip. Little did I know, it was going to expand my career perspectives and opportunities in this way.

Prior to the trip, the Maryland Made staff organized pre-trip meetings where I was able to make connections with other student-athletes and develop skills that I was able to use on the trip, such as resume writing and oral communication skills. 

Once I hopped on the train to New York City, I started inquiring about the panelists that we were going to interact with that day at the alumni panel. I wrote questions in my notebook and was ready to start a conversation to learn more about the experiences they have had so far in their professional lives. 

When the group arrived in New York City, we headed to the panel. Then, we got to the Paramount Building in Times Square where we went to the Hardesty & Hanover offices where one of our Alumni panelists and M Club member Angela Perry gave us a warm welcome. She showed us the office and explained to us what her role in the enterprise is. After that, more Maryland alumni kept coming into the room. I was excited to listen to them.

The panelists were diverse and had different journeys and backgrounds. My main takeaways from it were to get to know myself and learn what my passion is, optimize my performance, the importance of networking, and teamwork values. I realized I needed to take advantage of the resources that the athletic department and the University of Maryland provides us, such as the academic advisors, the alumni network and Maryland Made programs.

After the panel ended the corporate group headed to Deloitte at Rockefeller Center, where I could observe and inquire about what the corporation work lifestyle looks like and the skills I would need to work there. The Maryland Made staff took us to Dave & Buster’s where we were able to hang out, have dinner and get to know each other better. 

I was super excited for the next day - I could not wait to see what the day had in store. The first visit of the corporate group was to the Brooklyn Nets Headquarters. There we met multiple Terps! They shared with us what they do and how marketing works for the team. This helped expand my career perspectives and I realized how the holistic view of the enterprise works; every department depends on each other and needs to work together as a team if it wants to have big accomplishments.

Next, we went to Morgan Stanley where we met the recruiter and more than eight consultants. They talked about their journey. One of my main takeaways from this visit was that normally students think that for financial services they have to have specific majors, which is not true. That might help, but we met with more than one consultant whose major was not directly related to financial services. They highlighted that as long as you are coachable and open to learning you always have an opportunity to achieve anything you set your mind to. 

When the visit ended we went to the M Club social hour in Times Square. There I talked with Chris Passavia, a Maryland alum who works at Morgan Stanley. He gave me two important pieces of advice. First, be coachable, always! And second, find a niche where I can specialize in business. Lastly, he made some observations on my resume I was able to fix after we chatted.

To wrap up the day, the Maryland Made staff took us to a Yankees game. It was amazing! The Yankees were losing in the last inning by one run. With two outs, three balls, and two strikes, they hit a home run and the stadium flipped out! It was one of the most exciting nights of my entire life!

On the last day, we went to the Nike Headquarters where the recruiter showed us around and explained to us the opportunities for an internship next summer. He mentioned they have a Junior internship program which I look forward to applying to. 

Last, we headed back to the hotel to pick up our bags and during that walk, I had a super enjoyable conversation with Laura Chiriaco, director of the M Club, who went on the trip with us. She gave me great pieces of advice that I will keep implementing in my personal and professional life. 

The 2022 Career Experiential Learning Trip was a one-of-a-kind experience where I met UMD Alumni, made connections but most importantly, learned a lot about myself and the path I want to take on my professional journey. This is an experience I would highly recommend to any student-athlete. Maryland Made is one of the best student-athlete development programs in the country and we must take advantage of the opportunities we are given by the University of Maryland and the M Club.