Hey everyone,

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend this awesome conference hosted by Net Impact, an international organization that enables professionals, MBA and undergraduate business students leverage their skills to create positive social change. I have gone to my fair share of conferences and can definitely say that this one by far has gathered the most interesting and quality speakers and sessions regarding all issues in the social and business space.

A few key sessions include OSRAM Chief Sustainability Officer's case study on the company's off-grid solutions for African energy markets, a bottom-of-the pyramid careers panel moderated by the editor of Nextbillion and a discussion on emerging affordable product designs in health (ClickDiagnostics) and agriculture (DripTech). I felt that in each session everyone had such great questions and comments on the topics at hand -- it was really inspiring to see so many business students and professionals committed to solving these very complex, but worthwhile issues.

I also really enjoyed connecting with other undergrad Net Impact members, considering I'm helping establish a Net Impact chapter at Stern this year. There weren't that many of us (only 80 undergrads out of 2,400 participants!) so it was a lot easier to get to know most of the group and get a feel of the different school chapters. We all decided to update each other on best club practices through a googledoc, which will be really useful in developing the Net Impact Stern chapter.

If any of this interests you all, I strongly encourage you to check out our meetings on Wednesdays during common hour in UC 21 -- we usually have pretty good speakers and discussions on sustainability to microfinance. We definitely hope to have a lot more students go to the Net Impact conference next year as well :)

To changing the world through business,

Rachael

Hopefully, most of you have seen the chain of 7 boxcars on Washington Place outside of Silver. They form the exhibition "Journey," which was created to expose and raise awareness of the horrors of sex trafficking. I went to check it out yesterday.

Each compartment of the exhibit simulates the range of emotions that sex slaves feel throughout their journey from hope to desperation. Powerful highlights include a recreation of a prostitute's bedroom and a dark cavity where a feeling of hopelessness ensues as you walk farther and farther in.

This exhibit is a collaboration of a dozen artists under the direction of British actress Emma Thompson and sponsored by the Helen Bamber Foundation. The foundation is a British group that works with survivors of torture and abuse.

If you haven't seen this exhibit yet GO! This is the last weekend. Journey is open today, Saturday from 11am - 7pm and tomorrow, Sunday from 10am - 3pm.

With hope, sympathy, and reflection,
Amy

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I've been MIA recently -- it's been a busy few weeks. After spending 3 wonderful Halloweens, I decided to spend this last one back home at the University of Kansas. Using NYC as my inspiration, I dressed up as a "street hustler" (otherwise known as one of those guys that prowls the streets with a huge black trenchcoat, inside of which hang dozens of gold watches and other "real" jewelry). Needless to say, it was a huge success :)

Now that I'm back, I've been using my time to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather here and all that New York has to offer from a cultural perspective. Thanks to Stern's Cohen Arts and Culture Experience, I was able to get a nearly free ticket to see God of Carnage on Broadway. The play was definitely memorable -- especially since I got to meet its 4 stars afterward (James Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels, Marcia Gay Harden and Hope Davis). But my cultural revival didn't end there...

I spent this past Saturday afternoon wandering through Tribeca and Soho, rediscovering my love for those neighborhoods. The street artwork and performers never fail to be enjoyable. After a great TexMex lunch, my friend and I made our way alllllll the way uptown to see the Guggenheim's temporary Kandinskiy exhibit -- which was nothing short of awesome. At the risk of sounding like an amateur or pretentious, I won't go into much detail -- but everyone should go see it if they have the chance.

How about you? Any cultural awakenings recently? Tell me about them!

Very truly yours,
Julia

P.S. Here is a picture from my Saturday Soho stroll...

"We are what we repeatedly do."

-Aristotle

Food for thought,

Rachael

Hows it going people,

I just wanted to let you guys into my first Halloween. Well I guess it's not my first Halloween, we all celebrate it in the early early years but it's the first since I was 5. For anyone who has grown up in the NYC, you know how dangerous this particular holiday can be. People are crazy when they get a mask and too much high fructose corn syrup. Well, I guess my cautious nature (and atleast one test the day after Halloween for 3 years) has always kept me taking park in celebration. But this time was different. I broke the trend and went out this year!!!

I was dressed as a boxer and went to the parade on 6th ave. It was pretty "interesting" to say the least. Lots of cool costumes and an energetic atmosphere made it great. Later that night, some friends and I went to a pretty good Halloween party. I guess to most NY'ers its common place but it was a pretty cool experience for me and most certainly for people not from the Big Apple.

If you haven't been to NY for Halloween ... buy that ticket!! It is worth it.

PS- Shout Outs to my Yankees!!!! We brought the Title back home!!!!!!!!

Much love,
Weedly

Fact: Nothing beats Halloween in the West Village.

This past weekend was pretty epic. My roommates and I dressed up as "Seasonal Superheroes," yes we completely made that up. I was Supersummer. (See photo below for clarification).

Although the annual Halloween parade in the village is quite a spectacle, my friends and I decided that after the past two years of attempting to cross 6th Ave., we were going to pass on the experience. Instead, we devised a tactical strategy on how to end up on the west side of 6th Ave. without having to actually spend an hour crossing it (take the L). Then it was time for my favorite part of Halloween: being a part of the chaos. By the time we made it to the West Village, the streets were packed with people dressed up as anything you could possibly imaginable. Okay, maybe some of them were quite unimaginable.

Overall, I'd say the night was a success. Our costumes were quite a hit and we made it to see the clocks gain an extra hour for Daylight Savings.

On another note, I just confirmed my ISP (International Studies Program) location: SINGAPORE. So excited!

Don't eat all your candy at once,
Amy

Bom Dia!

That is "good day" in Portuguese. Well, many people have recently been asking me, "Justin, how do you do everything you do?" To let you know what they mean when they are saying this, I hold two on campus jobs (Admissions and Wasserman), am the Vice President of the sophomore student government at Stern, participate in investment analysis group, SEAD, Beta Alpha Psi, Alpha Epsilon Pi, and a variety of other clubs and activities. On top of that I am now doing the PricewaterhouseCoopers xACT Challenge which is taking an abundance of my time for this week. By the way, did I mention I was in school?

As you can see, the demands and rigor of challenges both academic and non-academic can be overwhelming at points. My recommendation is to get an agenda. This can be any form of calendar that makes you feel comfortable (for me it's an At-a-Glance 1 week 8x10 agenda). Put everything in that book. This will help you stay on track and keep you from missing those important meetings.

SO, let's move on from life lessons to... life. Halloween, it was pretty cool this year. Nothing epically amazing, but still a good time. I was Shaggy from Scooby-doo and together, scoob and the gang looked outstanding.

This Thursday, I am seeing Dane Cook. The Dane Cook, thanks to none other than NYU Stern and the CACE Program. CACE is the Cohen Arts and Culture Experience. I have definitely blogged about this, but it is so awesome, I am doing it again. These tickets were only $10, that's right, $10. It is unbelievable. Sign up for the tickets today.

In other news, I submitted my visa forms for Shanghai! That is very exciting. Overall, I am just getting things done, and of course:

Keeping It Casual,

Justin

Hey all,

Phew, I just got back from spending the weekend back home in Cleveland, Ohio. You forget how awesome it is to hang out with your family until you actually see them again!

Though I won't bore you with the familial activities, chores, etc. of the past few days I want to say one thing -- the best part about leaving school and New York is coming back.

What do I mean by that?

Well I usually drive back to the city with my dad, a very long 8-hour car ride that seems to wind on forever. However, I don't really mind, because I'm just waiting for the big finish of seeing the New York skyline. Without fail, I get a rush of excitement when I first see the city skyline creep up on the horizon, quickly becoming beautifully designed, tall buildings that envelope the entire island. I drove in at night this time around, making it all the more awesome with the bright lights contrasting the black sky.

I mean, how lucky are we to go to school in this city? It's good to be home, but it's always great to be back.

To the Empire State,

Rachael

Hey baseball fans,

As you must know the Yankees just won the ALCS (American League Championship Series)!!!! It took six years but we got the title back. Now its time for us to win the World Series!!!

I'm sitting in a room full of people from New York to California (literally) who hold allegiances to a bunch of baseball teams. Fortunately, for me at least, the Yanks are the ones on top. This post is for all the Yankee fans out there!!!!!!

One love,
Weedly P

Hello folks,

I know that most people think of their school as the best, but nothing really compares to NYU Stern. Everyone speaks about Stern being great because of its "strategic location" in the heart of NYC. (Which, to be honest, is pretty amazing.) However, this school is just full of programs and opportunities that really make your college experience great. Example: Prior to coming to Stern, I had only traveled to Canada (which really doesn't count if you ask me) and Haiti. Since Stern, I've studied abroad in Italy where I took the opportunity to backpack throughout Europe, then I went to China through the Stern International Studies Program, next I volunteered in Peru though Stern International Volunteers and now I'm getting ready to head to India during the winter break though the India Global Studies Program. Where else do you hear about students traveling the world to compare class theory to on-the-ground practices?
My mother is getting tried of not seeing me during vacations and my girlfriend is convinced that I just want to leave her, but how do pass up opportunities like these?
I just wish I had been logging frequent flyer miles, do you think I can get those past miles logged now?

But seriously, the academics and job placement is what makes students come but the programs and activities are what make us stay.

Much love,
Weedly Prospert