Since launching in 2018, McIntire’s Commerce Cohort Program has been engaging high-achieving, high-need first-year students by providing practical learning along with essential academic mentorship, personal development activities, and foundational career preparation.
As the number of students in the program has increased in the years that have followed, so have their opportunities: The number of students who have gone on to apply and graduate from McIntire has also grown year after year. Additionally, a high number of those graduates have secured internships and a professional position once they’ve graduated, in fields such as consulting, financial services, nonprofits, information services, and more.
Luis Jerez
When we checked in with an original Comm Cohort participant, a Cohort Head Mentor, and McIntire alum Luis Jerez in April of 2023, he explained that he and his Government Contract Consulting team at the RSM McLean, VA, office help businesses optimize their cost structure and align functional processes with requirements needed to bid, win, and execute government contracts. A Management Consulting Associate, Jerez was interested in maintaining a close connection with his alma mater and engaging with current Comm Cohort students to share his knowledge and experience.
Luis Avila
Having connected with Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions Sharice Welch, Jerez was interested to learn how he could continue developing that relationship. In October 2023, he and RSM Director Luis Avila (McIntire ’04) presented a business case study, giving Comm Cohort students a first taste at creating solutions for a fictional manufacturing company and presenting their ideas to a panel of judges, composed of Jerez, RSM Senior Associate Christina Pipan, and RSM Associate Brett Levy.
Impressive Beginnings
The case study was straightforward, even if the best approach to the problem was not.
A fictional 30-year-old U.S.-based manufacturing company with 3,000 employees specializing in industrial equipment for the automotive, aerospace, and construction industry faces operational challenges and needs to replace their inefficient operations, as well as address a lack of real-time information and cost management issues. Comm Cohort students acted as consultants to recommend the ideal enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for the company.
Like the presentations that occur near the close of the fall semester in McIntire’s Integrated Core, the students had the opportunity to ask questions related to the case and received their answers, with a week before their presentations. The teams of six students were to be evaluated on the ERP’s fit for the company, as demonstrated by a 15-minute PowerPoint presentation touching on a variety of aspects, including analysis of ROI.
Christina Pipan
Were they up to the task?
“The students’ presentations were amazing,” Jerez says. “The presentation decks, the business attire, and the collaborative effort were all well thought out and well executed. It felt as if they had learned how to deliver a recommendation. They didn’t just say, ‘Use this system,’ and leave it at that. Instead, they used a similar delivery to what is taught in the McIntire curriculum as ‘bottom line up front.’”
He explains that they provided their recommendations clearly, explained their rationale, and left the impression that the exercise allowed them to acquire solid research skills in the process.
“As first-year students in their first semester, I don’t believe there has been much opportunity for an activity like this.”
Brett Levy
For the students, they were faced with overcoming some initial problems that were beyond the ERP system recommendation, for example, learning how to collaborate and navigate team members’ diverse knowledge, and deciding what the best suggestion would be for their group.
“The most challenging part was gathering everyone’s thoughts and finding a place to start,” says Stephanie Santis (UVA ’27). When working with six people, there were many different opinions on how we should go about the case. Everyone thought that their idea was the best, so we had to evaluate each individual one and pick the one that aligned the best with the solution.” Ultimately, communication proved to be key to coming to a decision.
Marissa Middleton (UVA ’27) says that in trying to understand how ERPs work and picking the best option for the company, her group worked together to undertake the research “based on several indicators such as accessibility on cloud and on premise, organization tailored to manufacturing industries, and scalability, that ensures we found the best suitable ERP that solves the company’s challenges.”
“After we found an ERP, we split it up into categories to ensure that we would become well versed in one respective area and teach one another what we learned individually,” she says.
Zach Payne (UVA ’27) notes that collaboration challenges included members having different knowledge and daily schedules. “We tried to overcome the issue by talking over Zoom instead of meeting in person, and we each volunteered to take certain areas of the presentation,” he says. “This allowed us to choose an aspect of the case study that we felt more comfortable with, which turned out well.”
First Impressions
Middleton believes that any opportunity to work in a group is a great learning experience. “It teaches you how to be a good team member, which is an important life skill,” she says, pointing out that one of her favorite parts of the case study was that each student was able to include their own images into the presentation to make their PowerPoint visually appealing.
Santis liked that the project was similar to a real-life business project and that after working on it, she had a much deeper understanding about what consulting is and that it could be a potential career for her.
“We were told by Luis and his colleagues that what we presented was what they did on a day-to-day basis,” she says. But the most important thing she learned from the experience was to always be confident in herself and her work. “My groupmates and I felt as if our presentation was not as strong as the others, and we were worried we did not prepare for the case enough. In the end, we ended up doing the best. That showed me that in school, the workplace, and anywhere else, you should always have confidence and not compare yourself to others around you. Overall, this experience was amazing, and I am so glad I was a part of it.”
Continuing to learn more about the various roles in commerce, “like consulting,” has been the highlight for Payne. “Every week, I learn something new through the Cohort, and I thought this was a great opportunity to dive headfirst into a presentation that I was not familiar with at all—I did not even know what an ERP was! As someone who has very recently become interested in Commerce, having experiences in a stress-free group setting like this is a great way for me to learn more,” he says.
A Cohort Role Model
The two sessions that Jerez and his RSM colleagues held with the Cohort students resonated with all of the students we spoke with about the case study project. Payne was impressed by how quickly after graduating Jerez has become comfortable in his role and career.
Middleton says that what he shared about consulting made her want to explore it for herself: “This presentation changed my view of consulting, and I learned how fun and rewarding it can be. Because of this, I might even try to join a consulting club next semester.”
Santis was intrigued to hear from Jerez that he was just like her only a short time ago, “a curious first-year in the Commerce Cohort hoping to be accepted into Comm.”
“Hearing his story and how much he has accomplished since graduating from UVA really resonated with me,” she says. “It gave me hope and further encouraged me to continue to work hard and excel at this University. Even though I briefly talked to Luis, he already became a sort of role model to me. He is proof that someone like me can accomplish many things in life through dedication and hard work.”
For Jerez, delivering the case study and judging the presentation “felt both exciting and strange,” he confesses. “Not too long ago, I was in their shoes, being asked to present to business professionals myself. Now that the roles were reversed, it felt like a full circle coming together. I am beyond grateful that I could still be a part of the Commerce Cohort after graduating. This program helped me tremendously in my personal and academic development, and the ability to give back is amazing.”
