Students, often first and second years, participate in the Fullbridge Professional Edge Program at Holy Cross to immerse themselves in business, finance, marketing, and innovation — the skills employers seek. Starting early on in their college career gives them the opportunity to build a resume that supports their career interests, but also build a network of professionals and successful alumni in that industry.
When COVID-19 disrupted all in-person meetings, the team at Fullbridge and Ciocca Center got to work brainstorming how to best translate the six-day program into a virtual format. The experiential components of an immersive workweek, complete with 9am – 5pm with an hour lunch break, had to be reimagined at the very same time the world was figuring out how to work remotely.
By mid-summer, the Ciocca Center for Business Ethics, and Society at the College of the Holy Cross decided to offer all Certificate Program workshops virtually during the upcoming academic year – well before the College had made the decision to hold remote classes. With Fullbridge offered in August, it was time to get to work.
By updating the content and learning objectives, developing the platform, lowering student to coach ratios, and setting a tight schedule of asynchronous and synchronous learning, the program was ready for its pilot debut. 43 Holy Cross students participated in the condensed four-day program at the end of August 2020. Students moved about the platform, attended large virtual webinars, and were whisked away to small breakout discussion groups, several times each day. From self-awareness to organizational IQ and financial statements to data analysis, the students were immersed in business basics.
In the end, the final project required small teams to propose a business growth idea for a fortune 500 company, which was pitched via Zoom to an audience of family and friends. After rounds of concurrent presentations, one team of three students were named the winners, each receiving a $300 Apple gift card! Congratulations to Matt Cedeno ’22, Lauren Colby ’23, and Julia Pelletier ’21 for their work on the athletic brand Kappa.
Think this program might be for you? Students can apply for Fullbridge and get started towards earning a Business Certificate!
