June 27, 2018

Cardinal Mail from the Summer Business Institute


Hello, Mom and Dad! I had an amazing day yesterday at the Summer Business Institute and I am so excited to tell you all about the activities Tayler, Bill, and the counselors had in store for us.

I made a few new friends at breakfast in the Pryz. I love their french toast! After breakfast, we gathered in the Pryz Great Rooms to listen to the first speaker of the day, Dr. Winnette McIntosh Ambrose, winner of the Food Network’s hit shows, Chopped and Cupcake Wars! Winnette is not only a great baker AND engineer, but she is a successful entrepreneur whose deep faith is incorporated into all that she does.

Winnette started out her presentation by showing us a documentary called To Whom is Given: Business for the Common Good. This documentary featured entrepreneurs from various backgrounds whose companies work toward the common good. The entrepreneurs expressed how their faith is incorporated into their companies and attribute their success to these values. This documentary was a perfect example of how “Business is a noble vocation” and guided us on how we can be a “force for good” in the Business world.

After the documentary, Winnette explained in detail her life story and how she was inspired to study the art of baking while studying in Paris. Winnette is a woman of many trades who left us feeling empowered to do what we love as a career. At the end of the day, we even got to try some sweets from her bakery, The Sweet Lobby. I can promise you, they were definitely award-winning treats!

The last speaker of the day was Professor Donald Heim, who shared how he went from a career in engineering to a position as an Accounting Professor at Catholic University. He came prepared to speak with a list of all our names, high schools, and hometowns that he used to call on us to answer questions. Later in the presentation, Professor Heim gave us a Number Activity that entailed learning how to create an investment proposal. This will be very helpful when we create a financial plan for our Shark Tank project.

After lunch, Tayler and Bill surprised us with a great D.C. activity! We boarded trolley buses on campus that took us all around the city! The first stop was the Thomas Jefferson Memorial which is right on the Tidal Basin in downtown D.C. This memorial has a great view of the city and the counselors told me that during the spring, the cherry blossoms are truly a sight to see.

After taking many pictures at the memorial, we boarded the trolley bus again and headed toward the FDR memorial. This memorial captures the struggles and triumphs of the FDR presidency through powerful quotes and the beautiful scenery of waterfalls. Some of my friends and I even posed for a picture with the statues waiting in the breadline during the Great Depression. It was a great photo opt!

The next stop was the Iwo Jima monument right outside of Washington D.C. near Arlington National Cemetery. This monument took our breath away as we saw the patriotism of the Marines struggling to raise the American Flag.

Next on the list was the famous Lincoln Memorial! I enjoyed walking up the steps of the monument and looking out onto the reflecting pool. This was a great view to take in all the beauty of Washington D.C.

Our last and final stop was the Capitol Building. There, we walked up to the top of the Capitol Stairs and posed for a group photo. Standing on Capitol Hill, we had a magnificent view of the National Mall that made us eager to explore all that D.C. had to offer. The counselors are great and took us to any museum we wanted to go to! It was super fun and really cool to experience the Smithsonian Museums with my new friends and counselors.

Exploring and learning can really make you hungry, so it was a relief to head over to the Washington Monument for a picnic. I enjoyed eating dinner with my friends, playing soccer, cornhole, and kickball! There is nothing like dinner with a view and the Washington Monument’s view is truly remarkable. It was a great photo op and we definitely took advantage of this. See if you can spot me!

After a yummy picnic, we traveled down to the White House and the Treasury Department where we posed for more group pictures. Our evening in Washington D.C. ended with a true D.C. experience - our first Metro Ride. It is super cool that there is a Metro stop right on Catholic U’s campus so that makes the city so accessible.

At the end of the day, it was nice to head back to Opus to hang out with my new friends and talk about the great experiences that SBI has given us so far! I cannot wait to see the surprises that Tayler, Bill, and the counselors have in store for us today.

Love,

Your “Cardinal”