Pre-MBA boot camp helps minorities prepare for business school

Looking for a challenge? How about developing a business and marketing plan for PepsiCo's health and wellness initiative for lower-income consumers - in two hours?

Thursday at PepsiCo's Manhattan office, 50 young professionals headed for business school accepted that challenge. They broke into groups to choose products, dream up new ones, create a budget, identify potential partners, plan distribution and develop a marketing approach, before presenting the plan to senior executives.

The exercise was part of a four-day pre-MBA boot camp program for minority professionals, all heading off to business school in the fall. More than 200 "fellows" of Management Leadership for Tomorrow, a Manhattan-based nonprofit that helps minorities move up the ranks, ran through this and other case-study scenarios at companies that included Citigroup, McKinsey, Deloitte, Google and Booz & Co.

"It was hard to get everyone to focus and agree on one particular direction, recommendation," said Lauren Westbrook, 25, referring to the Pepsi challenge. And, "the grilling process was humbling! . . . The judges threw some curveballs we weren't expecting and we had to think on our feet."

Still, she said it was "an important glimpse into what the classroom experience will be like in B-school."

She and most of the other fellows applied for the free but competitive management leadership program and for the past 15 months have been getting coached in the principles of business school admission and success. Westbrook, originally from Freeport, credits it with helping her get into the Stanford Business School.

One major goal of the nonprofit, which includes initiatives for undergraduates and mid-level managers, is to help get more minorities who are underrepresented at high levels into the C-suite, where "chief" is part of the job title, said Ian Hardman, president. That would be in corporate, nonprofit and entrepreneurial organizations.

Bianca Biscaino, 29, of Freeport, said she was impressed with the access to high-level executives. On Wednesday she had a conversation with the president of the Nielsen Co., a global information and media company, at its boot camp. Of the camaraderie and support, she said, "it's like being in a family all of a sudden."

Graduate students get a taste of business school

LAUREN WESTBROOK

, 25, formerly of Freeport

JOB: Recently resigned from assistant brand manager job in the consumer products division of L'Oreal USA

ACCEPTED: Stanford Graduate School of Business

GOAL: Prepare to become full-time entrepreneur; already running Westbrook Strategies, an interpersonal communications, image consulting firm

JONATHAN BEAUFORD

, 26, formerly of Freeport

JOB: Senior assistant director of undergraduate admissions at New York University

ACCEPTED: Yale School of Management

GOAL: Make larger impact in field of education, lead nonprofit community organization

BIANCA BISCAINO

, 29, Freeport

JOB: Recently resigned from production and development executive job at Independent Film Channel

ACCEPTED: Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

GOAL: Move beyond creative aspect, build more business media management skills