Learning to Lead | Intensity ensues as group project progresses

Part two in an occasional series

The 10 Wharton freshmen lounging around a cramped Huntsman Hall study room are barely recognizable from the quiet group that, less than one month ago, held a very polite Management 100 meeting in an empty classroom.

Brief skirmishes over the prices of rentals have replaced apologies for interrupting each other's arguments, and debates about hanging large banners have overshadowed tangential conversations.

The students are 10 of 527 Wharton freshmen taking Management 100, the required class for all Wharton freshmen that brings students and local business leaders together.

Last month the team - now dubbed "The Mighty Ducks" - heard pitches from potential clients and was paired up with its first choice: the Inter-Community Development Corporation, which hired the group to promote local businesses within the neighborhood.

The Mighty Ducks wrote a mission statement specifying their goal: to host a community event that creates awareness for the local business district and to develop Wadsworth Avenue as a center for community life.

"I haven't had to do anything major, . which is amazing to me," said ICDC executive assistant Tara Johnson.

"The [business] owners are looking forward to working with" college freshman, she added.

The business neophytes have made multiple trips to the Wadsworth committee, a 30-minute drive from Penn, to meet with 60 different business owners, Wharton freshman George Huang said.

And like any good business, the team has divided itself into four committees - logistics, advertising, fundraising and business liasion - to put on a cost-free event for the community for the very first time.

During a meeting last Sunday, the 10 displayed their growing business expertise, throwing around figures in the thousands - $6,500 for table and tent rentals- alone - and showing off their outside knowledge.

"I know space heaters well," said Wharton freshman Thanasi Skafidas.

Commitment is also displayed outside the meetings; students send about 25 e-mails per day to their teaching assistant, Wharton sophomore Brittany Jones said.

Showing such initiative, Jones says, is an integral part of the experience.

And when the teams click, the members can form great friendships, as Jones did with her team.

"You build a trust" that allows the students to critique each other in a comfortable manner, she said.

As the team gathers sponsors for its event and gears up for its graded in-class status reports, the ability to help each other will serve each student well, though there are a few problems they have yet to work out.

"What if it rains?" Wharton freshman Ruinan Wang asked.

"Don't think about that," her teammates replied.

Articles in this occasional series examine the progress of one group of first-year students enrolled in Wharton's mandatory Management 100 class. Part one can be found here.

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