A student-led initiative to connect with Oglethorpe alumni, network among their peers and engage in career development has taken shape this semester with the establishment of the Oglethorpe Business Club.

Founded by students, the new organization is designed to facilitate networking among current students in the Hammack School of Business as well as alumni, trustees and Atlanta business leaders.

“I started pursuing this in spring semester of 2024,” said junior Kai Crow, a business major from Atlanta. “I wanted to get more involved on campus and network with my peers. I knew about the other clubs like the economics club and accounting club, but I thought we needed something had a general business focus where all students from all of the business disciplines could come together.”

Since the start of Fall Semester, the Oglethorpe Business Club has organized, tapped leaders, planned a series of events, held its first meeting and recruited 45 students to join in.

The founding cohort of leaders include Crow, William Sanabria, Alejandra Torres, Kadek Ardana, Karina Lopez Duran, Jose Hernandez, and Alexa Miranda. The faculty advisor is Dr. Drew Huey, a lecturer in both the undergraduate and MBA programs with a focus on management.

“I see students that have taken an idea and developed a plan, established an initial leadership team, reached out to students for involvement, and effectively broken-down barriers to reach only the first step toward a target,” Huey said. “This is an example of passion and commitment. These students have embraced the challenge. The world beyond our walls will be better because these students have pressed forward.”

The Oglethorpe Business Club has already connected with Alumni Services, the Board of Trustees and the President’s Advisory Council to invite speakers and gain insights on leadership and solving real world challenges. Oglethorpe alumni already have an opportunity to participate in mentoring with students, and the Oglethorpe Business Club hopes to tap into that resource.

“The plans to bring together students with alumni and other professionals is exciting,” Huey said. “There is an opportunity for growth and professional development that will be fostered in these gatherings.”

Students are investing time in the start-up club because they recognize it will pay dividends in the career, no matter which area of business they end up pursuing after graduation.

“I aspire to be a marketing director for an international sports sector or agency,” said Karina Lopez Duran, a business administration major with a communications minor from Buford. “The Oglethorpe Business Club will help me effectively execute conversations and handle issues that people face in the business world everyday with real life experience.”

For Crow, his dream is to see the Oglethorpe Business Club reach critical mass so that it continues long after he graduates.

“I see this as a selling point for potential Oglethorpe students looking to enroll in an undergraduate business school,” Crow said. “I would love nothing more to come back five, 10 or even 20 years after graduation and speak to the students in the Oglethorpe Business Club. I know it can have a real impact.”

Interested students can learn more on OUConnect and by following @oglethorpebusinessclub on Instagram.