BACK TO THE WINDY CITY: UA Little Rock Students Take on Eisenberg Career Day in Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, has become a regular destination lately for a few UA Little Rock students. Lamar Townsend, Jade Geraci, Ashlin Graveline and myself, Adison Cummings, recently flew out to the windy city to attend the Eisenberg Foundation for their annual Career Day, or really, days.

They stayed in downtown Chicago, and got to experience the real estate world that exists in the urban area. Industry leaders and executives stopped by to visit with students; allowed them to ask questions; gave tips for LinkedIn Profiles, interviews and resumes; and shared more helpful advice.

The students flew out of the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock early Thursday morning to arrive in Chicago for the first activity that would begin later that afternoon.

This activity would lead to the students getting divided into groups to meet with professionals and receive resume advice, tips on formatting a LinkedIn Profile, the job interview process and how to handle oneself professionally in a business setting.

They then got to tour a local development, and heard from professionals within the real estate industry on how they made it to where they are now, the problems they overcame and advice for the students interested in finding a job in real estate.

On the final day, the event ended with a career fair for the students to interact with local companies and find potential internships or future career paths.

This is not the first time UALR students have visited Chicago. In March, Cummings and Townsend were there for the

Story: Adison Cummings

Eisenberg Foundation’s Annual Real Estate Challenge, of which the UALR team were – spoiler alert – the reigning champs.

That’s right, Cummings, Townsend, Jake Anderson, Paige Goodale, Victoria Temples, David Mendoza and Mika Berry, along with other UALR alumni, competed against schools such as Notre Dame and Marquette.

They swept them all off their feet in a competition where everyone is giving the same property in the greater area of Chicago, and they have to come up with a development plan. They have to consider the surrounding area and its demographics, if it is financially feasible and so much more.

What was so special about the Career Day was not the tips received, or the tours given, but the connections made with fellow college students and individuals who have worked in the real estate, construction, finance and other fields for a long time.

The networking was one of the highlights of the convention, because people of all walks of life come together in one conference room sharing similar goals. Although with widely different experiences, they all get to interact and connect with one another. That’s the beauty of the Eisenberg Career Day, and the students are so grateful they got to attend.