This past weekend Reaching Out held its Fellowship Retreat for the 2019 Cohort in New York City where 50 of the 72 Fellows (our largest cohort yet!) were able to join us. The retreat is an all-expenses paid trip where students meet the other members of their cohort, learn about Reaching Out and the Fellowship, hear from some of our top corporate partners, and spend some time with our local alumni.
The retreat kicked off with introductions where everyone shared a fun fact about themselves. A few facts to share about the 2019 cohort, one person plays the bagpipe, another has been on 17 cruises in three months, one person loves Beyonce, one person doesn’t love Beyonce, and one has never been to New York City before. Following the introductions, McKinsey held a presentation about LGBTQ identity as it relates to the workplace. Small discussion groups talked through prompts such as: How to find mentorship, how to help other LGBTQ people, and how to come out at work.
The next day’s activities were held at the LGBT Center, where many famous works of art and history about the LGBTQ community are held. Boston Consulting Group presented about their company’s diversity and inclusion models and had two Fellow alumni discuss their time at the company, including how they came to work there, what it was like to be a consultant, and what they enjoyed about their work. Following that was a Q&A panel with current students and alumni about their experience in Reaching Out and the Fellowship. The students had a chance to ask them questions about how their first few weeks of business school went, how they were able to find mentors, any tips they had for navigating the various activities at business school, and what it was like to come out to classmates.
During lunch, Reaching Out board members joined the alumni in speaking with students for informal discussions. The retreat ended with a walking tour of the West Village, ending with a pitstop at the infamous Stonewall Inn.
We look forward to having the cohort join us in October for ROMBA!
