Photo Credit: Nikki Victory
As a first-generation college student completely navigating college by myself, I would have never dreamed that it would bring me to Boston, Washington D.C., New York, and now Portland. I, along with Allie Stoll, had the pleasure of traveling to Portland, Oregon, to represent Arkansas Tech University and the College of Business. Many people have asked me why I get to do such cool things like this, or what the group I am part of is. Let me briefly introduce you to NMGZ.
Frequently referred to as “NMGZ” for short, the National Millennial and Gen Z Community is an exclusive society made up of “college and university students, young professionals, faculty, administrators, and civic leaders.” (NMGZ).The group was founded in 2016 thanks to seven universities and IW Group. The goal of the group is to put Millennials and Gen Z into the conversations happening about them, to give them a voice in the business world. They hope to dispel negative myths and stereotypes about both groups in the work force, and instead “create an atmosphere where dialogue is fueled by broadening awareness and understanding, advancing civility, and focusing on solutions.” (NMGZ). Now, the group represents “more than 44 colleges and universities in over 40 states, Washington, D.C., and Guam.” (NMGZ).
After traveling to Boston for our first NMGZ trip together, Allie and I had the opportunity to attend the trip to Oregon. Our travels started with an early morning flight and taking the tram to our hotel. After some Italian for lunch at Piattino’s, we headed to the Moda Center to watch the recently recreated Portland Fire WNBA team play against the Washington Mystics. While at the game, we met with Account Executive for Premium Sales, Blake Wehling, and Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service, Kyle Burns. We finished up our first night with some crazy ice cream from Salt and Straw. This hit spot had flavors such as “Arbequina Olive Oil” and “Pear and Blue Cheese,” but I stuck with “Cinnamonroll Snickerdoodle.”
Day two of being in Oregon, and our first actual meeting day, started with traveling to Tillamook, a premium dairy brand. We met the Director of Integrated Business Planning, Will Patton, Director of Marketing, Austin Blythe, and Scientist/Research and Development Product Excellence, Maryam Baniasadi. That night, we ate Mexican for dinner at La Margarita Restaurant. To finish up the day, we were surprised with an improv class.
The next day consisted of my favorite meeting: Wieden + Kennedy. This is the advertising agency that created Nike’s famous “Just Do It” slogan. We met with Associate Director of Communications and Media Strategy, and NMGZ alum, Jared Randle. We then traveled to the Philip H. Knight Campus – Nike World Headquarters for a campus tour. We were joined by Product Operations Lead, Zach Bartlow, and Regional Retail Marketing Integration Specialist II, Megan Demirjian. After a quick activity, we traveled to the Metro Regional Center to join the Public Relations Society of America – Oregon Chapter for an “Ask Gen Z Anything” panel. Kelliann Amico, President of PRSA Oregon, was the moderator for this event. Six of our NMGZ members sat upon the panel and were asked questions about their experience to bridge the generation gap and provide their insight. Lastly, we had my favorite dinner, some delicious steak at Clarklewis.
Our last day included a meeting with civic and government leaders at the Hoku Event Center. We were put into groups to research, create presentations, and address two huge problems: driving safety for elders and homelessness. Rob Sadowsky presented on the first topic as he is the Transportation Safety Outreach Coordinator for Clackamas County. The second was presented on by Founder and Executive Director of De Rose Community Bridge and Holistic Wellness, Rosaline Jindori Yunusa Vakkai. Principal/Senior Project Manager of Community Engagement and Liaison Services, Ping Khaw, moderated this event. After some heartfelt goodbyes, we all departed for our separate plane rides.
This trip was so much more than meeting with executives from top companies of the world. We built lifelong connections with other students from all over the United States, got hands-on experience, and expanded our networks. If I had two pieces of advice to tell all college students, it would be this:
- Do things that make you uncomfortable.
- Say yes, but also learn how to say no.
At Arkansas Tech University, there are three students and two advisors who are part of NMGZ. Katie Hook and Katelynn Hopson are the advisors, and Travis Martin joins me and Allie Stoll in the group. I owe all of my thanks to both Kates, leader/founder of the group, Mr. Bill Imada, and Mr. Jimmy Ferguson for helping us get our ATU chapter off the ground.
