Above: IvaLea (Ivy) Packee, fourth individual on the staircase from the bottom to the top, joins a group of fellow students for a photo. All photos courtesy of Ivy Packee and NMGZ.
The National Millenial and Gen Z Community is a group of like-minded individuals who aim to break down stereotypes that revolve around Millenials and Gen Z young adults. Their goal is to elevate the conversation of younger generations with successful businesses across the country and the world exploring new ideas and finding solutions. As a proud member of NMGZ, the UAF Associated Students of Business student organization strives to bring those conversations and more to our local community.
This story is shared by IvaLea Packee, an accounting student graduating in May 2023. She shared her experience about her trip to New York City this fall, as a member of the Associated Students of Business (ASB) student organization, and the NMGZ.
Left: Ivy, left, takes a photo with one of her peers in some Selfup Cooking Classes merchandise. Selfup NYC provides team building activities to help individuals gain some new culinary skills.
“Being able to travel, connect with other university students and physically visit and connect with business leaders across the country is a huge benefit to UAF students. Ivy brought back knowledge, connections, experience and insight that she was able to share with her fellow ASB members and the broader CBSM community. We are grateful for these opportunities and see them as an important experiential learning activity for students to apply what they are learning in the classroom to the business world.” -Amanda Langhorst, ASB Faculty Advisor
This wasn’t a vacation; the group of NMGZ students and I were up and at it by 6:30 a.m. Our first stop was at the Association of National Advertisers Educational Foundation, where we learned about diversity, equity and inclusion training. They guided us through an exercise that provided an eye-opening look at how students view diversity in their lives. Moving on we visited the McCann Worldgroup, let’s just say, the beauty industry is working on a more inclusive change. Lastly, we visited Neilson, a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. I learned how Neilson uses data to help streaming services provide a better experience for their viewers. As an accounting student, visiting a global data collection company was incredible. To round off the evening, my group was taught how to make authentic New York street tacos!
On the third day of the NMGZ trip, our first stop was Deutsch New York, an advertising agency founded in 1969, where we made a marketing pitch. We presented a “buy now, pay later” service pitch for a national bank. This marketing pitch helped influence the bank's standpoint on social media; it concluded that it is essential in orreach all audiences.
The next stop was Padilla, located on the 48th floor of the 4 World Trade Center. They asked for input on a few concerns their clients had and were interested in learning how Millennials and Gen Z view their industry, and ultimately, how to make it more marketable to these groups. Our last stop was a networking event with the New York Ad Club. It was incredible to hear from top management and big names within the advertising and public relations world.
Right: A captivating view of the city from up above at Padilla, NYC. Padilla is an independently operated agency that works in resourced public relations and communications.
The last day consisted of a tour of the Museum of Modern Art, where a special scavenger hunt had been set up for us. Each question was a puzzle to be solved by looking at the art or the artworks’ description. After making our way from gallery to gallery, I was convinced I could spend a week there and never see it all. The last stop before departing was to the Museum of Public Relations, where we met the founder and CEO, Shelley Spector. It is considered the world's largest collection of materials documenting PR history.
Growing up in Fairbanks, it was common for me to meet people from all walks of life, especially with two military bases in our community. I found it rather insightful to hear from other students and their different experiences. Diving deep into topics such as diversity, equity and inclusion, allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the conversations I read and see in the media.
The visit to the most populated city in the U.S., along with connecting with fellow NMGZ members, has helped me develop a more sophisticated perspective of our country as a whole. I learned the importance of implementing changes as a society. The NMGZ has a reputation of hosting an incredible trip, and I couldn’t have asked for a better first experience.
Left: Ivy, who is furthest to the right, and some of her group members pose for one more photo together before final departure.