33 Partners with UIC to Cultivate Future Business Professionals

“Some of my most fulfilling courses in college were those courses in which you were able to see purpose behind the learning, in which real world problems were brought into the course and we, as the students, were asked to solve them.” reflects Nick Connelly, 33’s Financial Analyst.

With this in mind, Susan Beyler, Principal at 33, decided to tap into Chicago’s university community to help solve a real world technology problem. This mutually beneficial opportunity would allow 33 to explore creative solutions, while providing students with valuable real world experience.  University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) College of Business works with companies to sponsor a technology-based project for students. These projects provide students with the invaluable learning experience of solving a real world technology issue.

33 worked with two groups of UIC students, one Graduate level and one Undergraduate level, to solve technology-based issues relevant to 33.  The Undergraduate students were tasked with creating a framework for an Investors’ Portal, while the Graduate group were tasked to provide a scope of work for a redesign of 33’s CRM.  The Investor Portal and the Customer Relationship Management tools are valuable assets for both client and business operations.

The students met weekly with 33 company members, CFO Stacy Mondrus, Susan Beyler, and Nick Connelly to discuss progress and receive relevant feedback. The projects concluded on Friday, December 11th as students and 33 company members met for their last presentation. Students will be evaluated and graded on their projects by their course instructor, based on feedback provided by 33 company members.

As these UIC students finish the course, they will come away not only with grade on their transcript, but first hand business experience and the start of the foundation to their own real world success.  33 values the opportunity to work with future business professionals. In addition to reaching out to the local community to foster professional growth, 33 employs a summer intern each year from the local college community.  To apply for a summer internship position visit : 33 Careers.