CommonBond Hosts Summer Panel Series

As the celebration of America’s independence hurriedly approaches, the full effect of summer is setting in. If you’re getting ready to start an MBA program in the fall, hopefully you’re getting some last minute time with friends and family while enjoying some freedom before the life-consuming next year or two begins. If you’re a current student or recent grad, you’re probably deep into an internship or new job. If you fit into one of three of those demographics and in or around the New York City area, student loan company, CommonBond has a hot summer panel series for you.

In its fourth installment, the CommonBond Summer Series will feature five panel and networking sessions and will culminate with the second annual Social Impact Award. The series has been evolving rapidly over the past four years and this year offers a robust lineup of MBA graduates from an assortment of top schools.

“At the core we want to really deliver highly relevant content for pre-MBAs, current MBAs, and alumni,” says Nikki Singh, director of campus relations for CommonBond. “We want to create a community of borrowers.”

PANELS TO FEATURE MANY M7 ALUMS

The panel series kicked off last Thursday (June 25th) and continues today (June 30th) and the subject is dubbed Women MBAs: Starting Your Own Company. The roster of panel members includes women who have graduated from Harvard Business School, NYU Stern School of Business, the Wharton School, and Columbia Business School and have founded their own company.

The other four panels will focus on careers in consulting, marketing, finance, and investment banking. Each panel will be hosted at CommonBond’s New York City office and will conclude with food, drinks, and networking opportunities.

“We’ve all been through the MBA experience ourselves,” Singh says. “We were there. There are better ways to approach it and we want to be the company students partner with to learn how to do the MBA better.”

SOCIAL VENTURE COMPETITION TO CAP SERIES

Closing out the summer will be the second-annual CommonBond Social Impact Award on August 6. CommonBond, which was founded in 2012 by three Wharton graduates, partners with nonprofit, Pencils of Promise in a one-for-one model to fund one year of education for a student in the developing world every time a degree is fully funded by their platform.

Any company that has been founded by a current student or recent MBA grad and has a social impact focus can be nominated to compete in the competition. Three finalists will be selected to pitch their companies to a panel of judges in a “Shark Tank” format. The winner will receive $10,000 and six months of mentorship and coaching from David Klein, CommonBond co-founder and CEO, as well as the entire CommonBond executive team.

“Businesses can and should be forces of positive change,” says CommonBond VP of Marketing, Phil DeGisi. “We will continue to look for ways to support social entrepreneurship.”

Singh believes the panels will provide very pertinent content to future, current, and recently graduated MBAs.

“I think it’s highly relevant content,” Singh says. “The events will also help foster a community amongst likeminded people from incoming MBAs to seasoned alumni.”

DON’T MISS: A WHARTON TRIO MAKES STUDENT LOANS MORE AFFORDABLE