Practical experience teaches Jayhawk Consulting student lifelong lessons
Junior Brayden Cardozo tackles exciting consulting challenges
Brayden Cardozo, a junior double majoring in supply chain and marketing and minoring in international business, is gaining real-world experience he will take with him long after he leaves the School of Business. As a part of the Jayhawk Consulting program, the Overland Park, Kansas, native has been providing advising and consulting services for projects in various industries.
Under Jayhawk Consulting’s leadership of Ryan Rains, director of entrepreneurship co-curricular programs, and Will Katz, faculty advisor and lecturer, hired students work as a team to offer consulting experiences and services to Kansas ventures.
“I might be using my knowledge in supply chain to analyze operations in the company, and at the same time, creating an advertisement campaign with my background in marketing,” Cardozo said. “Consulting is the pinnacle where everything meets; you use all your different skills.”
Cardozo’s favorite part has been working on a team and getting to know more faculty and peers to develop solutions. He has taken opportunities to grow his project management skills, and to work with client expectations and create new ways to assist with a client’s needs.
“Clients usually have a goal, but they don’t know how to reach that goal,” Carodzo said. “Our job is to define what it is that a client is looking for and make their goals measurable, attainable and successful.”
Jayhawk Consulting teaches skills to students they can use inside and outside the classroom. For Cardozo, professionalism and communication have been his greatest takeaways.
“Learning how to write a professional email is highly valuable in the business place, as well as being punctual and working with peers and a boss,” he said. “Working and communicating with different types of clients in a simple language while reaching desired outcomes isn’t always easy. In this program, you can show your abilities learned in class and see the correlation between theoretical and practical knowledge.”
Students applying to Jayhawk Consulting are not required to have previous experience working with clients. Cardozo said the program is a great way to get practical exposure and he’s eager to use this experience after graduation.
“If you don’t have any real-world experience, this is a great opportunity to learn what to do in your future consulting role,” said Cardozo. “I think it could be better than an internship for some since instead of working with just one company, you are working with a few, and you do a variety of different things.”
Jayhawk Consulting helps clients grow through data analysis and project development and offers KU students experiential learning by working for real clients. Students provide advising and consulting services to clients from the Lawrence community and region. Learn more at business.ku.edu/Jayhawk-Consulting.
By Magali Paredes
