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COVID didn’t stop us from hosting our 6th Annual LEAD Summit this year. We had the distinct privilege to spend the day with 18 talented accounting students on July 23. Although it was our first-ever virtual LEAD Summit, the fundamentals remained from prior years, all in which enticed students to get involved in learning sessions, ask questions and get closer to a first-hand experience of working in the accounting industry. The students spent time with nearly 30 CTBK team members, all of whom have diverse career experiences.
Each component on the itinerary provided a glimpse into our Core Values, firm culture, commitment to clients and community relationships. The day’s agenda featured panels, breakout sessions, guest speakers, and Q&A discussions with professionals on the CTBK team. For 2020, rather than moving from site to site like we have in the past, we established different meeting rooms for attendees and team members to join in at the scheduled times.
LEAD Summit Teams Compete
One of the day’s ongoing activities was the scavenger hunt. This got students involved during break-out sessions with their assigned team. Missions included searches to find who had the coolest household items by posting pictures and voting, CTBK trivia, TikTok videos and much more. The students had to work together for a variety of tasks, such as making videos, problem solving and decision making.
Team Faxlanger was the first-ever champion of the LEAD Summit Scavenger Hunt, and she returned as a team leader for another year of fun! Not only did her team produce creative submissions, but they also worked well as a team and learned what being Bigger Than the Shark at CTBK is all about.
Career Development as a Focal Point
As always, the LEAD Summit featured a Career Panel, and this year, students truly stole the show. They asked insightful questions and heard from several CTBK team members on their own experiences in the job field and career development. Students listened in on our team members’ different journeys and learned how CTBK can be such a perfect fit. Students were given advice for their starting years and were exposed to all of the opportunities CTBK has to offer.
Students experienced first-hand that at CTBK, the Human Connection, which is the pillar of our Core Values, not only relates to our client relationships but also to how we interact with each other. Many ended up sharing in their closing comments that they could instantly feel the family-like atmosphere within our firm and team.
The Importance of Connections
Our team had the opportunity to deepen relationships with each student attending the Summit, and they took it by the reins. It’s an honor to be part of another’s professional journey, and we look forward to staying connected as they each grow and rise as Buffalo leaders!
Although we didn’t get to interact with our guests in person, we all had a great time at our virtual LEAD Summit and appreciate all of our team members that were involved throughout the day. We can’t wait to host again in 2021, and hope that next time, we can ditch the video call approach and all be together again.