Now it really interests me. Reshuffled student teams went on to manage their imaginary stock portfolios, made up of the 12 blue-chips they had analyzed. Career advice is a linchpin of the program. This year, Tom Staggs, Disney's chief financial officer, related how he graduated from the University of Minnesota as a music major, found his way into the entertainment business, earned an MBA from Stanford, and worked his way up at Disney. Bill Holland, director of workforce diversity for ARCO, has made several presentations about the company and what it looks for in employees.
Field trips give the scholars a first-hand look at how various businesses operate.
They have visited a factory owned by French yogurt maker Yoplait, toured Warner Bros. Studios, and checked out the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco's Los Angeles branch. Interspersed with the classroom and onsite learning experiences is help from Anderson MBA student who serve as mentors. Alicia Munoz, who graduated from the program this year, learned about Chinese culture through her mentor, Amy Horng, who also helped Munoz prepare for her SATs, proofread her college essays, and learn about business school. While the Riordan Scholars Program's ultimate goal of increasing boardroom diversity is still far off, more than 500 students have earned their stripes so far. All have gone on to college, with many majoring in business or economics.