Students and faculty joined together this week to celebrate business both on and off campus. The 5th annual Villanova School of Business Week kicked off Monday, Feb. 16 with “Live Interviews: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly” in the Connelly Center, a session with reenact- ments performed to show students the appropriate manner in which to carry out interviews, regardless of the style.

“The event allowed students to meet with employers from the Big Four and other firms,” freshman Steering Committee member Nicole Economides said. “They had the chance to listen and learn and some even had the chance to network with them after.”

Funding for this week’s event comes from sponsors including Bloomberg and the Big Four auditors Deloitte, Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ernst & Young (EY).

Although Tuesday’s school closure led to the postponement of events, “How to Dine and Act Fine Around the World,” and “A Glimpse into Venture Capitalism” with Wayne Kimmel, the team at the Clay Center, who organize the week’s festivities, have in no way slowed down. With events like “How to Turn a Nay into a Yay,” a session on the importance of resilience and how to respond to rejec- tion with the right frame of mind and the “VSB Community Celebration,” on Friday in the Nydick Family Commons, a gathering for students to celebrate with snacks and prizes, they hardly have time to.

Administrators hope that this week will give students an opportunity to acquire new skills and contacts they can take with them after graduation. “As the week progresses, I hope more students will be able to attend the events because they will be able to hear from philanthro- pists and other business leaders who can provide key insights into the professional world,” freshman Steering Committee member Mitesh Patel said.

The most anticipated event of the week is the keynote speaker, global activ- ist Candy Chang’s discussion on her international project, “Before I Die,” an installment recently recreated in our own Bartley Hall. Students have written on the wall installment their hopes and aspi- rations, with notes ranging from “Change the lives of others for the better,” to “Connect to VU Mobile.”

Candy Chang is known for her street art, urban planning projects and social activism and is co-founder of Civic Center, an art and design studio locat- ed in New Orleans. Her discussion will focus on innovation and how to turn creativity into actuality. This Saturday, Feb 21. students in the Villanova School of Business will travel to Philadelphia to recreate an art project by Chang.

One thing is for certain, this week has proved an invaluable resource for participating students hoping to gain insights into life in the real world. “Being on the VSB Week Committee has been a huge advantage to me,” sophomore Committee member Annie McMullan said, “I’ve worked with employers from all different industries, allowing me to personally figure out which industries I’m most interested in while also improv- ing my confidence to speak to such influ- ential people.”