On May 24, 2022, members of the Pace Business Club visited the Coca-Cola headquarters to learn about the global corporation, its consumer products and business life structure. The Upper School Business Club is a new initiative started by members of the junior class and is geared towards navigating through the complexities of career paths and learning about innovation, entrepreneurship and finance. The club’s first event was a business panel last April with executives from Coca-Cola, Wall Street and WarnerMedia who discussed everything from investment banking to cyber security to law and more. The club plans to hold another business panel in October that students can attend to learn more about these topics.
While at Coke, students were given a tour of the facility, which included fascinating works of Picasso on the walls, meeting rooms each with its own unique touch and Coke memorabilia from its storied past starting at the company’s foundations. This unique opportunity let students gain a new perspective on the authentic experience of working at Coke and learn the underlying functions of a business. Junior William Souza said, “I really enjoyed taking a deep dive into many important and necessary functions of Coca-Cola. This event will be one to remember, and I highly recommend this opportunity for students in the future”.
The overall experience allowed students to understand corporate duties while still in high school, which could help in making decisions regarding class schedules, summer programs and university major selections prior to graduating from high school. Towards the end of the tour, everyone was divided into groups and brainstormed ideas on new drink products as well as new approaches to social media campaigns. They used their imaginations to propose four products and promotions that capture what people want and need.
“The Pace Business Club has definitely helped me learn about some real-world experiences inside the business realm. I especially loved the tour that we took at Coke because we got to learn about all of the different pieces of Coke’s company such as the marketing department, IT and Flavors that work together so smoothly to build a successful company,” said junior Adair Smith.
