Exploring Louisville during his summer internship

Angela Lu, MBA ’19, is president of the Graduate Business Student Association and co-authored this with Oscar Vasco, MBA ’19, on behalf of the organization.

Class of 2019: Summer Catch-up Series No. 1

No one gets an MBA because they want to dive deeply into the study of microeconomics. We get MBAs because we are after more fulfilling and impactful careers – right? Well, the summer internship is an integral part of a traditional two-year MBA program, but it’s never all work and no play!

Let’s right back to the #humblebrag I promised, and check out what Oscar Vasco, GBSA’s vice president-finance, has been doing as the only MBA intern with Yum! Brands (yep, that’s KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell) in Louisville, Kentucky.

Oscar, what are you doing for Yum! Brands this summer?

I am interning with the investor relations team and my project will be preparing a Q&A document to help prepare our executives for the second-quarter earnings call.

Yum! Brands has more than 45,000 restaurants worldwide, with about a 40/60 split between domestic and international locations, so there’s a lot to keep track of! It’s incredible that a company with that much international reach could be headquartered in Louisville.

Work aside, what’s cooking in Louisville?

After networking with some Consortium interns at another Fortune 500 company headquartered in Louisville, Humana, I was invited to an outing at Churchill Downs in the Humana suite. I enjoyed seeing world-class horse-racing at the world’s most famous track.

Watching the races from the suite meant that I had to adhere to a strict business casual policy, but dressing up in business casual on a Saturday was well worth it! Once I entered the suite, there was all the food and drink (hooray for buffets) you could ask for, as well as an in-room gambling machine.

I ended up watching 10 races and unfortunately, went home empty handed, as I lost bets on “My Wynter Rose” and “Shanghai Rain.” I guess I will have to find another winner to bet on the next time I’m at the track.

You’re going to be a pro when the Kentucky Derby comes around next year! It sounds like Consortium has given you some great opportunities this summer, right?

One of the highlights of my internship was getting to attend The Consortium’s Orientation Program (“OP”) in Orlando, Florida, as a Yum! representative. The Consortium, founded by WashU management professor Sterling Schoen, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing representation of underrepresented minorities at MBA programs and the ranks of global management.

Each year, The Consortium hosts the OP conference to allow incoming MBA students an intense, hands-on opportunity to get real career advice and opportunities from the best institutions and corporations in the country. It was great getting to return to the conference that was so influential in setting the stage for my MBA journey.