News
Students Win Dream Job Contest
5.24.07
Last fall, students at several local colleges competed in USA Today’s Dream Job Contest. USA Today asked students to describe their dream job in an essay format, identifying why they chose their field of interest while also exploring their career goals. Winners were awarded a day of job shadowing in their dream job of choice.
Manhattanville students Danielle DuBois and Frank Furbacher were the two winners of the Dream Job contest.
Danielle DuBois is a Communications major and she will be starting her senior year at Manhattanville in the fall. In her essay, Danielle highlighted her interest in working for Glaceau Vitamin Water. She was drawn to the company’s unique brand and how successful it has been in the last several years under the direction of Senior Vice President Rohan Oza.
According to Crain’s New York Business, since Oza joined Glaceau in 2002, annual revenue has soared by more than 800%, to $350 million last year – growth fueled primarily by Oza’s celebrity partnerships.
As part of her dream job experience, Danielle sat in on management meetings and spent time with Oza and other high level executives at Glaceau. One aspect of the environment at Glaceau that Danielle found particularly interesting was the dress code. “These individuals are extremely passionate about their jobs, however their dress code is the farthest from corporate,” she said. “Even the president of the company wore jeans.”
Also housed in the Queens firm is Glaceau’s lab and scientists, which was fascinating for Danielle to find out. She was able to sit in on an interview with one of the scientists and learn about some of the new testing taking place at the company.
Danielle’s Dream Job experience at Glaceau Vitamin Water was so successful that she received a call at the end of the spring semester asking her if she would accept an internship at the company over the summer. “I was so excited when they called, I just could not believe it,” explained Danielle. “It is obviously an amazing opportunity for me and I wouldn’t give up this chance for anything!” As an added perk of her summer internship, she will receive two cases of vitamin water per week.
Frank Furbacher, a Finance major at Manhattanville and an outfielder for the Valiants Baseball team, wrote about entrepreneurship in his Dream Job essay. He cited Oprah Winfrey as an individual that has inspired his interest in entrepreneurship. Through USA Today’s contest, Frank spent a day at TrueNYC and interviewed founder and CEO David Schnurman. During the interview, Schnurman described his passion for entrepreneurship and talked about his experiences running TrueNYC and Lawline.com.
TrueNYC targets those individuals who would like to start a business in New York City, but need some guidance. In addition, individuals who have already started their own business can learn from listening to other successful entrepreneurs.
Started in 1999, Lawline.com is one of the leading providers of Online Continuing Legal Education in the country.
Schnurman became a mentor to Frank as a result of the USA Today Dream Job Contest and that relationship has now turned into a great opportunity for him. Frank will be serving as an intern for TrueNYC and Lawline.com this summer.
By making the most of their experiences through Dream Job, Danielle and Frank made their dreams a reality by successfully earning internships in their career fields of choice.
View the full interview with David Schnurman conducted by Frank Furbacher.