Williams Baptist University’s upper class business students recently attended a leadership conference in Jonesboro called Going Above and Beyond. Seven students, along with their business professors, took part in the event, sponsored by the Jonesboro Young Professionals Network (JYPN) on February 13th. 

Those attending from WBU, picture above, were (left to right) Heather Parson (chair of business department), Erik Mercado, Georgia Mara, Ricardo Quintero Devia, Ashton Kennedy, Dylan Rogers, Hannah Vernon, Halen Layne and Janna Himschoot (assistant professor of business).

Several professionals spoke at the conference, including SJ Tuohy and David Alan Bubbus, Jr.  Tuohy is best known as the devoted adoptive brother of Michael Oher, the football player who inspired the movie “The Blind Side.” He discussed the importance of charity, faith and drive in his personal life and professional career. 

Bubbus said he never intended to become involved in his family business but grew David’s Burgers in Arkansas from one to eight locations. 

Students also had the opportunity to learn a few things about themselves, including taking an Enneagram quiz to determine their personality type. The Enneagram is a system of personality typing that identifies patterns in how people understand the world and manage emotions. 

“Finding out through this quiz what kind of person I am was something that I think will help me out in the future in my professional career when working as a team,” said Erik Mercado, a WBU senior from Senath, Mo.

Dylan Rogers, a junior from Jonesboro, Ark., noted that he learned there is always a better way to do something, “whether it’s making burgers or marketing a product.” 

“Everyone in a business, big or small, has the same goal,” said Heather Parson, chair of the WBU business department. “The CEO and the minimum wage employee are truly integral parts of the company, and it would be hard for one to function without the other. As a whole, the students learned how to take their professional and personal life to new heights.”

WBU is a private, Christian university in Walnut Ridge, Ark.  Its business department offers majors in business administration, finance and marketing.