According to colony member HB Homer, Long began her career in the early 2000s and “is where she is today because of hard work, determination and attention to details.” During her presentation, Long spoke of traveling all over the world for business, and going to Sweden many times throughout the year. She explained that working for an international company takes compromises, and stressed the importance of work/life balance.

Mentorship was also a key component of her presentation, explains Homer. “She emphasized that without a good mentor, she wouldn’t be where she is today. Her mentor is the Colony’s Advisor, Mark Courtright. Since they met at Volvo, Professor Courtright has guided Allison throughout her career there. She spoke of the importance of finding a mentor, which is why our colony is now in the process of joining forces with the Elon MBA program to get the graduate students to mentor our undergraduate members.”

Not only did Long discuss what it is like doing business internationally, she introduced her co-worker, Sophia, who is from Beijing and is training in the Greensboro office. Sophia recalled what it is like to do business with Americans and how the individualistic business culture was different to her.

Overall, the colony was very happy with the turnout of the event and very grateful that Long came to share her experiences with them. She also left them with new ideas to think about, such as the mentorship program. “We are trying to answer the question, ‘Why join Delta Sigma Pi?’ and by trying to start a mentoring program we are differentiating ourselves on campus and offering a unique experience to our members,” said Homer.

We are very proud of the Elon Colony for their successful professional event! If your chapter recently held a professional or service event you would like to share, please email a summary and high-res photos to magazine@dsp.org.