About 20 Walla Walla University senior business majors connected with and learned from alumni during a weekend trip to the Seattle area in April.
When they arrived in Seattle on Friday afternoon, the students were taken on a tour of the Starbucks headquarters. They also listened to a presentation by Rachel Ruggeri, Starbucks global chief financial officer and executive vice president. Ruggeri is also a WWU alumna.
Right after the tour, the students drove to the WWU Rosario campus where they heard from five WWU alumni over the weekend — each have successful careers in various types of businesses.
Benjamin Wexler, senior business administration major, said his favorite part of the trip was listening to the presentation by Paul and Deanne Rhynard (’04). “It was super personal, and they really came prepared with some points that were valuable for us as we graduate," said Wexler. "They stayed to eat lunch with us, so we were able to converse and get to know them personally. That was the highlight for me.”
Students also heard from alumni Abel Cruz (’91), Jeff Weijohn (’86) and his son Spencer (’16).
When not soaking up knowledge from successful WWU alumni, the students enjoyed Sabbath at Rosario by going on hikes, looking for crabs and watching dolphins swim by the coast. Wexler encouraged future senior business majors to take advantage of this annual trip.
