Get Connected: Madrid 7x7 Event Brings USD Community Together

Get Connected: Madrid 7x7 Event Brings USD Community Together

Navigating uncertainty is the key to achieving one’s full potential.

That’s the takeaway from a conversation with Leonie Sandelbaum ’14 (MBA), head of client servicing at ING Wholesale Banking, Amsterdam. While she’s well aware that the unknown can be daunting, Sandelbaum believes that it’s essential to embrace the unknown in order to truly open doors to professional growth.

On Oct. 11, Sandelbaum will share this idea at the University of San Diego’s first Seven-by-Seven Global event in Madrid, Spain. USD students and alumni who attend this unique version of TED Talks will find themselves in a vibrant city and with the opportunity to learn from and network with Sandelbaum and a number of other USD alumni presenters and business leaders from across Europe.

In an interview, Sandelbaum provided a taste of her presentation. “I am going to talk about how to navigate uncertainties and really dive into the water while saying, ‘I am not sure whether I can swim in that water, but I am going to try.’” Beyond the ideas shared at this October’s Seven-by-Seven, the location, people, and opportunities available make it especially unique to Sandelbaum.

“(Students) will learn so much, not only from other alumni, but also by the mere fact of being there in that room and showing interest in what it took for others to study and build a successful career abroad. The cultural melting pot they will encounter as well as the deep interaction with global alumni is not that common. Students can only benefit from it.”

Another factor Sandelbaum made sure to mention was the strength and richness of the USD community both on campus and across the world. Students will be able to see this strength in full swing at this year’s event as Toreros from across Europe will come together to connect professionally.

“There is something that draws a certain type of person to USD, which makes it almost like a family,” said Sandelbaum. “Even though it sounds super cheesy, you are a Torero for life. You feel a strong connection with anyone who is part of this family.”

It is this very connection that is so important to Sandelbaum and inspires her to speak in Madrid.

This past January, a Seven-by-Seven event was held in Hong Kong, China with USD alumni speakers from across Asia and study-abroad students in attendance. Then-student Becca Lancaster ’19 spoke about what she gained from attending it.

“I was talking to a presenter about how he wanted to be an entrepreneur, but he also wanted the comfort of working for a company,” Lancaster said. “He shared how he was able to move to Hong Kong and work to launch an app at HSBC. Through this opportunity, he went on to basically create Venmo for Hong Kong — working as a true entrepreneur inside of a big organization. That really spoke to me.”

Lancaster’s greatest takeaway was that it only takes one person, one connection that focuses or furthers your professional path to make these events valuable and worthwhile.

From a pedagogical perspective, the Seven-by-Seven in October is designed to create the sorts of experiences both Sandelbaum and Lancaster spoke to. Associate Provost of International Affairs and Professor of Economics, Denise Dimon, PhD, spoke to this directly. “We want to have our students, who are having these international experiences, have them be very broad and really impactful so that not only are they studying academic issues in different cultures, engaging with the local community, but also engaging with our alumni — we have Toreros around the world,” said Dimon. “This is an opportunity to bring those alums to our students in that international setting.”

Sandelbaum opened the interview saying that, because she is German and now working in the Netherlands, bluntness is in her nature. She then mentioned that USD’s international community is strong, but also has so much untapped potential. The Seven-by-Seven in Madrid is part and parcel of activating this international potential for students to connect with business leaders from across Europe and develop their professional careers with the support of the USD alumni community.

For more information and to RSVP for Seven-by-Seven Madrid, visit: www.sandiego.edu/7by7madrid 

— Luke Garrett ’20

Contact:

USD News Center
news@sandiego.edu
(619) 260-4681