UB MBAs use ‘Alternative Spring Break’ to lend a hand

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A group of MBA students in the University at Buffalo School of Management spent their spring break in New Orleans, helping ongoing efforts to rebuild the hurricane-devastated area.

It was the sixth consecutive year UB MBAs participated in renewal efforts following Hurricane Katrina.

This year, 18 current MBA students and two MBA alumni took part in the nine-day trip that focused on the St. Bernard Parish region of New Orleans. The volunteers worked on a number of projects, including installing drywall, rehabbing a church, potting 300 trees and planting 40 trees in a state park to aid in the prevention of salt water intrusion into the soil.

The MBA students who took part in the trip were first-year students Alex Bateman, Kristen Ilecki, David Kim, Mike Kinbaum, Marita Paradez, Brett Perla, Jeanette Russell Shepherd, Ghazal Taikandi and Landry Willard; second-year students Rachel Lawrence, Nick Notarius, West Richter and Brian Wagner; and JD/MBA dual-degree students Annmarie Cellino, Nick Dambrosio, James Macri, Chris Maugans and Bridget Riley. The group was joined by alumni Anthony LaRosa, MBA ’12, and Dave Loder, MBA ’12.

Operation Southern Comfort, a Syracuse-based initiative that has conducted 42 trips to help Gulf Coast areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, coordinated the volunteer work.

The trip was made possible through financial contributions from the School of Management Alumni Association, UB’s Sub-Board campus service organization and Mary Ann Rogers, assistant professor in the Accounting and Law Department and Organization and Human Resources Department.

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit http://mgt.buffalo.edu.