SOCIAL ENTERPRISE AT CORNELL
Redefine Business
Who are We?
SEC empowers each member to build a career in social and environmental impact. We believe that every student brings a crucial perspective that can shape a brighter tomorrow to best achieve our motto of Redefine Business. We achieve this goal, our members are empowered through three values: education, innovation, and community.
Redefine Business: Our Values
Education
We provide a comprehensive 10-week New Member Education process where members learn about social consulting, social design, impact investing and social entrepreneurship in addition to providing a wealth of resources.
Innovation
We foster creativity and support innovation solutions to social and environmental problems through our consulting projects, speaker series, workshops, and other professional development events.
Community
We build community by providing opportunities for students to meet others in our university's diverse student body and learn from a collective pool of knowledge. In addition, we hold a variety of social events throughout the semester to strengthen our close-knit community.
Message from the President
At the core of Social Enterprise at Cornell (SEC) is one word: experience. Through our three pillars – education, innovation, and community – we hope to provide an enriching experience to all members who want to explore business, social entrepreneurship, and consulting. Each semester, members have the opportunity to contribute to a real-world project, exploring their interests while making a social impact in the work they do. In the past, we have worked with start-ups, small businesses, mid-sized firms, and Fortune 500s.
Each new member experiences a tailored New Member Education program, a 10-week workshop where they learn about the intersections of social impact in consulting, finance, and entrepreneurship. What truly makes our program truly different is its focus on individuality: 1. each new member undergoes individualized case interview and resume preparations, and 2. each class chooses its own new member educational curriculum. We take pride in our new member education, which allows us to teach business fundamentals while diving deeper into the sectors that the new members are most passionate about. In addition, new members work with current members on a real-world consulting project, applying the skills they learned and preparing them for future careers. We also host a few speaker series events throughout the semester, where all members can network with alumni from top firms and successful start-ups.
On campus, SEC is a family. From midnight case prep to impromptu McDonald’s drives to our fall boat tour, SEC members have always been there for each other. We are an inclusive community of students who are passionate about social impact, and we encourage all students, regardless of major, to apply! As someone who is interested in pursuing healthcare (and not the only one!), joining SEC gave me both the hard and soft skills to succeed in any industry.
Thank you so much for visiting our website! Please do not hesitate to explore “Our Community” tab (under “Our Team”) to see what being a part of SEC is like, and check out our “Resources” tab for a guide to acing your SEC interview! If you have any questions about SEC, the recruitment process, or want to learn more, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly!
-Emma Lin, el674@cornell.edu