CBA Advantage
Newsletter

December 2025

Name: Sophia Wynn
Class: Junior
Major: Marketing
Minors: Dance & Studio Arts

What's something you've found valuable about your CBA Advantage experience?

Through CBA Advantage, I've attended speaker events that shaped my professional goals and helped me explore the many pathways within marketing. I originally entered LMU as a studio arts major, and even after switching to marketing, I wasn't sure if I wanted to pursue advertising, PR, or something entirely different.

The CBA Advantage program gave me the clarity I needed. Being able to hear from industry professionals has been invaluable. I've found their experiences and advice have inspired me to find my own path in entertainment. Utilizing CBA Advantage has not only expanded my business knowledge but also strengthened my confidence in the future I’m building.

What advice do you have for students as they complete their CBA Advantage requirements?

Try everything and take advantage of the resources available to you. When you explore the asynchronous activities on Suitable, you can find free sign-ups for newsletters and tools like LinkedIn Learning. These are great opportunities to work on professionalism and expand your skill set because they cover such a wide range of topics. This also helps you learn more about industries you may not focus on in your classes, such as the Real Estate Certificate Program or the Wall Street Prep Experience Set Activities.

What has been your favorite event/activity related to CBA Advantage?

My favorite event was the fireside chat with Chris Dilorio from Shondaland! He provided insights into their marketing strategy and partnerships they were working on for Bridgerton, which I really appreciated as someone trying to break into the entertainment industry.

How has CBA Advantage helped you so far in your academic and/or professional endeavors?

CBA Advantage helped me explore different pathways within marketing, which informed my decision to choose M-School for my marketing concentration. I was able to connect not only with industry speakers but also with fellow students who shared similar interests and ambitions. I've become a more well-rounded and informed student due to taking advantage of the events and activities that CBA Advantage has to offer.

Be Featured in CBA Advantage!

Want to be featured in a future CBA Advantage newsletter? We’d love to hear from you! We are looking to highlight students sharing stories about their CBA Advantage experience, and how it has contributed to their growth and engagement in CBA.

If you’d like to potentially be featured in an upcoming CBA Advantage newsletter, complete this short form to tell us more about your experience.

Fall (December) 2025 Graduating Seniors: CBA Advantage Next Steps

For students who recently submitted items to Suitable for CBA Advantage, please note that the Student Engagement team is actively working on reviewing submissions. The current turnaround time for submission review is between 1-2 weeks. Given the influx of submissions we have seen, we are prioritizing submissions for those in senior class standing. Students will receive an email from Suitable once entries have been approved or denied. If seniors receive a denial notice from Suitable after Nov. 14, they will receive a deadline in the denial notice for when resubmissions must be in Suitable by to not affect the completion of CBA Advantage requirements before degrees are cleared.

Remember that students are responsible for keeping track to make sure 2,000 points are approved in Suitable. Once a student reaches 2,000 points in the Suitable App (under “Total Experience” in their Scorecard), your Degree Works will automatically update within 24 hours indicating that your CBA Advantage requirement has been met (green checkmark). Any pending submissions (that are awaiting review) can be found under the “Pending Approvals” tab in “Activities.” Questions about any of the above can be directed to CBAAdvising@lmu.edu.

Attention: Spring (May) 2026 Graduating Seniors

If you applied to receive your degree in spring (May) 2026, please check your Degree Works to confirm whether CBA Advantage is a requirement. If CBA Advantage appears on your Degree Works and is not completed (unchecked), please be sure to have your 2,000 points submitted to Suitable by Friday, April 10, 2026. For questions, contact CBAAdvising@lmu.edu.

Explore the New Digital Badges

We have launched two new digital badging opportunities through CBA Advantage. Completing these CBA Advantage “achievements” will allow you to earn virtual badges that highlight the skills learned as well as confirm your completion of a curated list of activities. Once a badge has been earned, it can be showcased through your Suitable e-portfolio and can also be shared publicly on your LinkedIn Page.

To Get Started: Select “achievements” from the Suitable homepage and click on the badge itself to load badge requirements. Once a badge has been earned, you will unlock sharing options!

Recommended Tips for Submissions

When submitting a reflection to Suitable (written or video), here are some tips for a smooth approval process:

Check to ensure that your experience matches the activity post.
Read all instructions provided in the activity post, including any eligibility requirements.
Answer all prompted questions in entirety.
Meet minimum length requirements as stated in the prompt guidelines.
Ensure that your submissions are your own and reflect your authentic experience/voice.

We want to highlight that CBA Advantage is bound by LMU's Academic Honesty policy, much like curricular coursework would be and our review team will flag any submissions that may conflict with any of the above and follow-up with the appropriate parties, as necessary. This will cause a delay in the approval process for all submissions that need additional review.

Has Your Submission Been Denied? What Happens Next?

Students will receive an email notification for any submission that is denied as well as most approved submissions. Submissions that are denied will outline the reasoning behind the denial, and students will have the opportunity to correct their submission and resubmit on the Suitable app for the appropriate activity. Please be conscious of any submission deadlines associated with the original activity. Any questions about this process can be directed to CBAAdvising@lmu.edu.

ACTIVITY SPOTLIGHTS

As a reminder, please continue to check CBA Connect, CBA social media, and/or other CBA marketing channels to learn about CBA-wide events. Most CBA-wide events will also appear as CBA Advantage opportunities in the Suitable app. Here are a few upcoming events.

QR Code Activities

CBA Career Connections Office Hours
Professor Mitch Rufca is once again holding office hours in Hilton 102 on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 2 – 4 p.m. and by special appointment here. He can assist students with resume review, job search strategies, interview prep, networking skills, negotiations and more. Students can earn 40 points once per semester for this activity, regardless of how often they utilize office hours. The event host will have a QR code for students to scan.

Task (Reflection) Activities

Management Engaged Learning Showcase
Tuesday, Dec. 2 | 6 p.m. | Hilton Lobby

Join us as students present their service project posters from BCOR 3610 Managing People and Organizations. Student teams conducted service at local non-profits and then analyzed the organizations’ human capital practices. Representatives from some of the service organizations will be in attendance, and we will showcase student projects from across the different class sections. Food and beverages will be served. Co-sponsored by the LMU HRM Society. Earn 60 CBA Advantage points by scanning the QR code after attending the event.

Business Incubator Showcase
Wednesday, Dec. 3 | 7 - 10 p.m. | Hilton 100 | Register

Come see our student entrepreneurs in action as they present their exciting new businesses from the fall semester! The Business Incubator gives students the workspace and guidance to prepare their business ideas for the real world. Many of our students' companies have raised capital, received TV coverage, and landed shelf space in major retailers. Earn 100 CBA Advantage points by submitting a short reflection after the event.

Asynchronous Options (Task Activities)

Please Note: To search for ALL asynchronous options, please select “Activities” --> Select “All” from the categories listed --> Type “asynchronous” into the search bar.

Financial Literacy Workshops (Experience Set): bonus 100 points for completing all activities in this experience set!

FinLit Workshop #1: Build Your Wealth on the Road to Financial Independence – 50 points
FinLit Workshop #2: Follow the Money: Evaluating a Job Offer – 50 points
FinLit Workshop #3: Personal Budgeting – 50 points
FinLit Workshop #4: Saving to Invest – 50 points
FinLit Workshop #5: Building a Secure Retirement – 50 points
FinLit Workshop #6: Calculating Payments & Building Credit – 50 points
FinLit Workshop #7: Taxes, Insurance, and Financial Tools – 50 points
Personal Financial Literacy Reflection – 150 points
Financial Times Current Business Article – 50 points
Financial Times: Sign-Up – 20 points

REMINDERS

CBA Advantage submissions are governed by LMU Academic Honesty policies. Our student engagement team personally reviews each entry submitted and will notify students if there is a suspected violation regarding their submission.
Enable push notifications in the Suitable App by selecting the notification tab and tapping “Turn on App Notifications.” This is a mobile-only feature – don’t miss out on important reminders!
Remember that file types allowed for submissions will be based on your device. Android & iOS supports JPEG/PNG Images, Video, Powerpoint, & PDF while the web version supports: JPEG/PNG Images, Powerpoint, PDF, Word Documents, Excel Spreadsheets, & Video (MP4, AVI, or MOV)
Expect CBA Advantage submissions to generally take two weeks to go through the approval process.
The only current requirement for CBA Advantage is that students reach a minimum of 2000-points in the Suitable App. It does not require a set number of points per competency area (for example: earning a minimum of 400 points for “Moral Courage”)
Suitable has a “Leaderboard” function to celebrate the students with the top points earned in the CBA Advantage program. Students are welcome to opt-out of participating in the leaderboard function by going to your account settings and selecting “scorecard information/details.”
If you are encountering technical difficulties with the Suitable app, please double-check that your app is operating on the most updated version
You can copy and share activity links using the desktop version of Suitable. For example: https://app.suitable.co/#/institution/404/activities/178592
Events are constantly being added to the Suitable app each week. If something you want to attend through CBA cannot be found in the Suitable app, we recommend waiting until closer to the event or e-mailing CBAAdvising@lmu.edu to double-check if the event will be offered for CBA Advantage points
By completing all activities in an Experience Set, you can earn additional points.
“Independent Work” submissions through your Suitable Portfolio are NOT eligible for CBA Advantage points. This feature of the Suitable App is useful for those who would like to add additional documents, unrelated to CBA Advantage activities, to their e-portfolio. All submissions for the CBA Advantage program must be submitted through the appropriate activity post.
We welcome suggestions from students regarding potential CBA Advantage opportunities! We are always curating new experiences, so encourage you to share your interests and how they could apply to this program!

CBA Advantage Website

Visit the CBA Advantage website for an overview of the program and its requirements. If you need a refresher or help getting started, visit the Get Started page for information on our synchronous and asynchronous workshops and training opportunities.

Questions?

We're here to support you in completing your CBA Advantage journey! Feel free to reach out to CBAAdvising@lmu.edu if you have further questions or if you wish to make an appointment with someone on the CBA Advantage team.