CBA Advantage
Newsletter

November 2025

Name: Elana Ingwers
Class: Senior
Major: Marketing
Minors: Business Law & Asian and Pacific Studies

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

CBA Advantage pushed me to attend events I might not have known about. When I started my academic journey at LMU, I already knew that I wanted to leverage as many resources and options for professional growth as possible.

CBA Advantage was the perfect avenue for me to find events that interest me and help me build connections.

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

Lean into curiosity! Instead of seeing the requirement as a chore or box you have to check off, try to view it as an opportunity to challenge yourself, reflect, and gain experiences that might make all the difference in your future goals and aspirations. This mindset shift was a game-changer that led me to explore a variety of events and complete my points in my freshman year.

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

One of my favorite activities was Nadia Kim’s Faculty Pub Night on Immigrant Women and Environmental Justice in Los Angeles. I appreciate hearing what our professors are up to outside of the classroom. The William H. Hannon Library typically hosts eight LMU professors selected annually to discuss their latest publication or project in a comfortable setting that welcomes diverse perspectives for an inclusive conversation aimed to educate the entire community. All Faculty Pub Nights are free and open to the public. Occasionally, they will feature CBA faculty members, making these events eligible for CBA Advantage points. Be on the lookout for them!

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

Business Law Society’s BLAW Minor event inspired me to pick up my business law minor! I went in with little interest in the minor since I had no plans of going to law school. However, one of the speakers mentioned that their legal background opened a career opportunity for them, which completely shifted my perspective. I have since learned the value of understanding business law and how it applies both personally and professionally. As a senior, I’ve also found alumni panels incredibly helpful in navigating what to expect post-grad.

Overall, CBA Advantage has been such a valuable experience that not only got me attending events, but also encouraged me to reflect on what I learned from each one. It’s given me an organized way to track my growth and a collection of experiences I can look back on and reference in the future.

Attention: Fall (December) 2025 Graduating Seniors

If you applied to receive your degree in fall (December) 2025, 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, Nov. 14, 2025. 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!

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.

Upcoming Virtual Workshops

CBA Advantage Virtual Workshops are available for those who need a refresher on how to get started. You can always check the full schedule (and Zoom link) on our Get Started page of the CBA Advantage website.

The Zoom link for all workshops will be: https://lmula.zoom.us/j/82078998797

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.

LMU Real Estate Certificate Program
The LMU Real Estate Certificate Program equips students with conceptual, practical, and specialized skills and knowledge of various real estate topics. Led by industry professionals (primarily LMU alums), the program features a series of seminars that cover a variety of topics.

For each seminar, students can earn 50 CBA Advantage points. The program is open to all LMU students and held in the Hilton building. The seminars scheduled for this month are listed below. Learn more and register here.

Friday, Nov. 14 | Seminar 6: Residential Real Estate & Architecture
Friday, Nov. 21 | Seminar 7: Real Estate Asset Management

Task (Reflection) Activities

In Conversation with Media Entrepreneur Jim Toth
Monday, Nov. 10 | 4:30 – 6 p.m. | LMU Playa Vista Campus | Register

Join SFTV for an exclusive conversation with LMU alumnus Jim Toth '92, a visionary media entrepreneur, investor, and founding partner of Hello Sunshine, a multi-platform media company acquired by Blackstone for $920M in 2021. Toth previously served as head of content acquisition and talent at Quibi, shaping its content strategy and securing top-tier talent. Before that, he spent 23 years as a senior talent agent and partner at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), representing actors like Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx, Scarlett Johansson, and Salma Hayek. The discussion will be led by Shaan Parekh, president of the LMU Entrepreneurship Society.

Doors open at 4 p.m. Please note that your RSVP does not guarantee your seat. Space will be available on a first come, first served basis! Earn 100 CBA Advantage points by submitting a short reflection after the event.

Careers of Impact in Sustainability
Wednesday, Nov. 12 | 5:30 - 7 p.m. | VDA Suite, Hannon Library

Pull up a chair as the Institute for Business Ethics and Sustainability (IBES) hosts Careers of Impact in Sustainability, an evening of conversation and connection with leaders shaping a more sustainable future. This interactive roundtable event invites you to sit down, share ideas, and engage directly with professionals making an impact across diverse fields. Come ready to be inspired, build meaningful connections, and explore the many paths to a purpose-driven career in sustainability. Learn more about the 11 speakers here. Earn 100 CBA Advantage points by submitting a short reflection after the event.

The Future of Tax: Exciting Careers and Emerging Technologies
Wednesday, Nov. 12 | 7 - 8 p.m. | Hilton 100 | Register

The Paul A. Grosch Lecture Series is proud to present Troy Varenchik '97, lead tax partner at Deloitte, for a special talk, "The Future of Tax: Exciting Careers and Emerging Technologies." An LMU accounting alumnus, Troy will share insights about his career journey, exciting opportunities in the tax profession, and how emerging technologies are impacting the industry. Read his full bio. Co-sponsored by Accounting Society, Crimson Consultant Group, and Delta Sigma Pi. Earn 100 CBA Advantage points by submitting a short reflection after the event.

The Impact of AI on Multilingual Virtual Teams' Communication
Tuesday, Nov. 18 | 10 - 11 a.m. PT | Zoom | Register

In celebration of International Education week, CIBE has organized this webinar featuring Helene Tenzer, associate professor of international management at LMU Munich School of Management. Artificial intelligence is transforming how multilingual virtual teams communicate, shifting technology from a passive conduit to an active co-author. By translating, adjusting tone, and drafting messages, AI can lower language barriers and support team collaboration. However, AI tools are far from error-free, and their effectiveness depends on team members’ trust, adoption, and skillful use. Drawing on language-sensitive international business research alongside evidence from computer science and psychology, this webinar highlights current AI affordances and technological uncertainties. We will explore how users’ reactions to AI integration (enthusiasm, overreliance, or resistance) influence team dynamics. Qing Huang, LMU assistant professor of Communication Studies, will moderate. A Q&A will follow. 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.

Study Abroad – 150 points
CPD: Attend a Career Trek – 100 points
Self-Report: Competency Area Reflection (2025-2026 Academic Year) – 150 points
LMU On-Campus Job Reflection (2025-2026) – 150 points
2025 Summer Internship Reflection – 150 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.