Ohio State students learn value of embracing risk at leadership event

Ohio State students learn value of embracing risk at leadership event

Author Harlan Cohen, student leaders shared tips on learning from failure

Students in The Ohio State University Fisher College of Businessengaged in discussions on leadership and learning from failure during a recent event. "Embracing Risk in Campus Experience, Career and Life with Harlan Cohen" was held on Oct. 4 at Pfahl Hall on the Columbus campus.

During the event, students connected with peers and motivational speaker Harlan Cohen in sessions on embracing risk in education, careers and beyond.

Cole Heidelberger, a finance major who founded the event, said he got the idea earlier this year while scrolling Cohen's inspirational social media posts. In organizing the event, he worked with Jen Shanahan, manager of the Dean's Leadership Academy, and Lorraine Pennyman, director of Leadership and Engagement in the Undergraduate Programs office.

"We started putting different ideas together," Heidelberger said. "We started off with Harlan Cohen and we added in the other three guest speakers to grow the event and formed a student committee over the summer and kept working with them to polish off ideas."

The event was designed to hone students' leadership skills, Pennyman said.

"With our Leadership and Engagement team, we really want to try to highlight student initiatives and support their leadership development," she said. "When Cole came to us back in April with this idea, we wanted to support him as an undergraduate Fisher student with his vision and help him prepare and plan to enhance the undergraduate business student experience."

During the event, Cohen shared insights on success. He is a New York Timesbestselling author of seven books, including his most recent book, "Win or Learn: The Naked Truth About Turning Every Rejection Into Your Ultimate Success."

Cohen said he has family ties to Ohio State - his father is an alumnus.

"I love this school," he said. "My dad's a Buckeye. He was excited I was coming here."

Cohen encouraged the Fisher students to discover potential career paths by seeking out mentors and connecting with professionals at networking events and sites such as LinkedIn.

"I look at all this as, how can I connect with people?" he said. "How can I do my best? How can I help people? How can I learn about people? What are the tools available? And going hand in hand with that is taking risks."

Following his presentation, Cohen moderated a panel discussion with Fisher alumnus Adam Othman and fourth-year students Karan Gaglani and Brian Lum.

Othman graduated from Ohio State with a bachelor's degree in marketing in 2019. He said his current position with Frito-Lay North America (PepsiCo) as the executive zone business manager for Columbus started with a student internship.

Othman said he learned the importance of perseverance when he was previously passed over for an internship at another company.

"I can use this failure as a springboard to go get feedback to better understand maybe where my shortcomings may have been," he said. "Truly growing from failure comes with the acknowledgment that maybe I'm not perfect, and that's all right. But through that experience, I was able to learn from all of that and move forward. And then eventually I got an internship with PepsiCo, and here I am in my career now."

Gaglani is majoring in finance with minors in economics and leadership. He is a peer impact consultant with Undergraduate Leadership and Engagement and is a member of the Delta Sigma Pi Professional Business Fraternity and the Honors Leadership Program.

Gaglani said he applied to several student clubs before being accepted by the Buckeye Capital Investors.

"I worked hard, really tried networking with people, went out of my comfort zone and, full circle, I'm president of the club now," he said. "Just keep pushing out of your comfort zone, just keep trying different things, try new things."

Lum is majoring in information systems. His university leadership includes serving as a Fisher peer adviser and vice president of the Phi Chi Theta Professional Business Fraternity.

Lum said an internship with Microsoft led to a full-time job with the company that he'll start after graduation. A member of Ohio State's 2024 homecoming court, he said joining student organizations boosted his confidence.

"I live by the mindset that if you truly push yourself and - I don't like using the word 'delusional' - but I love being delusional and acting like I am the best person in the room," he said. "When you put yourself in that mindset, when you give yourself those daily affirmations, it really will bring you far in life."

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