Ana Key was still three years away from her expected graduation date when she began thinking in concrete terms about gaining real-world experience for a particular career.

As a Vanderbilt freshman, explains Ana (who is pursuing majors in mathematics and French with a minor in business), “I wanted to understand if consulting was the right career path for me.”

About that time, she began receiving emails from Vanderbilt Business about the Summer Accelerator program. The emails piqued her interest sufficiently to attend an information session, which led her to apply. “This program,” Ana says, “promised real-world experience, with real clients and mentors from Owen. So I applied in the hope that all of these factors would help me decide which path in business I’d like to pursue.”

The program wasn’t quite what she expected. It was far better.

Going in, Ana says, “I thought the classes administered were going to be vague, given that the program is only three weeks. But they’re surprisingly specific, and they tie in nicely to the client-specific work we’re doing each week.

“I love the coaches and professors so much. They are completely devoted to this program and the students in it. They want to lend a helping hand to all of us and go well out of their way to do so, not only in the client-specific projects, but also as a career coach.”

As she prepared to enter her sophomore year, Ana believed in the educational investment she made. “I have a much better understanding of what I want to do with my remaining time at Vanderbilt, what career interests me, and the steps I need to take to get there. Accelerator has also provided me with an incredible network of professors, mentors, and students within Nashville and beyond.

“This is the real-world experience everyone always harps on. You will meet fantastic people, work tremendously hard, and think critically 24/7, all while having a good time.”

Fun Fact: Ana enjoys baking, tennis, weightlifting, and listening to music.

I have a much better understanding of what I want to do with my remaining time at Vanderbilt, what career interests me, and the steps I need to take to get there.