Staff Interview with Luke Cannon

What inspired you to work for The Beacon Fellowship?

I myself participated in the Beacon Fellowship as a sophomore in college, and it was an amazing experience that showed me exactly what it was like to work in consulting. I learned that I didn't want to work in consulting, but working at Beacon has given me the opportunity to empower other students with a similar experience of exploration and discernment.

What are some current projects you are working on?

My main current project involves running our year-round educational webinars. These cover topics in consulting that range from an overview of the industry, to tips for applying, and going through case interview prep. They're an amazing way for us to offer our educational expertise to a wider audience, and a chance for us to inspire students to go further with one of our summer programs.

What makes The Beacon Fellowship special?

Beacon is an amazing experience primarily due to the quality of our Project Leads. The Project Lead, who guides each group of Fellows in the client work, comes with experience at one of the MBB firms, McKinsey, Bain, or BCG, and many additionally have received MBAs from top business schools like Harvard Business School. The quality of our Project Leads truly shines through, and it's amazing to see the impact they have on our Fellows, from fascinating lunchtime conversations, to learning how they manage and think during project work, and asking them questions about life as a consultant or application recommendations.

What is The Beacon Fellowship’s mission and how do you continue to work toward it?

Our mission is to prepare undergraduate students to become exceptional business people by creating a space for learning and mentorship through global, high-impact, real consulting projects. Our vision is to be the world’s leading non-academic business institution for business students.

In the spring of 2016, our founders were fueled by a desire to solve the problem they faced in undergrad — a one-sided business education that focuses on theory without real-world application. So, they took the skills they developed at McKinsey, BCG, and Booz Allen Hamilton, and created The Beacon Fellowship.

Since then, we've launched multiple successful programs, hiring current and former McKinsey, Bain, and BCG consultants who equip our Fellows with real, tangible skills, and help them to secure and excel in interviews, internships and jobs. Our Fellows have returned home with more than something to put on their resume — they've left as fundamentally better business people.

What do you hope participants take away from The Beacon Fellowship?

I hope participants take away a deep understanding of consulting and whether it's the right choice for them, as well as a fundamental grounding in key business skills such as PowerPoint, Excel, communication and feedback, problem-solving, and design. Consulting is really amazing for the diversity of skills and industries it exposes you to.

If you could participate in one of The Beacon Fellowship's programs, where would you go and what would you do?

If I could do another one of our programs, I'd go to Budapest, one of our new locations for this upcoming summary and a country I've yet to visit! Our client for this summer, Nokia, has a really cool project, and the office space overall has a unique culture and atmosphere of environmental innovation and green design. Budapest is also just a beautiful city, renowned for the Danube river and the historic buildings that line it.

Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?

It's too easy to be comfortable, and so much value comes from moving outside of what one is familiar with. Traveling abroad expands one's perspective and allows one to reconsider previously held assumptions. New experiences enhance creativity and so you may be surprised and the new things you learn, see, and come up with while abroad.

What advice do you have for individuals thinking about going abroad?

Be open to trying new things! Your friends, classmates and family won't be there, so don't be afraid of trying new things, looking silly, and being embarrassed when you don't know a word in a foreign language or get lost in a foreign city's streets, or miss a flight. Traveling is an adventure and a chance to learn from one's surroundings and bring good things back to one's own home.

What does meaningful travel mean to you?

Meaningful travel includes an openness to local experiences, and the ability to take in sights and sounds. You don't have to photograph something to remember it. In fact you may be more likely to remember a sight you never photographed. Visit museums, watch a performance, drink wine along a river, make friends with a barista, and live adventurously.

What qualities in a program and host community relations are important to you?

Safety is our primary concern, exemplified by the 24/7 site manager on-site for our Fellows. We monitor the appropriate government and international agencies about travel advisories, choose housing located in safe areas, and escort Fellows to and from excursions, work sites, and meals.

A second quality is an amazing learning experience, achieved via top-notch Project Leads, high-caliber Fellows, and high-impact projects on which our Fellows work.