UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of Management

Not every student gets to bump into their mom between classes. For the Connelly family, the Bloch School has become a shared place to learn, grow and dream big. Wendy is pursuing her Executive MBA, while her children, Leo and Gryffin, are forging their own paths as business students in Bloch Launchpad and the More in 4 program.

Meet the Connellys: https://www.umkc.edu/news/posts/2026/august/learning-runs-in-the-family-at-the-umkc-bloch-school.html

Summer internships gave these Bloch School students the opportunity to put their skills into practice and explore careers in finance, banking and marketing.

Kaylah Beatty interned with UMB Bank in Kansas City, supporting the advisory team through research, financial analysis and client materials. She was introduced to the internship through the Bloch School's Banking Leaders of Tomorrow program, and the experience strengthened her analytical skills and interest in retirement planning and financial services.

Amulya Madhav Bhat interned with the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, gaining experience in nonprofit finance, accounting and grant management. Her internship was made possible through the Edward Smith Internship Program at the Bloch School's Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership.

Kendall Davis interned with Black & Veatch in Overland Park, working on website editing, AI development, thought leadership and conference planning. The experience helped her discover an interest in campaign marketing.

We welcomed new and returning Banking Leaders of Tomorrow students at orientation! Our Roos met their mentors, connected with each other and got a look at what’s in store for them this semester.

Through the Bloch Consulting Lab, UMKC students partnered with Kansas City bakery Cake-a-Boo to support the company's continued growth. The student consulting team conducted market research and developed strategic recommendations focused on corporate outreach, marketing and business development, providing students with hands-on consulting experience while helping a local business explore new opportunities.

Since the partnership, Cake-A-Boo has continued to grow its profile, including creating Leo Messi's birthday cake while he was in Kansas City for the 2026 FIFA World Cup!

Bloch students Alejandro Hernandez (BBA ’26) and Jazmin Romo (BBA ’26) didn’t just watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer, they helped bring it to life. Through their internships with Host Broadcast Services, they attended every FIFA World Cup in Kansas City and supported international media operations, gained hands-on industry experience and saw firsthand the teamwork behind one of the world’s largest sporting events.

Hear about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in their own words: https://www.umkc.edu/news/posts/2026/august/umkc-bloch-students-score-world-cup-internship-opportunity.html

Bloch students Jana Bruce and Andrew Lair turned their summer internships into opportunities to explore their career goals and build real-world experience.

As a sales and management intern at Sherwin-Williams, Jana gained hands-on experience in customer service, store operations and commercial sales. She also contributed to a digital engagement project that helped employees better understand the company’s digital platforms. Jana found her internship through the Fall 2025 Business Career Fair and used the experience to discover the areas of business she wants to pursue.

Andrew interned with Creative Planning’s government audit team, gaining firsthand experience with audit engagements, workpapers, client communications and financial reporting. Through UMKC Handshake, Andrew found this opportunity that strengthened his interest in accounting and showed him the value of communication, collaboration and understanding the bigger picture behind financial decisions. Andrew will continue at Bloch through the master of accounting program and work toward his CPA eligibility.

From career fairs to professional networks available to Bloch students, opportunities like these help our students transform what they learn in the classroom into career success.

Every internship tells a different story, but each one brings Bloch students one step closer to their career goals.

Brecken Douglass, a business administration student, is building a strong foundation in sales, pricing strategy, inventory management and leadership at Oakes Auto while preparing to one day own his own contracting business. Through his internship, he's gaining firsthand experience in the day-to-day decision-making that keeps a business running.

Shreya Shrestha, a graduate accounting student, is applying her skills in a new industry at Garney Construction, where she's gaining experience with financial operations, learning how accounting supports major infrastructure projects and seeing firsthand how business decisions shape the communities around them. One of her biggest takeaways: the importance of being adaptable and open to learning.

Both Brecken and Shreya credit the Bloch Career Center with helping them with the internship search. From career fairs and resume support to interview preparation, the Bloch Career Center gave them the confidence and resources to take the next step toward their futures.

A new book from Bloch Professor Nathan Mauck, Ph.D., and co-author Robert Greene is helping business professionals rethink and improve how they use artificial intelligence.

Their book, "AI Co-Thinking: A Framework for Working with AI" introduces a framework for combining human intelligence (HI) with artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen reasoning, ask better questions and solve complex problems.

Mauck and Greene recently brought this philosophy to Bloch Executive Education’s Business Innovation & Artificial Intelligence Series, where more than 30 participants explored the HI + AI = Effective Co-Thinking framework and applied it to real-world challenges. Through interactive exercises, participants practiced using AI as a thought partner to get the most out of the tool.

The conversation continues on Aug. 21 when Mauck and Greene will explore how defining the right problem before turning to AI can lead to stronger outcomes and better decision-making. Learn more: https://info.umkc.edu/centers/programs/how-well-did-you-frame-that-problem-definition-and-ai/