On Friday, June 4th, Draffin & Tucker, LLP hosted their annual THRIVE Summer Leadership Program (SLP) for thirty rising college sophomores and juniors seeking a career in accounting. The program is designed to prepare students for their careers by offering a host of activities consisting of panel discussions, presentations, mock interviews and networking with professionals from Draffin Tucker.

Historically a two-day, in-person event, the organizers of SLP 2021 were determined to think outside of the box to keep the safety of students top priority in the post-COVID world. The event, harnessing the technology of online meetings, was moved to a virtual one-day format allowing for presentations, breakout sessions, games, and virtual networking rooms – all in real-time.

The firm overcame a significant hurdle to pivoting the event from in-person to a virtual format with a bit of creativity. “All of our past SLP events have included time set aside for students to serve the community in a hands-on setting – something fundamental to our firm,” said Cheryl Glover, Draffin Tucker Human Resources Manager. “At first, it seemed impossible to continue that aspect in a virtual format, but our leadership team brainstormed a solution.”

This year, the event incorporated a group project that allowed students to research, plan, and recommend a charitable organization to receive a $1,000.00 donation from Draffin Tucker. Students worked in randomly selected small groups to present their recommendation to a panel of judges comprised of Draffin Tucker team members. Presentations were made for Boy Scouts of America Georgia Council, Easterseals, and Open Hand Atlanta which are among several organizations that the firm supports on an ongoing basis in Albany and Atlanta – the two locations of Draffin Tucker offices. 

“It was impressive to see a bunch of relative strangers come together in such a short period of time and put together their presentations,” said Laura Stair, Draffin Tucker Manager.