News | 5/1/08

Media Credit: Blake Savadow [Click to enlarge]

On Tuesday evening, Amanda Gutin heard the phrase eight contestants had worked the entire winter to hear: "You're hired."

The semester-long Associate competition came to a close Tuesday evening, as the final boardroom session ended with the hiring of senior Amanda Gutin by St. Joseph Medical Center CEO, and this year's "Donald Trump," John Tolmie. Gutin will be offered a six-month fellowship at St. Joseph Medical Center, which includes the opportunity to travel and do relief work in Africa.

"I'm really excited," Gutin said regarding the trip to Tanzania. "At first it was a little overwhelming…but it's going to be a really great opportunity; I'll learn a lot about myself."

In addition, Tolmie also offered finalist Kimberly Hawk the opportunity to participate in the six-month fellowship.

"We thought Kim and Amanda did a great job throughout the entire competition," Tolmie said. "We thought that with the ideas, skills, energy and passion that they brought, it'd be great to have both of them involved with [the Village Wellness Project] over the next six months."

The Associate is an annual competition held by the College of Business and Economics that is modeled after the "The Apprentice." Contestants participated in case studies each week offered by Baltimore businesses, and the winning contestant is offered a position by that year's "Donald Trump," typically a Baltimore-based executive.

This week's final case marked a first for The Associate competition. The final two contestants worked on a non-profit, service-oriented task. Gutin and Hawk were asked to create a mosquito net distribution plan for the village of Chemchem, in Tanzania as part of St. Joseph Medical Center's Village Wellness Project. Mosquito nets are hung over beds at night to prevent the spread of the malaria, a disease that, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development, is the leading cause of death among Tanzanian children. St. Joseph Medical Center is an active donor and supporter of Tanzania, with contributions that include providing health care, food, and livestock to the Karatu district of Tanzania.

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