Professional Immersion Experience trips, known as PIE trips, provide Wabash students the opportunity to meet alumni professionals and gain a competitive edge in applying for internships and jobs. Due to COVID, recent PIE trips have been held virtually. But this January, in-person PIE trips are back — with the return of the Chicago PIE trip.
The upcoming Chicago PIE trip will run from January 3-5. Though only three days long, the trip is jam-packed. In addition to numerous group events and a two-day externship, students will end the program at a dinner with the Wabash Club of Chicago, creating an excellent networking opportunity.
This trip, focusing on finance, law, business, and entrepreneurship, is open to all students, regardless of class year or major. The program’s focus allows students, in true liberal arts fashion, to explore career paths that cannot be observed in the classroom. It is true professional immersion.
Through the built-in time for externship placements, students have the opportunity to extern with a number of organizations, including Motorola Solutions, Driehaus Capital Management LLC, and others.

Reed Mathis ‘22 participated in the previous Chicago PIE trip — just a month before the COVID-19 pandemic. Mathis externed with Michael Dockendorf ‘72 and Tim Trela ‘72 at The Peakstone Group, a middle market investment banking firm. Reed described the impact of the trip.
“The insight on the Chicago business landscape and investment banking was immense,” said Mathis. “This was the first time I got to see the Wabash network off-campus in action, and it provided a glimpse at some of the ways I needed to mature and adapt in order to be as successful as I hope to be post-graduation.”
Like all PIE trips, meals, hotels, and transportation expenses are covered by Career Services. Students only need to cover incidental expenses.
Interested students should apply on Handshake by 11:59pm on Nov. 17th.