HAYLEE MATECKO

Act Ethically: Ensuring that morally correct actions are carried out at all times, even when the possibility of getting caught is low.

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Criteria

• Honesty

• Perseverance

• Trust

• Strong moral compass

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Evidence: Financial Planning Conference

As a freshman, I was so excited to be invited to represent Texas A&M at at financial planning conference in North Carolina. I was the only student from A&M there, so I made friends with students from other schools. One night we had a "Gen Y" social, where only people under 30 were invited. I was hanging out with the other students when one offered to buy me a drink. I panicked, because I realized two things: I was underage, and nobody would know if I said yes. I was at a loss, as he waited for my response. I was at a professional conference, but was I still on the clock? No matter what factors I considered, i knew in my gut I could not feel good saying yes. 

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I was so afraid of the socially awkward repercussions that could have come out of that night. While nothing serious happened, it could have been a much bigger request to break the rules and a much harder set of repercussions had I obliged. Acting ethically goes from the million dollar fraud all the way down to following the alcohol age limits. It isn't easy to be ethical in every decision we make, but it is essential as business people.