Career-Ready Skills

Transcript

Business degrees are available nearly anywhere you look. Here is Mercedes who wouldn’t settle on a program until she knew it would give her the educational foundation and experiential opportunities to prepare her the business world. She has some great insights on building a meaningful degree experience.

– Thanks Alex, and hello everyone. My name is Mercedes Starr and I toured a lot of small private liberal arts colleges before I came here to Siena Heights. At each one, they told me that I would be treated as more than a number. It wasn’t until I came here that I believed it for the very first time. I saw it, felt it, and knew that it was the place for me, despite being so far away from my home state of Arizona. Successful business is all about networking and building those personal connections. For me that looks like becoming very involved on campus. As Treasurer of student government and President of Student Programming, Recreation and Activities Committee, SPARC, I can make my ideas a reality. I’ve used my finance skills to help fund campus improvements with student government, such as adding hammocks on campus or remodeling the kitchenette in the residence halls. I’ve also used my management and business skills to host events with SPARC, such as field trips to Cedar Point, late night breakfast events, and hosting a Holi Festival on campus. Attending leadership conferences such as the National Association for Campus Activities, NACA, funded through Siena Heights, has helped build my abilities as a speaker and a leader. Two things that are invaluable in today’s business environment. I’m currently expanding my leadership skills outside of Siena as a business intern, focusing on small business development. This summer, I will complete a finance internship. My undergraduate business classes provided the foundation for my successes. Now I’m considering Siena’s accelerated MBA where I can start taking classes for the MBA program during my senior year. Whichever career path you choose, I encourage you to take your learning beyond the classroom and become involved in your community. There are people and resources available at Siena to support you. That’s the Siena Effect. Back to you, Alex.

– More than just a number. You got that right, Mercedes. And moving on to Siena’s accelerated MBA sounds like a perfect fit. We wish you much success in your internship and your graduate work.