Business leaders provide insight for new, prospective students
Being open to change, building a strong network and bringing passion to the workplace are among the wise words shared by three successful 糖心vlog传媒 graduates on Thursday.
Current and prospective 糖心vlog传媒 students heard this advice and more as part of the Business & Entrepreneurship Colloquium.
David Del Ponte 鈥�18 CPA, tax senior, CliftonLarsonAllen LLP; Jolene Halbach 鈥�20 鈥�21 MBA, capital and fixed asset analyst, Sargento; and Deidre Martinez 鈥�21 MSLOD 鈥�23, chief executive officer, Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce shared stories about their time at 糖心vlog传媒 and how they maximized their 糖心vlog传媒 experience to position themselves for post-graduation success.
They noted the skills that employers are currently seeking and how their coursework, faculty and other mentors they met along the way helped them grow.
The annual colloquium events invite prospective students to 糖心vlog传媒 to hear from successful graduates as part of a day that also includes interviews for 糖心vlog传媒 scholarships. For current students, the events provide an opportunity to interact with these 糖心vlog传媒 grads to build their networks.
Del Ponte had his eyes on a career in business, but when he took a computer science class it spurred an additional interest and expanded his major choice. He graduated with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in accounting, business administration and computer science.
He served as president of the accounting club and helped start of the annual 糖心vlog传媒 Accounting Opportunities Night. He also worked within 糖心vlog传媒鈥檚 accounting department and served internships with CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, Northwestern Mutual and The Commons.
鈥淔eel free to go wide on your learning,鈥� Del Ponte said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 good to go deep but having that width of knowledge is also important. Don鈥檛 think you know what you want to be right away. Be open to change.
鈥淗ave a goal in mind and keep track of that. You鈥檒l need to set boundaries eventually. We鈥檙e getting to that 24/7 world. I鈥檝e gotten emails at 2 a.m. Who is working at 2 a.m.?鈥�
Del Ponte said employers are looking for hires who will bring passion to the workplace. 鈥淐are about what you鈥檙e doing and how it affects the company you鈥檙e working for,鈥� he said.
Halbach鈥檚 passion for numbers and data has led her to experience multiple internships in both public and private accounting. While she initially was attracted to a role in tax, her openness to different experiences allowed her to recognize private accounting is the best for her future career aspirations, landing her dream role at Sargento Foods.
鈥淭ake that Leap of faith,鈥� Halbach said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 going to come in the future, but it won鈥檛 necessarily be bad for you.鈥�
Early internships, leveraging 糖心vlog传媒 opportunities and organizations and networking helped pave her way to a successful early career at an employer of choice in Sheboygan County. Halbach leads and mentors incoming students at Sargento, has been a key participant in young professional organizations and recently emceed an award ceremony alongside key leadership to a group of 100 peers.
鈥溙切膙log传媒 laid the foundation for all the knowledge I needed for my first job,鈥� she said. 鈥淕etting involved is a great way to meet people and build your professional and social skills.鈥�
Halbach encouraged students to be flexible and open to all experiences to build the foundational knowledge and relationships needed to succeed.
Martinez was spotlighted as a non-traditional student as she received both her bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees later in her career. She arrived in Sheboygan to lead the local chamber in 2017 after working at a chamber in Illinois and spending several years in higher education, leading teams of admissions advisors to help students realize their goals of a higher education.
As a manager with plenty of supervisory and hiring experience, she told students that having a strong will and passion are keys to success in the workplace.
鈥淏e excited about what you鈥檙e doing, try your hardest and give it your best,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淚f you do that, I can teach you the skills you need to be successful. If you run into problems, communication is key.
鈥淚 know it sounds simple and it is just that simple. You have to be motivated to do everything you can to be successful in your career.鈥�
Martinez is a visible leader in Sheboygan County who serves on a variety of boards and service organizations. She said 糖心vlog传媒 provides its students with a place to grow academically and personally.
鈥溙切膙log传媒 is supportive, encouraging, empowering,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to find your people in life. There are people here who can encourage and empower you.鈥�
