As college students, we can sometimes feel lost and overwhelmed by all of the aspects of collegiate life, especially staying on top of our work and finding our way. Yet this week’s Campus Celeb seems to have it all figured out. Sesil Dikener (SMG ’16) is a driven finance and accounting major with her eyes on the prize.
“Coming into SMG, I didn’t actually know what I wanted to do with a business degree,” Sesil said. “After looking into the different concentrations, finance and accounting made the most sense because it looks into past and present funds of a company.”
Sesil is a member of Alpha Kappa Psi, a co-ed business fraternity on campus committed to building professionalism through core business values.
“I really wanted to immerse myself in a group of people that have the same motivation that I do,” Sesil said.
Within the fraternity, Sesil is also a member of AKPsi’s student consulting group known as the Nu Chapter Consulting Group. Sesil and 14 other AKPsi brothers work as consulting associates to local Boston startup companies, giving them hands on experience in the field they want to be a part of post-graduation.
The consulting group, founded only two years ago, has quickly taken a role in the Boston business scene. The group is split into three teams that each work closely with a local startup company for a given semester. This semester, Sesil and three other team members are working with a Cambridge-based tech startup called Burstworks.
Consultants and their consulting groups are hired by other companies in order to give them expert professional advice, like on how to get more customers, how to retain those customers and how to open in their current market or industry. This helps the companies approach any goal they have for their business, and can be done through marketing, technology and operations.
“I like to understand where their money is coming from and how they can grow and become a better company,” Sesil said.
Sesil is using this experience with the Nu Chapter Consulting Group to get her feet wet in the business consulting industry, as she is considering pursuing a consulting career post-graduation. She claims that she, like others in our generation, loves the idea of helping others.
When she is not in class or busy with AKPsi and the consulting group, Sesil loves to play the cello, run, explore Twitter and watch her favorite television shows “House of Cards” and “The Office.”
Sesil’s best piece of advice for other college students looking to further their business and professional experience is to find a mentor to help guide them. This can be someone who is already working in your desired field or an upperclassman worth looking up to.
“They can help you see where they got where they are today, and help guide you on where you want to be, giving you a first hand look on how hard work pays off,” Sesil said.