You may recognize Sameer Paul from around campus – as a leader on the Student Ambassador team, he has put in many hours giving tours and meeting prospective students. Some of us may have even had him on our student panels or tours while visiting Santa Clara! Sameer chose to be a part of this team because he loves SCU, and wanted to “have the opportunity to talk about the great things at SCU, as well as assist prospective students through the tough decision of choosing a college.” Raised in Austin, Texas, you can certainly see how this warm and charming senior possesses southern manners and charitable tendencies from his work, both on and off campus.
Being an ambassador isn’t the end of Sameer’s desire to give back. An avid golfer since the age of three, he saw a unique opportunity to use his skills and love of the game to help kids who don’t have access to safe educational facilities in foreign countries. In his words, “One of the things I love about golf is that you can play the game for a very long time as well as use it for philanthropic effort.” Inspired by a visit to his grandparents in India, he was struck by how such a fast growing country was faced with issues in infrastructure, sanitization, and poverty. Shortly afterwards he was introduced to a man named Phillip Berber, founder of A Glimmer of Hope, a charity that assists underprivileged children in rural Ethiopia. Sameer creatively thought of hosting a charity golf tournament for the organization to help raise money for a school in Ethiopia. “The tournament was attended by 80 people, had a dozen corporate sponsors, and I was able to raise over $14,000 to build a wing for the school called the ‘Paul Wing’.”
Our Campus Celebrity has business sense to compliment his big heart. Sameer is in the Leavey School of Business, specializing in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Accounting. Sameer has had two successful marketing internships at home in Austin and serves as a Peer Advisor for the Business School. He has served on their Executive Board since 2011. He’s on a team with three other students and they are responsible for hiring Peer Advisors, creating team bonding events, and teaching the advisors how to assist the undergraduate business freshmen. All of Sameer’s hard work has certainly paid off: he will be working full time at Deloitte Consulting after he graduates in the spring! When asked what he would like to do after graduation he said that in a fifth grade yearbook he responded with “a retired Texas Lottery Winner”! While I personally think that’s acceptable, now he hopes to pursue an MBA after spending time with Deloitte and look into developing start-up companies. We’re pretty certain here at Her Campus Santa Clara that Sameer will leave a big mark on the business world with his strong personality and work ethic.
His leadership skills are utilized all over campus, including in Santa Clara’s Greek system. As a proud member of Sigma Chi Fraternity, he held the position of Social Chair last year, leading the philanthropy event Derby Days: a week-long event that raises money for the Huntsman Cancer Institute, as well as planning their formal. This year he was elected to the position of Vice President and runs all chapter operations, working with an annual budget of around $70,000. A unique experience to be sure, his involvement in Sigma Chi shows his ability to be a team player as well as a leader!
We sat down and asked Sameer what he considers the keys to his success. In regards to the Greek system he says, “Learning to work with different individuals and executing events has helped me grow as a leader and given me an experience that I believe is closely related to what I will experience when I start work after graduation.” You don’t have to be a business major or a stellar golf player to be successful. Sameer believes the resources we have on campus are what helps a student distinguish him or herself and grow as a person.
“As a senior, I can say SCU has a whole lot to offer. From study abroad, to student government, to campus event planning, there is so much to do. I think choosing a few clubs and possibly gaining positions in them is a great way to start meeting people and becoming more active on campus. Additionally, I think one of the biggest secrets of SCU is the career center. They do a great job bringing companies in all fields to campus and provide great resume critiques and mock interview assistance. Use the career center!”
It’s important to note that he got his internships back in Austin by reaching out to the Career Center. They gave him access to internship databases at University of Texas, Baylor, and more. Sounds like solid advice to me!
We can’t wait to see more from this dynamic senior as his resume continues to grow. Be sure to say hi to our Sigma Chi Campus Celeb if you see him around campus. Trust us, you want to get to know this charming southern gentleman!