Author Archives: Genesha

About Genesha

Hometown: Decatur, IL Major: Double Major- Accounting & Finance specialization in Investments Fun Fact: I was born on new years day so I have the biggest party anyone could ever have every year because people are celebrating with me all across the country!

School Pride

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From the first day I visited Southern Illinois University Carbondale I knew that it was the place for me to develop, learn and make a difference. I am enrolled in the College of Business here at SIUC and I am proud to be a part of this family. We are in the top 5% of business schools worldwide so that means we have high expectations to meet. The resources that the college and the university offer make it possible for all students to succeed if they take advantage of them. The resources that have helped me to get closer to my degree and therefore closer to my career goals are the tutoring center and the wonderful faculty and staff. The tutoring center is open throughout the week for any business student to get help with basic math, accounting and other business classes that they may need help in. I personally would go there to get help with my calculus and statistics courses. The staff is always knowledgeable which is why with their help I was able to get an A in my statistics class. They break down the information to a level that is easy for you to understand and remember.

The faculty members here at SIUC, specifically the College of Business, have an open door policy. You can stop and talk, ask questions or get help at any time and they are willing to do all they can to help you succeed. SIUC is a research institution so education that is provided is well rounded and taught by professors that have expert knowledge and experience in the subjects they teach. The Accounting and Finance departments have made it their duty to provide outside resources and networks for their students by arranging the annual Accounting Career Fair, on top of the University Career Fair, and allowing student to meet with Finance alumni and board members that could potentially be a connect for future employment. When the companies visit the campus most likely they are looking to hire for internships or full-time positions so it is important that students learn to see the urgency in attending these events. I can attest to the impact and success of these events because I recently obtained an interview and an offer for a summer internship at Deloitte from simply going to the fall Accounting Career Fair and introducing myself to the Deloitte recruiter. Now after this internship, I hope they see the potential in me to want to offer me a full-time position after graduation.

SIUC has provided all the resources that I needed to help me obtain this internship and any other job that I may want in the future. There are several offices across the campus that provide services such as résumé critiques, mock interviews and helping you learning how to sell yourself when talking to recruiters. SIUC was my first and last choice when choosing a place of higher education because I knew that they would best prepare me for the future.

This <a href=”http://www.centurylinkquote.com/scholarship”>scholarship</a> is sponsored by <a href=”http://www.centurylinkquote.com/”>CenturyLinkQuote.com</a>.

FINALS WEEK!

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This is the time of year when the library is packed with students, laptops, books, and notes from sun up to sun down.

This is the time where late nights bleed into the early morning while you are doing last minute studying for your finals.

This is the time to be proud that you made it through another year of life, college and reaching toward your ultimate goal of being successful.

This is the time of short and long good-byes, see you laters, and wish you wells, to those that will be leaving for the summer or graduating and moving on to build a career.

Whatever it is that you are doing this week, be sure to do it with a smile on your face and a song in your heart. Take time and reflect on all that you have been through this school year, good and bad. If there are things you know you would have or should have did different take note of them so you can be sure to improve for next year.

Good luck and God bless!

GREATHOUSE AS USG PRESIDENT

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I am excited and honored to announce that fellow blogger and College of Business Accounting pupil, Brittany Greathouse, as the winner of the Undergraduate Student Government Presidential election for the 2012-2013 school year. The Vice President is Corbin Doss and Chief of Staff is Hannah George and what a great team they make.

Brittany has made a huge impact on SIU’s campus since she arrived in the Fall of 2010. She is committed to making a difference in the college experience for the students here at SIUC and so far she has done just that. She is a mentor to freshman CoB students helping them learn what it takes to be a successful Saluki.

She is the current Finance chair of USG, the VP of the NAACP-SIU Collegiate chapter, a faithful member of Blacks Interested in Business, National Association of Black Accountants, and Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society.

“I was kinda of nervous during the campaigning process because my opponent [Jeff Rusin] was very cocky and kept saying I made the wrong decision by running against him” says Greathouse.

Even with all the support from her peers and fellow organization members helping her campaign all over campus, Brittany still kept a humbleness about her. She never wanted to give of a cocky attitude so she never responded to comments like the one Rusin made. Her retaliation was in her campaigning. She had posters and t-shirts made and used Twitter and Facebook to help publicize. She fought tough and won fairly.

All of her hard work and efforts paid off when she heard the voting results on Thursday. Greathouse 540 votes. Rusin 122 votes. It’s clear that Brittany had nothing to worry about from the beginning. She has such a genuine and persuasive personality that captivates everyone she encounters, which is why I always had faith that she would win.

“Now that I have secured the position as USG President I plan on helping start a retention campaign, as well as continue to try and bridge the gap between students and upper administration” Brittany proudly expresses.

Once again, CONGRATULATIONS and much success to you Brittany!

SIU Extern Program

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SIU has a great program that is accessible to students who want to get a feel for the environment of the professional workplace. The SIU Extern Program is described as a week long job shadow where you can gain knowledge about a company and how they operate.

There is an application process that starts in the fall and an interview with your respective college recruiter to help decide what companies you would like to job shadow. There is a matching process that requires much attention and efforts from the recruiter so they match you with the best. It is at your own expense, meaning traveling and lodging arrangements are up to you so it is wise to pick a company that is located where you live or have family or friends to stay with.

The program actually occurs during the week of spring break. YES, during spring break. Although you maybe wanting to have an exotic vacation at that time, this program allows you to do something that will help you prepare for your future. Companies look highly on students that participate in the program because they know you would rather be laying on a sunny beach in Miami, Panama City, or Cancun, so they know that you see the value in bettering yourself for the future and how focused and responsible you must be.

This spring break I had the pleasure of externing at The Boeing Company in St. Louis, MO. There was 10 Salukis present: 6 accounting, 3 aviation management, and 1 engineer.The experience was definitely an eyeopener because I got to see how large the company really is and how many options there are for accounting majors just within that company. I learned that there are about 2500 people that work in some area of accounting just in the St. Louis office alone. There is an extensive number of focus departments including accounts receivables, Core, Contracts, Financial Policies and Reports, Program Cost Accounting, SOX and the list goes on and on. I have pages and pages of notes full of useful information that they presented to the group.

On top of gaining so much information, I also became close with the other externs, whom I had no previous relationship with. In our down time we were able to go to the mall and out to dinner just to interact and get to know each other better. There was one girl who I clicked with instantly and we still keep in contact now that were back on campus.

This program is very unique and worthwhile. SIU is one of the few schools that offer the program so I highly encourage all students to participate next year.

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This weekend is a popular one here on the campus of SIUC. The Fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi is having their huge annual party called “Player’s Ball” on Saturday, March 24. This event draws students form all of the universities across the Midwest and the surrounding areas. It is just a time to gather, meet new people and have fun.

I just want wish everybody a safe and fun weekend. Enjoy yourselves, but keep in mind that police will be everywhere and watching everyone closely, so be aware. Don’t drive drunk and make reckless trouble, drawing unnecessary attention to yourself. This is a weekend of excitement and entertainment so let’s show these out-of-towners how SIUC can party.

~Carpe Diem~

MSLC Crunch Time!!

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Welcome Back Salukis!!

I hope everyone had a lovely spring break last week!

I am steady on the move preparing for the 2012 Minority Student Leadership Conference that will take place next Thursday, March 29th. If you have not registered, time is of the essence so don’t hesitate any longer. Go to the conference website (mslc.siu.edu), print and fill out an application, then turn it in to the College of Business Office of Minority Affairs ASAP, as workshops are being assigned this week. There is so much planned for this eventful day that you don’t want to miss out. Hope to see you there!

Have a great day!

2012 MINORITY STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

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There is a great and unique event returning to the campus this semester. The 2nd Annual Minority Student Leadership Conference will be held March 29, 2012 in the Student Center Ballrooms from 8:30am to 3:30pm, check-in begins at 7:30am!

This event is catering to the needs of all minority student, including but not limited to African Americans, Asian Americans, Indians, Native Americans, Hispanics, women, and those of the GLBT community.

FREE Breakfast and Lunch will be provided to each participant, along with a souvenir book and personal portfolio for them to take home.

Keynote Speakers include Joshua Fredenburg (Breakfast) and Mike Glenn (Lunch), a world renowned leadership and inspirational speaker and a former Saluki basketball player and NBA player for the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks, respectively.

There will be a series of workshops that students will be able to choose from and attend throughout the day, at the most four. Topics range from Public Speaking, Decision Making 101, Conflict Management, Personal Goal Setting, Perception and Stereotyping, and a large variety of others.

Please pass along this information to students you think are interested in this spectacular event. There is a limited amount of students able to participate so I suggest early registration. The deadline is Friday, March 9, 2012 and you can find the application, excused absence sheet, and all the other details of the conference at mslc.siu.edu. Applications can be turned into the College of Business Minority Affairs office in Rehn Hall Room 119 during the day from 8:00am to 4:00pm.

Please follow the Minority Student Leadership Conference on Twitter @MSLC_SIUC and FaceBook BIB SIUC for updates.

IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN!

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The spring 2012 Career Fair is just around the corner. The event will take place next Wednesday, February 22 from 9:00am until 2:00pm! There will be numerous companies represented at the fair and you DO NOT want to miss out on the chance to land an internship or even a full time position, if you are graduating.

In preparation of this event, I scheduled for a career service whiz, Matt Purdy of SIUC College of Business Placement Center to speak at BIB’s (Blacks Interested in Business) weekly meeting to give our members an advantage over other students. He came and discussed many of the important aspects when taking part in the career fair. Some of his tips are as follows:

1. Have several fine tuned copies of your resume with you in a pad-folio that you can give to the companies of your interest.
—-If you need help composing a resume feel free to stop by the CoB Placement Center or the University Career Services for assistance.

2. Dress appropriately, like a day at the office.
—-Ladies: No tight skirts, low cut shirts or excessive jewelry; Guys: Keep it simple a nice white or blue button up shirt.
—-If you have to second guess yourself, DO NOT WEAR IT.

3. Have a well rehearsed introduction of your self.
—-The key is to practice in the mirror or even record yourself so you can go back and watch it and tweak your speech until you get it perfect.

4. Early arrival is suggested.
—-They remember the early birds
—-Companies go to lunch around 12:00 and after they return, they will be packing up to leave because there is only a short hour left.

5. If you are nervous go speak to a company that you have no interest in for a quick practice run, it will only help boost your confidence.
—-Pay attention to what you have troubble with and tweak it before you move on to the next company.

6. You should have looked at the list of companies that are scheduled to be there, picked out your top prospects and done some research on each company.
—-They take pride in their accomplishments so knowing you care about this information gives you a leg up.
—-Keep a cheat sheet of information in your pad-folio.
—-Listen to what the representative is telling the person in front of you and write down any information that you did not have already.
—-Along with company information, you should have 2 to 3 questions that you want to ask the representative about the company or about their experience working with the company.

7. Make eye contact with everyone you speak to and have an engaging conversation and give firm handshakes.

8. At the end of your conversations, DO NOT FORGET to get a piece of contact information to follow up with them later.
—-Request a business card from them.
—-Send a thank you within 24 hours so that you stay fresh in their mind.
—-Email is the easiest and quickest way of contact and is highly suggested
—-Write down their name from their name tag so you can remember it

9. LAST BUT NOT LEAST… APPLY FOR ANY OPEN POSITION BEFORE YOU SET FOOT IN THE CAREER FAIR!
—-You are one step ahead of everybody else and when the representative suggests positions for you to apply, you can tell them that you’ve already applied.
—-DO IT NOW!

I hope that this is a great help to you and that you don’t waste another minute before you start preparing. This event is for freshmen all the way to graduating seniors. Get you face and name known by the companies that you wish to work for now so in the future you can meet with them again, at the next career fair. Persistence and confidence is key.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: (ME) @OnleeOnCamEra (MATT PURDY) @saluki1 (SIUC) @SIUC & (the College of Business) @SIUBusiness for many updates and information.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY SALUKIS!!!