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SEMA

Aedan Frank – Leading Community Engagement

Hey there! Welcome to my page! For a quick introduction, I’m Aedan, I’m from Buffalo NY and I am a fifth-year student at Rochester Institute of Technology. I’m currently pursuing my Master’s in Business Administration with a Bachelors in Game Design Development and Psychology. Please take a look at my resume to learn more!

I enjoy new experiences and teaching myself new things because there are so many interesting things to learn! I’m a Game Designer/Developer and it’s a dream come true. Ever since I was little I loved playing games, be it board, PC, console, or mobile games. I love the immersive experience of games and someday I wish to make my own. Pursuing my MBA has taught me how similar operating a business is to games with various skilled departments, critical objectives, and resource management. There is so much that goes into creating a game and understanding as much of the process as possible It is a big goal, but for now, I’m excited to dive in and get as much technical and industry experience as possible! 

In my free time, I like to get involved in the community. I’ve worked as a Resident Advisor and Peer Facilitator as well as taking leadership roles in Student Government and Google Student Developer Club. I like to explore a diverse range of interests and hobbies finding myself lost in a captivating book or experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen (I like cookbooks), enjoying the creativity that comes with cooking. I also love taking leisurely walks outside and enjoy staying updated on the latest tech trends and online courses to learn new skills (LinkedIn Learning). Balancing productivity with relaxation is crucial, playing games or watching TV in my moments to unwind, and recharge, before getting ready to pursue my passions. How do you like to spend your free time?

Please, Please, Please

Download my Resume or connect with me on LinkedIn

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SEMA

Max Mekker – MBA Student

Thank you for taking 5 minutes to make a tremendous impact on my project! My goal is to gain as much engagement on this post as possible, and simply clicking on my resume, LinkedIn, and reading this introduction contributes to a strong performance.

My name is Max Mekker and I am an MBA student at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), in Rochester, NY. Completing my undergraduate degree in accounting, I am now pursuing my CPA and MBA certifications which will be completed by May of 2025. I can bore you with the internships I’ve done and what my career plans are… but those can all be found on my resume and LinkedIn profile attached to this post. So instead, I’d like to share a story on what influenced my decision to pursue an MBA.

Working towards my MBA was not always on my radar, at least not until I traveled to Australia for the Fall 2022 semester. On September 4th, 2022, I boarded my flight from Syracuse, NY, and after 22 hours of air travel, I landed in Gold Coast, Australia. The next four months were spent at Bond University, one of Australia’s top private institutions. During those four months, I not only explored Australia’s iconic landmarks—the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney, the Outback—but also ventured to Bali and spent two weeks traveling through New Zealand. This journey exposed me to new perspectives and deepened my understanding of the world. It was these experiences that also helped me realize my passion for continuous learning and growth, ultimately leading to my decision to pursue an MBA.

Here are two key lessons I’ve come to embrace from my study abroad journey, and how they shaped my desire to further my education through an MBA program:

1. Be in the Present

From hiking mountains in New Zealand to racing four-wheelers through forests in Bali, I learned the value of being fully present. Letting go of thoughts about the past or worries about the future allowed me to truly absorb everything happening around me. This mindset shift made me realize the importance of adaptability—a skill crucial in business. In today’s rapidly evolving world, the ability to stay agile and embrace new challenges is essential. My time abroad showed me that I thrive in dynamic environments, and pursuing an MBA will allow me to further develop this agility and apply it in leadership and entrepreneurial roles.

2. Gratitude and Global Perspective

Traveling opened my eyes to the diversity of experiences and perspectives around the world. Meeting people from different backgrounds and seeing how they navigate life with optimism, even in challenging circumstances, gave me a deeper appreciation for global business environments. This sparked my interest in learning how businesses can positively impact communities and the importance of ethical leadership. An MBA not only enhances my financial and strategic acumen but also broadens my understanding of global markets.

My study abroad experience gave me a sense of confidence I didn’t have before. These experiences revealed my passion for problem-solving and leadership. Pursuing an MBA felt like the natural next step in building on these strengths. I’m confident that an MBA will provide the tools and network I need to turn these experiences into meaningful impact.

Click on the icon above and connect with Max on LinkedIn!

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SEMA

Adam Young – Captionist, UX Student

Hi there, I’m Adam.  I’ve worked as a Real-Time Captionist at RIT for nine years.  That means I’ve roamed the campus attending different classes with Deaf/hard of hearing students. I transcribe what the professor and other students are saying, as they follow along on an iPad.  Think court stenography, but for the classroom.

I’ve captioned all sorts of courses from anthropology, to calculus, to psychology.  One summer I was fortunate enough to caption for a student on a study abroad trip to Croatia, Austria, and Germany.  I still miss the food.  

Now I’m pursuing my master’s degree in Professional Studies at RIT, where I have stitched together a program with coursework in UX design, digital marketing, and project management. 

I’m trying to put these new skills to good use by volunteering with a small organization working to spread the word about a new medical clinic in South Sudan.

Feel free to check out my LinkedIn page and resume below. Please reach out if you’re interested in collaborating on a project.  Thanks for reading.

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SEMA

Jack Connolly-student, MBA program, Website, Resume

MBA student

Hell0! My name is Jack Connolly, I am currently pursuing on getting my masters in Business Administration at RIT. When I was an undergraduate I was getting my bachelors in Visual Media. Which is a mix of photography, graphic design, and marketing. I took some business classes while in my undergrad years and really liked the idea of going to take more classes in business.

This year in particular I hope to improve my knowledge of marketing and advertising career since I do believe it complements what I know currently when it comes to the creative side of what I’ve learned in my undergraduate years. I want to be able to be part of the business and creative side of advertising so that I can see how a marketing agency thinks on the business side of things and then later on decides how they want to get creative with their marketing.

Below is a link to my resume and website! Please feel free to click on either one of these links and let me know what you think about them? I would love to hear your feedback while I try to improve both my resume and my website.Your feedback will be much appreciated, since I will be applying to jobs soon once I am done after getting my MBA. To leave feedback, leave a comment below!

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SEMA

Ethan Lin – Financial Analyst, MBA Scholar

Hi, my name is Ethan Lin. I’m currently a MBA graduate student at RIT. I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance in 2023. I chose to venture into MBA program because I wanted to further venture into the professional world. As a student during my time at RIT, I was part of the RIT Cosplay Troupe and served as part of the executive board (E-Board) as treasurer from May of 2021 to May of 2022.

I’ve had experience in the finance world in different industries. During my undergraduate career, I had the opportunity to work at Superior Plus Energy Services at Rochester, NY from May of 2022 to December of 2022. I learned how to use my newly gained accounting skills to file taxes and licenses for the company in various U.S states.

During my MBA career, I worked at OTG Management in Jamaica, NY from June of 2024 to August of 2024. I learned how to compile various data such invoices, daily sales. cost of goods sold (COGS), and purachse to sales (PTS). I even undertook a special project on analysing customer behavior by using sales in various restaurant concepts.

Feel free to view my LinkedIn profile and/or my resume. Thank You.

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SEMA

Rachael Bessette

MBA Student

Welcome! My name is Rachael Bessette, I am a Graduate Student at the Rochester Institute of Technology pursuing my Master’s in Business Administration. My undergraduate degree is in Marketing with a minor in Advertising and Public Relations.

While in my last semester of the program I look forward to graduating and advancing my Marketing career by working in social media marketing or event marketing. Some of my skills that aid in these career options are the ability to be organized, having success in planning, as well as my background in advertising and public relations.

When I’m not in school I thoroughly enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends. I also always make time for physical activity, specifically rowing, which I have been involved in since I was in middle school.

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SEMA

Robert Tomenchok

My name is Robert Tomenchok, I am a graduate student studying for my master’s in business administration (MBA) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and I will be graduating in the spring of 2024. My bachelor’s degree was also at RIT in the School of Engineering as an Electrical Engineer. While at the University I also received a minor in American Sign Language (ASL) and participated as a player and later a coach for the RIT Men’s Club Soccer team.

I have worked at two companies for about 16 months total, 8 per company. The first company was Marquardt Switches in their R&D Lab as an intern working with electromechanical switches through various failure tests, repairing circuit board components, and directly working with project managers and engineers on new projects in the lab. At Marquardt I was involved in some respect with everything that came into the lab, this allowed me to work with a variety of other employees on their projects. The second company was BAFCO Inc., an Assistant Electrical Engineer working on new product development and design. During this time, I was able to design an op-amp tester that would test 12 op-amps continuously so that any that were needed to go in equipment would be working properly.

I find time to continue to be involved in the Boy Scout community and Tomenchok Farms, my family’s farm in NJ.

Check out Robert’s CV

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SEMA

Joseph Kollie: MBA

About me:

Hi, my name is Joseph Kollie,

I am currently at the Rochester Institute of Technology. After completing my undergraduate in Psychology and with my interest for conducting experiments and pulling data, I wanted to further my education in the business sphere, as these research designs and methodologies often overlap. The MBA program allowed me to advance my career and sharpen my research interests, specifically in the investment banking sector. I will be done this summer of 2024.

Projects:

During my undergrad, under the McNair Post-Baccalaureate program I worked with R.I.T Human Resource Department. I was assigned to conduct my project on all 30 competing colleges in line with R.I.T. benefits, ranging from colleges such as Cornell, Duke, Indiana, etc. My Task was to compare each of their benefits in relation to R.I.T.’s. and make recommendations. Most of my data extraction was pulled from university’s websites and put into an excel spreadsheet and graphs to explain my findings.

I compiled a list of 11 sectors that were the main driving force of our economy. From each sector, I selected three companies that my research proved to be undervalued & underperforming but had an opportunity for growth. I went about this by looking at each sector and tracking their indexes. From there, I looked at those companies’ lists and researched them individually. Once a company was selected, I watched their prior years and their stock trend patterns from over ten years, as well as how much they fluctuated year to year, and ran randomization and probability to see what the likelihood of them repeating the same pattern would be while adding and subtracting their prices differences over the years. This project helped create a diversified portfolio that mimics their index but had better returns. Netflix, which I bought at 270, and Nvidia at 200, have succeeded in this project since I started this in 2022.

”An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” — Benjamin Franklin

Please take a moment to read my resume below and connect with me on LinkedIn.

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Alexa Briggs

Alexa Briggs: RIT MBA Student

My name is Alexa Briggs and I am a current MBA student at RIT. I got my bachelor’s degree in marketing, and decided to go to school for another year and a half to get my MBA. I am looking forward to enhancing my educational knowledge before continuing my full-time career as a marketer.

Besides my love and commitment to marketing, I got my minor in photography. Not only has it helped me gain a new perspective of the world, but I have also learned how to create content that appeals to particular groups of people. My photography minor has allowed me to learn about marketing in an educational way outside of the business shell. My experience as a social media photographer taught me how to see content through both the marketers’ and the followers’ eyes. This helped me create, edit, and share specific content for certain demographics. Photography is something I am passionate about, and has been a unique catalyst in my marketing education and career.

I hope my MBA can magnify my skills not just with marketing, but with business as a whole. I greatly anticipate the opportunities that await me post graduation with two degrees and a minor. In the meantime, take a look at what I have done so far and connect with me on LinkedIn to help me along my journey!

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Shannon Stevely

Shannon J. Stevely: An Introduction

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“F-E-A-R has two meanings: ‘Forget Everything And Run’ or ‘Face Everything And Rise.’ The choice is yours.”

― Zig Ziglar

Shannon J. Stevely is excited to complete a Masters in Business Administration in the program at RIT’s Saunders School of Business in fall 2023, following a successful professional journey. She holds a summa cum laude Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration from SUNY Brockport and recently earned a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt from RIT, enhancing her process improvement and operational efficiency skills.

During her career, Shannon completed two impactful internships. At Advantech Industries, she managed the Epicor system, handled quotes, and ensured compliance with sensitive documents. Her University of Rochester Medical Center internship involved optimizing workflows, participating in financial meetings, and implementing Lean methodologies.

In her role as Administrative Project Specialist at HARBEC, Shannon led projects, coordinated with stakeholders, and ensured flawless execution. Earlier, as an Administrative Secretary, she managed office supplies and provided crucial support.

Anticipating her MBA journey, Shannon aims to contribute her diverse skills to the business community. Her background in healthcare administration, Lean Six Sigma certification, and extensive internships prepare her for future challenges. She looks forward to furthering her education and career at RIT while networking with peers and professionals.