1,101 Graduates

2014 Huntsman School valedictorian, Brooke Siler

By Klydi Heywood

The Huntsman School of Business graduated 817 students at a commencement ceremony on May 5, with 141 of those degrees granted through the Huntsman undergraduate program in China, and 284 students earning graduate degrees this year.

The commencement ceremony began with this year’s valedictorian, Brooke Siler, who graduated with bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Biochemistry with a 4.0 GPA. She served as the president of the Society for the Advancement of Ethical Leadership as well as the Chemistry Club, was a Huntsman Scholar, participated in our Koch Scholar Program, went to Asia through the Go Global study abroad program, and also received the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship while conducting research in the biochemistry department. This summer she will begin work with the global investment research group at Goldman Sachs.

Speaking from experience, Brooke advised students to use our diverse backgrounds to bring a fresh experience to any field they choose.

“Today I ask you to be aware of the inner walls that you put around your mind,” Brooke said. “I also ask you to search your soul, find your passion, and chase it, regardless of whether or not that passion has anything to do with your major, your past, or your current interests.”

After Brooke, the graduates and audience had the opportunity to hear from this year’s commencement speaker, Dr. Tayseer Al-Smadi, who earlier in the morning received an honorary doctorate degree from USU. Dr. Tayseer is currently a senator of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, where he serves as chair of the Senate Public Services Committee. Additionally, in February 2014, he was elected chairman of the Jordan Press and Publishing Corporation. Dr. Tayseer received a Ph.D. inEconomics from the Huntsman School in 1998.

2014 Huntsman Commencement speaker, Dr. Tayseer Al-Smadi

“My first thought which I want to share with you today is to live your humanity in the full sense with yourself, at home, at work, in the community at large, and wherever you go,” Dr. Tayseer said. “Don't take pride in your differences of race, or social rank, or gender, or nationality; remember that ‘strength lies in differences, not in similarities’, as the late Stephen Covey rightly said.”

“Success, in a nutshell, is a matter of ‘wining yourself,’” Dr. Tayseer said. “Make sure to keep ‘winning yourself’ all the time; for me, wining myself includes caring for others.”

As Dean Douglas D. Anderson concluded the ceremony he encouraged students to “remember that your passion for excellence must always be in balance with your compassion for your fellow human beings.”

“While economic logic connects input to output, and risk to reward, the moral logic is often inverse - it is better to give than to receive,” Dean Anderson continued. “To win yourself, as Dr. Tayseer has suggested, lose yourself in something greater than yourself.”

One More Semester Please

This May I walked across the stage of Commencement. However, something differentiated me from many other graduates. Instead of organizing into procession lines with sighs of relief or statements of “Finally!”, I was wishing for one more year at Utah State University.

There are so many opportunities at USU, and in particular, the Huntsman School of Business. As my university years have passed by, I have become more aware of  the amazing opportunities that are available to USU students. I wish that I could have one more year to take advantage of these opportunities, and especially the opportunities to travel abroad.

I believe that international experiences expand perspectives. In coming to college, I did not expect much. I was here to learn and get a silly piece of paper so I could get a “good enough” job that I could support my real interests on my time off. However, my time at the School of Business has challenged my self-set limitations by expanding the perspective of my contribution to society.

In the spirit of compromise, I delayed my graduation only one more semester, so that I could take advantage of a new study abroad to Amman, Jordan. I just finished the program living in Marj Alhamam and have floated in the Dead Sea, ridden a camel through Petra, and eaten breakfast at a professor’s house while discussing the economic prospects of her students.

I encourage all students to get involved and take advantage of the opportunities available, especially those that take you internationally.

And while I’m sad to leave USU, I finally feel ready to dare mighty things.

-Becky Kelley

 

Becky in front of Mount Nebo in Jordan

Entrepreneurship Club President Speaks Out

How Responding to a Mass Email Prepared Me for 'Real Life'

It's funny how one simple decision that only takes a moment of thought can change your whole life.  That's how I feel when I think of how a PR student, hardly involved on campus (that's me), came to be the president of an awesome organization such as the Entrepreneurship Club; simply by responding to a mass email looking for club leadership.  Little did I know that through the club I would have the opportunity to work with incredible people, witness success stories, and see a difference I helped make. 

When I first became involved with the club two years ago it had about 20 people and almost completely new leadership.  After a year of VP, learning what potential the club had, I was voted in as president and determined to turn the organization into a place students could turn to for help starting a business.  So, with the guidance of an amazing director we became a club with a "student business pump," as I like to say, and ended the year with close to 900 members. 

Although the numbers are cool, my favorite part about being involved with the club was helping fellow students reach their career goals.  We had so many students tell us the competitions or new system helped them take the initiative to pursue ideas that had been keeping them awake at night.  One story that sticks out in my mind is Jordan Poulsen's iJump Drive.  At our first Design team meeting Jordan presented his idea for a storage device for iPads which sparked the interest of Scot Marchant, an Engineering student and design team director at the time.  A few months later, after perfecting the product, the two won the Elevator Pitch Competition during Entrepreneurship Week.

Stories like this invigorate me because as a club we were able to reach our goal of connecting the different schools on campus to help create bombshell teams of students with different skills.

When people ask what my turning point was for my education, I tell them it was when I responded to a mass email looking for new leaders of the Entrepreneurship Club.  Because of these experiences I'm much more ready for "the real world" than I ever would have been simply by going to class.

Brianna Petersen

A student explains why he has enjoyed being in the Huntsman School

Deciding to attend the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University has been a wonderful decision in my life.  The experience I have had in the school has helped me to know that I want to further my education in the field of business.  The main factors that have contributed to my experience at this business school have been the enthusiastic students, the wonderful and caring instructors and the overall curriculum.

In the classes I enrolled in, I had the opportunity to work a lot with other business students.  I made new friends, learned new things and had a lot of fun as I worked with them.  I could sense their enthusiasm and desire to learn, which in turn increased my enthusiasm and desire to learn. 

The instructors I have had have been outstanding.  I can feel that they want me to truly learn and succeed.  The instructors try to involve the students as much as possible and are always inviting them to meet outside of the classrooms for extra help.  My instructors have had a great influence on the wonderful experience I have had thus far in my studies.

Another contributing factor of my experience has been the overall curriculum.  Every day that I go to class, I learn valuable knowledge and gain useful skills that I can apply in numerous ways.  I feel that the classes offered are focused to provide each student with the knowledge and skills he or she needs to achieve success.

The outstanding students, instructors and curriculum have made my experience at this school a great one, and one that I will definitely continue.  I can see only bigger and better things ahead in my life as I do so.

Garrett Hansen

Take Charge

On Tuesday night, our Great Work Great Career class learned about the importance of having an idea of what you want to do in life and working towards it.

The course we have been taking is based on the book of the same name that was written by Stephen R. Covey and Jennifer Colosimo. It helps people identify and develop their unique talents and passions. It also helps people better tap those skills, and it prepares them for the job market by helping them improve their resume and interviewing abilities.

Most recently, we had the opportunity to hear from Dave Patel, director of executive outreach at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. He talked about when he graduated from Utah State University and immediately drove to Washington, D.C., to take charge of his life and pursue a great career. He had the opportunity of working for the office of Senator Orrin Hatch and later for the office of the Secretary of Defense. Mr. Patel explained that integrity, initiative and intelligence are crucial characteristics when working to improve your life.

Mr. Patel closed by saying that the world needs more Aggies. He encouraged us to get involved, take advantage of our opportunities along the way and get out as we take charge.

Huntsman MBA students sing the Scotsman

A group of Huntsman MBA students recently returned from a trip to China where they had the opportunity to visit with business leaders and expand their global vision. While there, the group visited the Great Wall of China where they performed the Scotsman.