Stories

After last month’s ACE Senior Dinner, our 2019 cohort is on their way to opening up a new chapter of their lives.  Here, seniors, Daniel Anaforian, Kate Richter and Nithya Kiron, talk about their post-graduations plans.

Daniel Anaforian, a Marketing and Political Science double-major from Lodi, CA, continues to explore his options in the retail and fashion industry.  As someone who has always loved fashion, Daniel is especially excited and interested in marketing designer pieces. He explains that he enjoys fast fashion because he believes that “everyone should have access to style; thus, getting to market fashionable and artistic products to the everyday consumer is very exciting.”  At the moment, Daniel is utilizing Handshake, as well as reaching out to SCU alumni on LinkedIn to pursue entry-level marketing and marketing analytics positions. With an interest in qualitative and quantitative market research, Daniel hopes that he will have the opportunity to expand “an existing product market” or “[bring] a new product to market.”

In starting his career, Daniel is most excited to “show that [he] can have success beyond the classroom.”  As someone who has excelled at SCU, he intends to prove that he can be “more than just a great student.” Daniel is also excited to see his hard work and dedication throughout his four years here, translate to success out in the working world.  

Daniel points out that being in ACE has helped him develop confidence in his decisions and has allowed him to be inspired by his cohort.  He explains that “retail and fashion are not common industries for people to go into, but [his] ACE cohort is constantly following their passion regardless of what anyone tells them.”  In addition, “seeing the quality of students in ACE, and knowing that [he] is a part of the same organization” gives him the confidence to tackle anything in his career.

Following graduation, Daniel plans to spend 10 weeks in the Middlebury Summer Intensive Language Program, the highest ranked language program in the country, to immerse himself in and continue his study of Mandarin.

Kate Richter, an Economics and Mathematics double-major from Darien, CT, will be working at FTI Consulting, an “independent global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations manage change, mitigate risk and resolve disputes.”  At FTI Consulting, Kate will be working as a Consultant in their Data Analytics practice where she will focus on delivering strategic business solutions to clients requiring in-depth analysis of large datasets of financial, operation and transactional data” and more specifically, supporting experts testifying on behalf of clients, who are lawyers, claiming that the way data has been analyzed at FTI is better than the other lawyer’s expert.  Kate is especially excited to be working as a Consultant because of the inherently fast-paced environment of the position. She is also looking forward to traveling for business and is interested to see how often she will be traveling during her first two years on the job.

Kate shares that ACE has made a difference in her college experience explaining that “ACE has expanded [her] network with people who are interested in different career paths but who are just as motivated as [she is].  Additionally, she notes that she has not only made lifelong professional connections but has also gotten to a place where she feels that she will be prepared in her career, no matter the situation, because of the skills that ACE has helped her to acquire.

One piece of advice that Kate has for other ACE members is in pursuing a career, “reach out to anyone working in that industry, get in touch with them, and let them know that you intend to work there.  Eventually, a job will make itself available.”

Before starting her career at FTI Consulting, Kate will be going home to spend time with her family and is hoping to travel to either Asia or South America.

Nithya Kiron, a Marketing major from San Jose, CA, will be working at Adobe as a Solutions Consultant at the Times Square office in New York City.  In her position, Nithya will “present to existing and potential clients the technical aspects of Adobe’s Enterprise solutions.” As excited as she is for her new position, as a Bay Area native, Nithya is a bit apprehensive about dealing with East Coast winters but knows it will be a fun adventure, nonetheless.

In starting her career, Nithya is most excited to “gain key technical expertise which will serve [her] throughout [her] professional endeavors.”  She explains that “although [she] has lived in the Bay Area all [her] life, this will be the first time [she is] delving deep in the technical aspects of a products.  She is also excited to to expand her breadth of knowledge and become familiar enough with the technical information so that she will be able to eloquently address any questions that clients may have.

When addressing her career goals, Nithya explains that “ACE has helped [her] identify [her] career goals in relation to what [she] truly values and aspires to achieve.  From alumni speakers, company tours, and the buddy program, [she] has been able to explore different areas of a marketing career that [she] would not have had exposure to otherwise.  She also adds that “ACE has been a reliable resource [she] can go to for any career-type question” and “has been incredibly helpful throughout [her] college experience.”

Prior to kicking off her new career at Adobe, Nithya plans to take the LSAT and move into her new apartment in New York City.

Seniors, we wish you the best of luck in your upcoming endeavors and can’t wait to see you succeed!