Need a Coach?
October 21, 2008 - by Kanishka KelshikarC.O.A.C.H. is an acronym for Count On Alumni for Career Help. The C.O.A.C.H. Program is organized by the Office of Alumni Relations and provides Adelphi alumni with the opportunity to share invaluable industry and career information, as well as encouragement, with current students and fellow alumni as they enter their chosen field as a resource and/or mentor.
On Wednesday, October 15, 2008, we had Thomas Morin '95, Vice President, Finance Division of Goldman Sachs, come back to Adelphi to speak with the students about his experiences since graduating from the School of Business with a B.B.A. in Accounting in 1995. Needless to say, this was an event worth attending, especially for finance majors, and even anyone else interested in the economy given the recent market conditions. This program provided us a platform to get to know Tom on a personal level and ask questions an informal atmosphere—something which would not be possible in a more professional interaction.
There is a lot that we took away from the event, and for me personally, Tom's emphasis on persistence and determination really hit home. Not everyone is a genius, but what we lack in this regard, we can definitely make up with hard work. An example that Tom gave was that a colleague might understand a complicated SEC regulation on complex derivative transaction reporting in less that 10 minutes, but in his case, it is possible that it might take an hour. However, after that hour, they are both equals in terms of their knowledge on the regulation. Seems a little obvious, but it's still insightful, isn't it?
Events such as these are extremely helpful to us students and I usually try and attend each of them. I still maintain contact with the professionals that I have met through this program from more than a year ago. They serve as a valuable sounding board for my ideas and are always willing to give valuable advice.
Brian Rothschild, Joseph Geraci, and Tom Ward and their teams at the School of Business, the Office of Alumni Relations, and the Center for Career Development, respectively, do a fantastic job of giving students exposure to the industry and what quite possibly might be a foot in the door. Thank you for all that you do. Your efforts are sincerely appreciated.
Other C.O.A.C.H. events to keep an eye out for are "Want to be an Entrepreneur?" with Larry Kessler, president, Kessler Restaurants on October 27, 2008, and "Careers in Finance" on November 17, 2008. For further information on these programs, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations, the Center for Career Development, or Assistant Dean of Business Brian Rothschild.
