Sally Mach, School of Business Class of 2015
A recent and proud cum laude graduate of the School of Business and the Verrazano School at the College of Staten Island, Sally Mach stepped directly from CSI into a full-time position as a Financial Analyst on the Disaster Recovery Team at the Langone Medical Center of New York University.
Although she began her undergraduate studies studying Accounting and Computer Science, Ms. Mach realized that her interests lay in slightly different areas when she took an introductory Economics class. After changing to a double major in Accounting and Economics she added a minor in Finance and, in a final additional semester, a second minor in Legal Studies. Sally says “my friends all thought I was crazy to stay for another semester, but Warrick Bell [of the Dean’s office] gave me valuable insight that supported the idea that this additional minor would make me all the more diverse and competitive in the job market.” Confirming the value of a broad educational background, one of Sally’s managers recently suggested to her that adding a graduate degree in a field other than Accounting would make her “a more rounded employee and a better asset to the company.”
Ms. Mach speaks passionately about the importance of her interactions with her instructors, advisors, mentors, and the staff of the College. She notes that a conversation with Professor Mary Recor about an article they studied in class led directly to her completing an honors thesis in Accounting and presenting a poster at the College’s Undergraduate Conference on Research, Scholarship and Performance, and that a request for a letter of recommendation for an internship with the FBI brought Sally’s name to Dean Susan Holak’s attention – which in turn led to her attending events as a Student Ambassador, as a representative of the School when Governor Cuomo visited, and ultimately the honor of carrying the School of Business banner at Commencement.
Possibly the most critical connection that Ms. Mach made was with the Career and Scholarship Center. In the Center, Joanne Hollan provides interview training and career coaching as well as résumé development assistance; when she was contacted by NYU Langone for potential candidates – through one of her own CSI connections – Ms. Hollan submitted Sally’s résumé for consideration based on her understanding of Sally’s areas of interest, her preparedness, and her abilities.
Ms. Mach realizes that an important part of her experience at the College of Staten Island was to narrow down what her interests are and how they fit with her ideal job and employment setting.
“I love to help others while disliking a tense and competitive working environment,” Sally says. While searching for ways to translate her preferences into work that she would find rewarding, she attended one of the School’s Tuesday Business Briefs events hosted by Paul Zammit, an adjunct lecturer in Management, who spoke about considering opportunities outside of the corporate world in places such as government offices. And, she adds, “Mr. Bell once suggested that I might be interested in working in a non-profit organization. Little did I know that this small detail would actually have such a huge impact on my future.”
