From The President’s Desk: Syms Student Council
As the semester slowly winds down it is incredible looking back and reflecting on the achievements and accomplishments of the Sy Syms School of Business. One of the goals set forth for this past semester was to allow students to gain a better understanding of the profession they want to enter as well as give them more opportunities to network within the industry. The club heads went above and beyond putting on a record number of events and site visits. The Accounting Society put on two different events bringing in various industry professionals to speak to students on a variety of topics such as the differences between various types of accounting. These events were well attended by both accounting and non accounting majors, and was extremely beneficial for the Syms community.
Aharon Shevach, president of the Accounting Society had the following to say about his role. “I wanted to be president of the Accounting Society so that I could make a difference. I love the responsibility of providing students with networking events with industry professionals, in order to help them get one step closer in landing that dream job.” This mindset and attitude is common across all of our clubs and have really helped strengthen the Syms community.
The Hospitality Management Club is another prime example of what Syms is trying to accomplish. Yadin Teitz, president of the club, has arranged numerous site visits including a tour of the newly renovated Park South Hotel which enabled students to learn about the challenges of running a hotel in such a competitive market. Club members also got a behind-the-scenes tour of Mr. Broadway and learned some of the key business strategies behind this very successful enterprise. When asked about his greatest accomplishment thus far, Yadin said, “I think my greatest accomplishment this semester was opening up the dynamic world of hospitality to students who knew very little about the sector. Having them join our club members on tours and to hear them ask questions and become more enlightened about our industry was incredibly fulfilling for me, and I was honored to be a part of it.”
One of the highlights of the year for Syms is the annual Sy Syms Shabbaton held at the Beren campus. It is always exciting seeing a large portion of the Syms student body gather together outside school hours and really bond in a fun, casual setting. This year’s Syms Shabbaton was a huge hit as it was the largest populated Shabbaton of the semester. Rabbi Daniel and Mrs. Rachel Kraus were this year’s guest speakers and those in attendance quickly learned how much of a dynamic duo they are. Rachel, who is is the Group Director of Global Brand Ventures for the Westfield Corporation, where she leads brand partnerships and strategy for the World Trade Center retail development project as well as being on the leadership team for global expansion, invited students to partake in a hard hat tour of the building of the new underground commuter-hub they are building in the Financial District. This was an incredible opportunity and experience, and everyone who participated learned a lot about the rebuilding of the World Trade Towers.
After a great start to the school year and one semester almost over, the Sy Syms Student Council have already began heavily planning for the Spring 2016 semester. One of the main things to look forward to is the annual Sy Syms Gala awards dinner. This year it will be held on April 14th, 2016. Expect some changes to the traditional dinner, and get pumped! Spring 2016 is going to be an incredible, jam packed semester for Syms!
