Stevens Institute of Technology: Admissions Blog

The Business of Technology: Elizabeth Martin Ready for Career in Finance

Consistently, students credit their time at Stevens with preparing them for the next step. Whether it be a challenging class, an inspiring professor, leadership experience in an organization, or exposure to professional, real-world opportunities, students always can cite something formative.

“Standing in the front of a classroom for my first big presentation and doing terribly,” recalls Elizabeth Martin when asked about her stand-out moment. “Since then, I have done everything possible to make sure I never feel like that again whether it be for another presentation, an exam, or an interview. Being prepared and confident is so important to being successful.”

Elizabeth will graduate in May with a degree in Business & Technology and a minor in Quantitative Finance. She received two job offers before accepting a position with Ernst & Young, where she will work in the Technology Advisory Program (TAP) for their Financial Services Office.

“Essentially what I will be doing is technology consulting, visiting different client sites,” Elizabeth explains. “There were a number of factors that made the choice to work for E&Y an easy one. Not to mention the position marries my academic areas of expertise perfectly, placing me within the finance industry but working with technology to optimize business processes.”

The Office of Career Development worked with Elizabeth on building her resume and helping her discover the direction she’d like to take with her career. She says together they made a list of companies to explore and the Office provided guidance on how to land interviews with these organizations. Despite interviewing with several companies, Elizabeth knew right away that Ernst & Young was somewhere she could see herself starting her career.

From Smithtown, NY, Elizabeth was on the Women’s lacrosse team and a member of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority. She participated in two internships, working first at TIAA-CREF on their pension product transformation effort and the following summer at BlackRock Solutions, a division of BlackRock.

“The B&T program provided a great foundation for me, giving me a technology background with a very specific interest – like finance,” Elizabeth says. “The Office of Career Development is so supportive; I think they were just as excited as I was when I got my offer! It feels really good to know people genuinely care about me succeeding.”

While Elizabeth is excited for her next step, she’s good taking it one step at a time: “I really have no idea where I see my career heading, which is perfect for me right now. It’s exciting. I’m just looking forward to seizing opportunities as they come.”

Chasing a Sailing Goal

Stevens Graduate Works to Compete in 2012 Olympics

Efe Kuyumcu was seven years old the first time he went sailing. Neighbors at a vacation village where he was with family offered to take the youngster out for an afternoon on the water. When he returned to shore the boy was hooked but it would be another five years before he sailed again.

“I thought about it a lot,” said Kuyumcu, a native of Turkey and recent Stevens graduate. “But the sailing club by us closed down and we soon moved to a different area.”

Fueled by determination and desire when Kuyumcu turned twelve he was able to return to the water. He was named to the Turkish junior national sailing team and competed heavily between 1998 and 2003, winning several prestigious competitions.

Things were moving along smoothly for Kuyumcu until he was grounded with an injury at the age of 18. It was at that time Kuyumcu began thinking about his future. Not only in the sport of sailing, but academically.

That is how he wound up in Hoboken, N.J. along the banks of the Hudson River at Stevens Institute of Technology. He decided to turn his passion for the water into a full-fledged career.

In 2006 he enrolled in the Naval Engineering program at Stevens and graduated this past December with a Bachelor of Science degree. Kuyumcu kept his thoughts in sailing and began a strict exercise regimen to heal his injuries and strengthen himself.

“In the morning I would do endurance exercises like running, cycling, and rowing,” he said. “During the day I would go to class and then have another work out.”

One thing he did not do, however, was sail.  Not only was it going to be difficult to find an Olympic Class Heavyweight sailboat that he could use on a regular basis while living in New Jersey, but also the swift currents of the Hudson River were not conducive for effective training.

So he focused on the exercise and also learned new things about sailing from his courses. Armed with the new information, when Kuyumcu finally got back on the water, he was a stronger, smarter sailor.

“It is now easier for me to understand the water, and make me a bit faster when sailing,” he said of his Naval Engineering knowledge. “Now I can factor in the elements from what I learned at Stevens.”

His hard work paid off and late last year Kuyumcu was re-elected to the Turkish Olympic Sailing Team of 2011. Over the next year and a half Kuyumcu and another athlete will compete and eventually, one will be selected to compete in the 2012 Olympics to be held in London.

While focused on those games, he is also setting his sights on the 2016 Olympics and a chance to represent his country – and Stevens – in Rio de Janeiro

When asked how his life has changed since his recent graduation, Kuyumcu says that he has maintained his exercise schedule only now he uses the time spent in class on the water.

It is when he is out there, alone on the water, that he is most focused these days. “It’s instinct, but it feels right. It’s why I keep going back to it,” he said. “It just feels right.”

Three Conference Championship Titles for the Ducks!

A big weekend for the Ducks! Three teams took conference titles and each will advance to the NCAA Tournament.

Men’s soccer, who made it to the NCAA Championship last year, will once again be vying for the title after securing the Empire 8 title. This will be their seventh straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Read the full story: http://www.stevensducks.com/sports/msoccer/release.asp?release_id=5012

Women’s volleyball earned their third straight Empire 8 title, receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This will be their sixth consecutive appearance in the tournament. Read more: http://www.stevensducks.com/sports/wvball/release.asp?release_id=5009

The Field Hockey team won their second Empire 8 title this weekend. The Ducks battled their way successfully to secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament. For full details: http://www.stevensducks.com/sports/fhockey/release.asp?release_id=5013

More Ducks Headed to NCAA Tournament

For the first time in the 13-year history of the program, the Stevens women’s basketball team has advanced to the NCAA Championships, claiming their first Empire 8 Conference title in the process. The excitement begins this Friday, as the Ducks face off against the University of Mary Washington at host location NYU.

Check out the full story: http://www.stevensducks.com/sports/wbball/release.asp?release_id=4498 and stay tuned for updates as the tournament progresses.

GO DUCKS!!

Go Ducks!

This past weekend was a big one for athletics at Stevens as three fall teams earned automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament. By winning the Empire 8 Championships, our field hockey, women’s volleyball, and men’s soccer teams all earned entry to this year’s tournament. Stevens is one of just seven schools in NCAA Division III to put three teams in these three NCAA Tournaments.

On Wednesday, November 12, these teams will begin their quest for Tournament titles. In addition, the women’s soccer team will be defending their title in the ECAC Tournament. Keep up with the excitement of these and all the Stevens Ducks at http://www.stevensducks.com/.

For a full listing of NCAA rankings, check out:
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ncaa/sports/w-fieldh/auto_pdf/2008-D3FH-Full.pdf
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ncaa/sports/w-volley/auto_pdf/2008d3wvb3.pdf
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ncaa/sports/m-soccer/auto_pdf/2008d3msoc2.pdf