Hi there! My name is Sathya Jeyakumar. I am a junior at the University of Pittsburgh School of Business pursuing a Global Management major, Theatre Arts Minor and a Certificate in Leadership and Ethics.
This semester I am participating in a Global Service Learning project based in Cochabamba, Bolivia. We are tasked with being consultants for CEOLI, a non profit special needs school that primarily aids children with down syndrome and autism. As consultants our main goals are to:
- Improve quality of education provided to students through the professional development training of CEOLI’s teaching and therapy staff.
- Procure equipment such as tablets and computers to augment the learning of the students
- Connect CEOLI with experts, industry professionals and organizations who can provide content and funding.
As a business major I have a deep interest in consulting work. During my last Pitt School of Business global experience, which was an international internship for TooSix Media Group in Seoul, South Korea; I got a taste of what it means to be a consultant even if it was not explicitly the title of my internship. I worked closely with my boss, co-workers and fellow interns to provide strategic solutions to the company’s social media issues. This included constructing directives to streamline the production to release pipeline, recommending audience retention techniques and designing a focused content strategy. My efforts were successful and led me to win the company’s social media contest. The company kept contact with me even after my internship with them and my time in Korea had come to an end. Ever since my professional experience in Seoul, South Korea, I have been eager to get back to consulting, regardless of the format, client or location.
On a more personal note, I have always wanted to engage in community service. But due to a plethora of reasons and a lack of time I had not been able to commit myself to a long term community project. But with the discovery of the Pitt School of Business Global Service Learning: Bolivia Panther Program I found the perfect convergence of my passions and interests.
My two personal goals for this project are as follows:
- Learn the nuances that go into providing premiere consulting services
- I believe consulting work is similar to art and sports in that it cannot simply be learned by listening to lectures and reading textbooks. To truly understand consulting, one must get “dirty” and engage with clients, mess up, figure out what they did wrong, then improve upon those mistakes. I look forward to learning the nuances of consulting, especially when working with a client situated in different country, culture and social context.
- Form a connection beyond business with our client in Bolivia.
- Much like my relationship with my former boss and co-workers in South Korea, I look forward to forming a relationship with CEOLI that lasts longer than our time with them in country.
In conclusion, I am beyond happy to be participating in a program like this. I am grateful to Pitt and the School of Business for organizing such learning experience. My team members are brilliant and are as excited as me, if not more. I look forward to the memories that will be made!