By Brock Bowen
Some students on campus want to go to their class, finish their homework, get involved a bit and be satisfied with what they have completed by the end of graduation. Other students make it their passion to dedicate themselves to bettering both their campus and their community. By building relationships and clubs with limited resources, Alfred Sogja, the President of the Business Club, has become one of Worcester State University’s most invested individuals.
Sogja, a senior majoring in Finance, believes that the Business Club is for anyone with a passion to make the world they live in a better one. For instance, many of the Executive Board members are not even business majors. Tina Tran, the Finance Director, is a double major in Psychology and Chemistry. Eric Adjei, the Marketing Director, is a Chemistry major. And even the Secretary, Jacqui Freeman, is a Public Health major.
“We value people’s identity on who they want to be,” said Sogja. “We want to help people achieve their goals and fulfil that identity.”
This coming Fall semester, both Sogja and Tran are headed off to Prague through Worcester State University’s Study Abroad Program. Jeffery Green will take Sogja’s place as president. Already prepared, Green has constructed a calendar detailing the events taking place next semester.
One of Sogja’s concerns was that while Business Administration professors claim that networking and recommendations are the most efficient way to get jobs, these professors rarely recommend internships and employment to students. This creates a bubble at the top that contributes to a loss in morale amongst students looking for jobs for after graduation.
To counter this, Green and his new Executive Board have planned to reach out to businesses and connect them with students. This will allow a more fluid version of networking rather than waiting on a professor to notice you. Green is also hosting Alumni Networking Events every third Thursday each month to connect students with alumni. The most recent Networking Event was hosted by the Business Club on April 14th with a fantastic turn out. The numbers were record breaking with over one hundred people registering for the event!
The last time an Alumni Networking event took place on campus was in 2006. Sogja’s commitment to bettering communication between students and graduates for desirable positions gave him the drive to host the Networking Event. The fantastic turn out is what encourages the confidence to host these new and frequent Alumni events which, in time, will bring a lot more alumni as the gravity of these events intensifies.
Sogja wanted to highlight another person who was not on the Executive Board but was one of the Business Club’s most influential players. Kevin Kouassi, a Chemistry major, has impacted the development of the Business Club so influentially, and his presence is nearly unmatchable. Kouassi, who is the unofficial photographer for the Business Club, has his own business. He utilizes his skills to place a roll in one of Worcester State University’s rising clubs. You can find his astounding Instagram @Kevin.K.Photography.
Kouassi has a partnership with the Business Club where he takes photographs for LinkedIn profiles all while the Business Club works toward furthering his business, and branching his network. Eric Adjei, the Marketing Director, was the direct correspondence between Kouassi’s business and his role in the the club.
It was only a few weeks into the semester and Adjei’s first assignment was to work on developing Kouassi’s website. Adjei completed the site, and his talents began to show that his timeliness is nearly unmatchable. The networking event that took place in April had everyone staying late, basking in the success. The club went out and celebrated and Adjei still was able to get the events post marketing published the following morning by 10 a.m.
Michael Dery, serving as the New Worcester Spy’s Marketing Director, is also in the Business Club. After spending a semester marketing for Chartwells, he had developed interpersonal and networking skills valued by the Business Club. Referring to the Business Club meetings, Derry states he “likes how the meetings were ran, and that everyone were members of a team and filed a role.”
That’s exactly what Sogja wants. Sogja believes that the Business Club “Bonds differently than other clubs. We work to build long lasting friendships that fifteen to thirty years down the line this group will still be connected.”
The Business Club has a motto: “Building networks, knowledge, and long-lasting friendships.” And their goal “Our goal and purpose is to provide students at Worcester State University more opportunities to engage in the business or finance industry through increased campus-wide networking events.” These beliefs are what are going to project these ambitious folk to succeed in the future and grab the attention of other ambitious students to become more.
Alex Murphy, next semester’s Vice President of the Business Club, is aware of the Worcester State conundrum, that after graduation we will be in competition with students that have attended more well known top-tier schools. By coming together and networking amongst each other we can grow our campus presence and begin to grow our WSU community.
“We go to a state school and shouldn’t have to sacrifice to be competitive with Ivy League schools,” said Murphy.
One of Sogja’s beliefs is that we can turn Worcester State University’s Business Program into a Business School. “It won’t happen in five years I can tell you that. But in ten maybe twenty years we can start to see these changes.” he states.
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