Pi Sigma Epsilon

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Pi Sigma Epsilon is co-ed business fraternity that specializes in marketing and sales. In the fall of 2015, I joined PSE hoping to gain experience on how to improve my professional skills as well as a way for me to network with future employers. I have received that and much more. I have been able to forge friendships that I will keep with me throughout the rest of my collegiate career, but throughout the rest of my life.

PSE has provided many ways for me to grow through projects such as:

  • Venmo which provided a way to use grass root marketing techniques and social media campaigning.
  • Buckeyecards which required to work with a group of individuals and develop creative marketing strategies to sell to Ohio State students.

I gained so much appreciate for this organization and I look forward to seeing what Pi Sigma has for me in the future.

Fisher College of Business Pro-Am Sales Competition

 

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Through the 1st Annual Fisher College of Business Pro-Am Sales Competition, which was held on October 24, 2015, I was able to gain valuable sales experience through the work with professional sales workers from companies such as Reynolds and Reynolds, APE, Aldi, and PNC Bank. Sales is aspect of business that will always be needed so with participating in this event, I was to develop my sales and marketing skills that would be suitable for the career I am pursuing in finance. Being open to criticism allowed me to see what I was doing well and what I could improve on for the future. I will take these constructive criticisms and continue to work on them so I can improve my sales skills even more.

I appreciate the experience I gained through the Sales Competition and will most definitely participate in the years to come.

Year in Review

 

Throughout my second year at The Ohio State University, I have developed much as leader as well as a speaker. In many of my classes and organizations, I have been involved in projects and committees that have allowed me to work with many types of people. As a leader that works with many different types of people, you must learn how to treat each situation individually. No group will act the same whether to it just being the people involved or the task and issues presented. You must analyze the type of group and project you have at hand and develop a way in which the group will be able to work together to the best of its ability and get the task completed.

I have also learned how to get everyone’s view accounted for to make sure everyone has a say in the project. Many times there one to two people that take on a majority of the work while others sit in the background following along. This is not good because there is a limited amount of views presented that could allow for not the best opportunity for the project. This year I focused on making sure, at the beginning, we bring out everyone together and seeing what is the best way to tackle the project and what mind set the group should have for it. By doing this, you are able to get everyone’s ideas together and thus form an outline for what the agenda is going to look like as well as how everyone wants to handle the task. This was crucial for me to learn because I believe it has allowed others to see me as a true leader which will focus on the task at hand and to complete it to the best of the groups ability.

This year I believe I have also improved my public speaking skills quite well. At the beginning of the year, I was able to talk in front of people, however, I used a lot of filler words which really hurt people’s ability to understand what I was talking about as well as even pay attention to what I was saying. I realized that was a problem that I had and I figured the best way to improve on this was to get into as many situations as possible in which I would have to give a presentation or talk in front of people. So throughout the year, I signed up for case competitions, talked more in classes, and things of that nature in order to enhance my speaking abilities. As of now, I am using far less filler words than I was at the beginning of the year, however I have come into the problem now that I make large hand motions when I speak in order to make up for the fillers. For next year, I hope to improve my public speaking even more so I can become far more comfortable speaking in front of large groups.

Overall, this year was a very productive year for me. I really feel I have made strides in strengthening myself for the future at Ohio State as well as for my career. I will continue to improve as much as possible, even after I get out of college, to better myself not only as student or employee but as a person.

G.O.A.L.S.

 

Ever since I came to college, I have been exposed to diversity which is something I was not exposed to in my childhood. This year, I have participated in Korean Literature which has opened my eyes to a country in which I knew nothing about or really even thought about. I learned about the history of the country as well as what the culture was like in the past and in modern times. As I continue on my path here at Ohio State, I plan on taking other course that allow me to experience other cultures. I have actually consider learning Mandarin, which would be very useful for a career in finance since many businesses do work in China. I am also looking at an international internship in either Hong Kong or Singapore which will not only give me business experience but also allow me to experience a whole new way of life that I am not familiar too.

Next year I am also looking at enhancing my academics as well as my career by participating in the Fisher Consulting Industry Cluster Program where I will learn the key concepts and ways of thinking when taking on consulting projects. I will also, through this program, be able to work with different companies who do work all around the United States and develop, with the help from a team, a plan that these companies could use in their day-to-day activities. This is a program that only 250 students out of all the students at Ohio State were accepted into which I feel is a big accomplishment. Through program, I not only going to help me in my academic career but also my financial career. This will also help my leadership skills because, in this program, everyone gets their own project that they are in charge of. We will have to develop a plan and manage a team to get the project done.

Also I plan to continue my work with community service. I have done work with blood drives, Habitat for Humanity, nursing homes, animal shelters, and food banks. This work has really given me the perspective that we are all one community and we need to help one another. If we help another, then maybe more people will be able to help others and we can make the world even better. This not helped the community, though. It has also helped me become a better person. These are a few of the main reasons why I will continue this service.

Career

 

From what I have learned from the Fisher College of Business, Pi Sigma Epsilon Business Fraternity, as well as the International Affairs Scholars Program, I believe I will be well suited for my career which is financial consulting.  Through the Fisher College of Business, I have learned the basic financial concepts that I will encounter everyday in the workforce as well as the critical thinking skills that will not only separate me from other possible candidates for a job, but also ensure that I am taking care of my future clients/customers in the best possible manner.

Pi Sigma Epsilon has taught me that you cannot only rely on the concept your major teaches you in order to be successful. Pi Sigma Epsilon focuses on the marketing and sales side of business. When I first was thinking about joining PSE, I was questioning whether it was the best choice for me since it did not really, to me, help me in my career in finance. However, after talking to members in the organization who were also majoring in Finance, I learned that if you can learn all different types of skills, not only the ones pertaining to your major, you will become much more versatile and attractive to potential employers. So I have not only focused on learning financial concepts, but marketing and sales concepts as well which has allowed me to become more of a well rounded business student.

The International Affairs Scholars Program has shown me that you need to know and respect the world around, by both countries and culture. Being from a small town in southwest Ohio, I really did not get exposed to different cultures as well visit other countries. I joined IA to allow me to learn about some of these cultures as well as talk about international issues. As I began to get involved in the program, I began to realize how much people judge other cultures and how much that has separated people all around the world. We cannot allow this to happen because the only way for the world to be the most successful is if everyone is working together. We need to teach people that even though there are differences between us, we are all one people and all have a dream to be successful. I really want to give this message to people I work with because if we can spread this message on respect, then I believe we can make the world a better place to be.

Second-Year Transformational Experience Program

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The Second-year Transformational Experience Program (STEP) was designed to help students, mainly sophomores, have success in both academics and the community. With the opportunities to engage in activities around campus, I have been able to cater to the development of my professional skills and growth in the community.  Through my cohort leader, Darcy Hartman, I have been able to recognize my strengths and weaknesses in many aspects of my life. I have learned to highlight my strengths and not totally focus on my weaknesses which has helped in events such as interviews and group activities. The program also provides the opportunity to further my development towards my career by providing to ability to gain funding for internships or study abroad.

The tools and skills and STEP I have found very useful and will continue to use throughout the rest of my time here at Ohio State as well as my career.

 

About Me

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Hello. My name is Zachary Wilson, but I like to go by Zach. I am from Lebanon, Ohio which is a suburb of Cincinnati.  I have lived in many places around Cincinnati, but I consider Lebanon my hometown.  I love sports, current events, politics, music, video games, and hanging out with friends. I also really enjoy learning new things because I believe the more I learn, the more I can grow and be successful in life.  When I’m learning, I will try as hard as I can to comprehend the material.  If I do not understand something, I am not afraid to ask questions.  Asking questions, I feel, is one of the best way to improve.  I am currently attending Ohio State to study Finance where I can learn skills that will help me pursue a career in financial consulting.  I am dedicated to my work because you will not be successful if you do not put effort into what you are doing.  If I continue this dedication, I believe I will be able to be very successful in whatever I do in life.