Student Profiles
Mark Salzman
Class of 2012“There’s no better place to study business than at Stern, a top business school with a prominent finance department located in the world’s financial capital,” enthuses Mark Salzman, a rising sophomore and recipient of the distinguished Coca-Cola Scholarship. As one of only 250 scholars selected from a pool of over 80,000 applicants, Mark has the distinction of being part of the prestigious Coca-Cola Scholars network, which he explains is a valuable asset in his academic career. “You can never underestimate the value of networking. I have access to a database of all Coca-Cola Scholars since the program’s inception, and the foundation encourages continual engagement within the Scholar community through various events.”
The scholarship also emphasizes student involvement and community service, two things Mark is very passionate about. Since arriving at Stern, he’s already committed to helping out with weekly meals at a local homeless shelter, has become a NYU Jewish Life Liaison, signed up for Stern Cares, and joined the Stern Real Estate Group. “One of the great things about Stern is the wide range of interests you can pursue and activities you can get involved in. It’s only been a short while, but I already feel part of a community. During Welcome Week, the Orientation Leaders were valuable resources helping me navigate new territory, and I got to know my fellow cohort members who were experiencing Stern for the first time with me. There was at least one familiar face in almost all my first-year classes and everyone makes each other feel like a member of a larger family.”
As Mark continues his Stern journey, he plans to eventually assume student leadership roles within the School. He believes the experience, coupled with his first-rate education, will help prepare him for his ultimate career goals in the business and philanthropic arenas. “As a Stern student and Coca-Cola Scholar, I hope to fulfill my responsibility as a future leader to both better the business world and contribute to humanitarian efforts.”
Laura Blumenthal
BS 2006
When Stern alumna Laura Blumenthal (’06) joined the Peace Corps, she was excited to use the business knowledge she gained at Stern to help local entrepreneurs in Senegal, Africa by working with them to expand income-generating activities and improve business practices. “My two years in Senegal represent the most challenging and gratifying experiences of my life,” explains Laura, who majored in international business and marketing. “I feel so fortunate to have utilized my Stern education for public service while gaining international field experience and developing my language skills.”
As a student, Laura participated in Stern Cares, a community service organization that promotes a socially responsible attitude within the NYU community, and traveled to New Orleans to help restore public schools in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Upon graduation, she sought an experience that would allow her to employ her business skills while making a difference in the world. “Being part of the multi-cultural Stern community and participating in programs like ISP-Japan and NYU Study Abroad-Florence stirred my cultural curiosity and helped me to develop cultual sensitivity. The international exposure I gained at Stern gave me the confidence to apply to the Peace Corps,” she says.
Laura was placed in the small town of Fatick where she consulted with entrepreneurs and associations about business planning, accounting, management and product development; trained youth in business and IT skills; and co-organized two profitable artisan expositions. She also coordinated educational projects, including a U.S. Embassy-sponsored English summer camp and a girls' empowerment and scholarship program. Laura forged personal connections with many of the locals, including two female entrepreneurs. “One of my most rewarding achievements was developing a non-numeric accounting system for Mariama, an illiterate food vendor, to keep track of her sales and expenditures. I also enjoyed working with soap-maker Madame Diouf on product pricing strategies and marketing tactics to improve her profit margins.”
Now back in the U.S., Laura recently began working as a federal employee at the Census Bureau in Washington, D.C. She feels her Peace Corps experience coupled with her Stern education is the ideal combination to successfully make a social impact in the world. “Stern prepared me with a strong foundation in economics, and excellent analytical and organizational skills. The Peace Corps built on that by teaching me flexibility, resourcefulness and cultural empathy.” Laura adds that the most important thing she’s learned from her experiences thus far is her own strength and determination. “I graduated from a top business school, lived on my own in Africa, taught business skills to Senegalese entrepreneurs in two languages (neither being English), made genuine friends, and gained the professional and personal respect of the local community. I know now I can do anything.”
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