Consulting with Care

This spring, the Volunteers of America (VOA), one of the nation's oldest and largest faith-based human service organizations, hosted Stern Consulting Corps' (SCC) MBA interns at its corporate headquarters. VOA executives from finance, operations, and human resources offered students an in-depth view of the organization and the challenges it faces in the not-for-profit world.

SCC and VOA intern Rifki Zable investigated development possibilities for low-income housing and options for relocation of Bronx schools. She also researched New York City locations for VOA's early learning centers for children with disabilities. The goal was to find spaces that were comparable to the current leases, but that could accommodate more children and better suit their needs. In her final presentation, Zable evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of several options available to VOA.

Joseph Auld, director of capital projects at VOA, said Zable's observations have made a profound impact on the organization: "Her analysis of our present lease structure, along with her spreadsheet models for the development of a new school, are now being reviewed by our development team. Rifki's work will be expounded upon and will ultimately be part of the development work towards building a $14 million, state-of-the-art, educational facility for children with learning disabilities."

Zable described her experience at VOA as truly gratifying. “Working at Volunteers of America was an eye-opening experience. Getting exposure to their executives during our visit to corporate headquarters really put the project I worked on into context by seeing how it fit into the bigger picture.”

SCC programs enable Stern MBA students to put into practice the skills and knowledge they gain in the classroom to help revitalize small and minority-owned businesses and benefit nonprofit organizations in New York City. Stern students gain invaluable consulting experience that is directly transferable to their future careers, as well as an opportunity to express their social consciousness and sense of community involvement.

To date, Stern has partnered with more than 75 New York City-based organizations, including Seedco and the Clinton Foundation's Harlem Small Business Initiative, and more than 250 Stern MBA students have served as business consultants through this program.

 

 

Stern Alum Graduates to Hollywood

Every year, thousands of ambitious young men and women audition for a ticket to Hollywood on “American Idol.” Pamela Nemoto (BS '05) found her way to Tinseltown by excelling in a contest with her writing – not her voice.

Nemoto bested 1,600 fellow contestants in the VarietyCareers' “Ultimate Hollywood Agenda” contest, sponsored by Variety’s media and entertainment job website. Entrants competed by submitting resumes and answers to three entertainment-related questions. A panel of judges from Variety selected Nemoto as the winner based on the creativity and intelligence of her answers.

Nemoto, who graduated in January with a major in marketing and finance and a concentration in entertainment, media, and technology (EMT), chose to attend NYU Stern primarily because of the School's city location. “I was excited to live in New York City and knew Stern could offer a lot of opportunities. I got the sense I could open a lot of doors at Stern,” she noted.

Once she began taking classes in the EMT program, the doors opened wider. “Students in the EMT concentration are constantly exposed to people from the entertainment industry, through in-class speakers, guest seminars at Stern Tisch Entertainment Business Association (STEBA) student club events, and internship opportunities,” she said. “This exposure, coupled with the concentration's dual business/creative focus, enables students to feel more comfortable and knowledgeable when meeting with entertainment professionals outside of school.”

“I am excited and delighted that Pam, whom I know well from her participation in our classes and club activities, won this valuable opportunity,” said Al Lieberman, executive director of the EMT program. “From our perspective, her selection was the next logical step from our courses in the EMT program at Stern: understanding the business, having a dream, and acting on it. We will be watching her career success closely.”

As the winner, Nemoto will fly to Los Angeles and meet with entertainment executives who work in film buying, her area of interest. She will also attend a Hollywood event and dine with Variety and entertainment industry executives, where “I will definitely be putting my Stern, EMT, and STEBA experiences to good use,” she said. “And since the entertainment industry is especially volatile, it is always interesting to meet other professionals and hear their perspectives on the future of entertainment.”

Beyond the learning and networking opportunities this contest has provided, Nemoto explained, “I’ve learned to explore as many opportunities as possible, regardless of how remote they may seem.”

 

 

From Wunderkinds to Wonderwomen

Anjela and Diana Kniazeva, sisters who are 20 and 18 years old, respectively, recently became NYU Stern's youngest graduates to date. In May, the Russian sisters received master's degrees in financial economics. For each, the degree represents the sixth college degree in seven years.

Stern's youngest graduates: sisters Anjela (left) and Diana (right) Kniazeva.

Their secret is an intensive, condensed educational program developed by their mother, Yulia Kniazeva, a childhood-development expert and researcher at a Moscow university. She home-schooled the sisters in Russia, where they covered elementary and high school subjects in five years, along with foreign languages, gymnastics, drawing, and classical dance.

After completing high school, the girls, then 12 and 10, enrolled in Russia's Finance Academy, one of the country's top universities in finance and economics. Three years later, in 2000, they earned degrees in economics equivalent to bachelor's and master's degrees, which were personally awarded by the Russian Education Minister. A strong interest in corporate, financial, and banking law, next led to them to complete a five-year full-time program in law at the Russian New University. Then it was on to Stanford University, where they both received master's degrees at the university's international policy studies program.

“In some of the classes at Stanford, the professors didn't even suspect that we were younger than our peers,” Diana explained. “In one case, after the class was over, we mentioned it in passing to the professor: 'There's just one curious thing we bet you don't know about us.'”

As if five degrees each were not sufficient, Anjela and Diana went on to study financial economics at NYU Stern, where they received their master's degrees in May. They remain at Stern continuing their studies in pursuit of doctorates, on their way to becoming the university's youngest PhD graduates.

“Stern is obviously one of the best business schools in the country and has a top PhD program,” Diana said when explaining why she moved across the globe to study in New York City. Anjela was quick to add, “The challenging and high-ranked program that Stern offers to doctoral students has been a great factor in our professional development. Stern has the right ingredients to give us the necessary knowledge, experience, and research skills in our chosen areas.”

The genius sisters think they'll be done with school in two years, and then will work in corporate finance research. Their hope is to attain academic positions at the same top US business school, where they could collaborate on research in corporate finance and financial economics.

Though they are working on separate projects with Stern faculty and have developed interests in different topics within the same field, Anjela said, “If there is an opportunity to create synergies from co-authoring work, we definitely won't shun it. She is my sister.”

“Well, it's not just that we're sisters and best friends,” chimed in Diana, “but we've worked closely for a very long time, so we understand each other, and if we have the opportunity for the both of us to contribute to the work that's being done, that's great.”

For now, the sisters live with their father in Greenwich Village and play tennis and badminton, go to the movies, and on walks through the park. When asked if they are interested in earning any other degrees after they receive their PhDs, Diana smiled and answered, “Never say 'never.' But in the foreseeable future, I'd say there's mostly going to be work and research in finance.”

 

 

Bon Voyage! Gute Reise! Valerie Galinskaya (second from right) and a group of her fellow Stern Scholars visit the historic Schonbrunn Palace on their trip to Vienna, Austria. Imagine tasting delectable schnitzel served in a medieval tavern; exploring world famous collections of applied arts and Masterpiece paintings at the Museum of Art History; and taking in a concert at the Kursalon, where Johann Strauss performed some of his most notable works. This year, NYU Stern students did just that, stepping outside of the classroom to expand their intellect and cultural well-roundedness by touring Vienna, Austria. In January, select sophomores and seniors traveled to Vienna and discovered its artistic and musical heritage as part of the Stern Scholars Program. The Program taps top students in each class who have proven academic achievement and leadership potential and awards them an annual merit scholarship as well as access to a rich combination of seminars, executive lectures, international travel, community service, and social activities, all designed to shape students into sophisticated, global ambassadors and civic-minded business leaders. Past Scholars have also visited Prague and Paris. Over the course of a week, the Scholars toured the staterooms of the Schonbrunn Palace, the summer palace of Maria Theresa and Kaiser Franz Josef; the monumental buildings of the Ring Strasse, including the Gothic town hall, Parliament building, and State Opera House; and the Vienna Woods for a view of the ruins of the home of the Liechtenstein dynasty and Mayerling's hunting lodge. Scholars were also educated on 20th century Vienna by faculty at Vienna University. A highlight of the trip was catching a performance by the Vienna Opera, noted Valerie Galinskaya, a Stern Scholar and junior marketing and finance major who enjoyed Mozart's “The Magic Flute,” despite waiting in line for two hours to get standing seats. But what Galinskaya valued most about her trip to Vienna is the greater knowledge and appreciation of arts and culture that international travel offers. “The Vienna trip enhanced my view of the world and gave me a broader understanding of Europe and of Vienna's history and culture,” she said. “In the long run, it's going to make me a more well-rounded person no matter what field in business I ultimately pursue.” Reflecting on the most striking cultural difference she noticed in Vienna, Galinskaya pointed to an observably less hectic pace of life: “People wait patiently at the street lights for the light to turn green before crossing the street, which as a New Yorker, I found just absurd. The cross walk is an example of the high value attached to order and organization in Vienna. The city's train system, the U-Bahn, is immaculate too. I remember a sign that said 'the next train will arrive in 1 minute and 40 seconds,' and it literally came in 1 minute and 40 seconds.”