As part of Scheller’s Graduation 2020 Profiles series, we interviewed a few soon-to-be graduates from our undergraduate programs to learn about their backgrounds, why they chose Scheller College, and what they plan to do after Spring 2020 Commencement.
Your Name:
Emma Adams
Where did you intern/co-op during school?
NCR, Financial Services Sales Development Intern- Summer 2017
Accenture, Consulting Summer Analyst - Summer 2019
Where will you be working after graduation?
I will be working at Accenture in their Atlanta office (right in Tech Square) as a Consulting Analyst.
Why did you choose Scheller College of Business?
My first interaction with Scheller College was a shadow day during my sophomore year of high school. I decided to do the Scheller Shadow Day on a whim, I was not that interested in business at the time but I am so glad I went. I remember coming back home and telling my mom that Georgia Tech was where I wanted to go to college. It felt like home from day one. Luckily, I got in and was also invited to interview for the Scheller Dean’s Scholarship. That day sealed the deal and I never looked back.
Who was your favorite professor (and why)?
My favorite professor is Dr. Saba Colakoglu. Dr. Colakoglu has been a mentor to me since I took her Human Resources and Organizational Behaviour courses in my sophomore year. She is full of wisdom, wit, and invests in getting to know her students. I am extremely appreciative of her mentorship over the past few years.
What was your favorite course (and what was the biggest insight you gained about business from it)?
My favorite course was Bill Todd’s Management in the Healthcare Sector. My biggest insight was how good leadership and business skills can be utilized to solve problems in every industry, even healthcare. It demonstrated that no matter what industry or problem, business skills have a place.
As a business student in the heart of Tech Square, how do you think Scheller College embodies the intersection of business and technology?
Scheller does a great job of teaching cutting edge technology in a business context. I did not realize how true this was until my internship at Accenture last summer. My team was working to design a new contact center experience for our client using AWS AI technology. My role was helping to design the customer experience by creating flow diagrams to mimic the experience you would have if speaking to a human, not a robot. We were working with really advanced technology and part of my job was communicating to our offshore engineers what we needed to happen from a customer experience standpoint. It was a perfect blend of using both my technical skills and business acumen I have developed over the years at Scheller.
What is your best piece of advice to an applicant hoping to get into Scheller College?
Work hard throughout high school, be yourself when writing your application, and come visit us. Working hard in high school is a must but there is no “cookie-cutter” Scheller student. That is what makes our community so vibrant and strong so be yourself when writing your application and let your passions shine through. Also, come visit us at a shadow day or tour. As previously mentioned, Scheller was not really on my radar until I came to visit the school. Finding a good fit is very important when deciding what school to attend so visiting the campus and interacting with students is a great way to see if the school is right for you.
What is the biggest myth about Scheller College?
The biggest myth about Scheller College is that it is unwise to go to an engineering school for a business degree. I have found that to be completely untrue. Living and learning with peers who think differently than me has been one of the most impactful parts of my college experience. Getting a business degree from such a diverse university has made me confident that I can add value in a wide variety of industries and work alongside my more “technical” colleagues.
Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? (A parent? A teacher? A role model?)
I might have been the least likely person to pursue a business degree in high school. Neither one of my parents is in business and I was heavily involved in the performing arts. It was the Scheller Shadow Day that I went to that opened up all the opportunities a business degree could provide. After that day I began researching and learning more about business and it seemed like a good fit.
What activities were you involved with on or off-campus, and did your business education impact those activities in any way?
At Tech I have been involved in the Scheller Business Ambassadors, Greek Life, the Excel Mentorship program, Society of Women in Business and as a GT 1000 Team Leader. I served as the Executive Vice President for Tech’s Society of Women in Business this year. In my role, I networked with corporate sponsors and speakers and invited companies to attend our weekly meetings. I was able to use skills that I learned in GT 1000 and Career Development to reach out to recruiters and initiate professional relationships for the Society of Women in Business.
How did the Career Center assist you with your job efforts? Did you end up working or interning for one of your top choice companies?
Just as Georgia Tech was my dream school, Accenture was my dream company. Similarly to how comfortable I felt the first time I visited Scheller College, I felt the same way attending Accenture information sessions. When Kate Zepernick was here she helped me approach networking in a more genuine way, which I think played a huge part in helping me land my internship/fulltime job.
Did you participate in any hands-on/experiential learning opportunities? If yes, which projects/companies did you work with and how did you help them?
I took two impactful consulting practicum courses this year, the Sustainability Consulting Practicum and a special topics Consulting Practicum with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. In the first course, my team worked with a landscape delivery startup called ServeScape. We helped ServeScape’s founder create optimized routes of plant delivery so that he could break even by 2021. For Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, our class task was to examine their current digital experience and use technology to make the healthcare delivery process smoother for patients. This involved interviewing patients and parents, benchmarking against other peer institutions and we are wrapping up with a presentation to the CEO of Children’s Healthcare this week.
What concentration did you pursue and why? How this helped prepare you for your future?
I knew I wanted to go into consulting pretty soon after my freshman year. I chose to concentrate on Supply Chain and Operations because I thought it would give me a good understanding of how businesses function as a whole. Operations is a highly connected aspect of the business (marketing, finance, etc.) and I thought this would pair well with a consulting job. I think this concentration has prepared me well for my future in teaching me a healthy mix of high-level strategy and analytical skills.
Fun fact about yourself:
As a part of my study abroad program, I got to intern with a nonprofit in Budapest Hungary!
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be… (Complete sentence)
Try to open a bakery in my hometown!
What are the top two items on your bucket list?
Visit every Disney park around the world
Backpack across Europe
In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you?
I want to be remembered as someone who is welcoming, encouraging, and a great friend!