Awhile back, I did a post for my first major, communication and media, but my path has changed a bit since then (you can read all about it here). I wanted to provide a little more information about my experience from changing a minor into second major, and thought a part two of my blog would be the best way to do it!

You got my 5 fun facts last time, but here are 3 more for good measure:  

  • I’ve never been to another country, unless you count Epcot.
  • I’m a New York Mets fan (they’ll be good again soon, I promise).
  • I have a different colored pen/highlighter for every class and job I have.

Can you tell us a little about the business management program?

The program provides an overview of nearly all elements of business including economics, entrepreneurship, ethics, finance, global issues, management, marketing, and technology. If you know what area of business you’re interested in pursuing, or just want to learn more, you can minor in accounting, digital marketing, economics, entertainment and recording industry, or information systems, just to name a few. Also, a lot of the required classes are offered fairly regularly, so you have flexibility in your schedule to double major or minor in something completely unrelated if you want.

Finance Lab

What’s the coolest class you’ve taken in your major(s)?

I really enjoyed human resource management. HR professionals tend get a bad rap and this class illustrated both their importance to an organization and the reasoning that goes into the tough decisions they have to make. My professor, Al Cabral, made the class really hands on and incorporated a lot of projects and assignments that asked us to use what we learned to make decisions as if we were the HR professional, as opposed to just memorizing and regurgitating facts. Our final exam was a market basket exercise: we were given some brief guidelines and information about a fake company and had to use that information and what we learned throughout the semester to respond to 10 scenarios that we could face in an HR role. I don’t know if I can bring myself to call a final “fun,” but it was definitely the most engaged I’ve ever been in an exam, and it really helped tie together everything we’d learned.

What kind of activities/jobs/internships do students in the program participate in?

I’m most familiar with the marketing clubs since that’s my area of interest, but Naz offers clubs and activities for a lot of areas of business. The marketing club brings in speakers from the Rochester community while the golden creative club actually works with other clubs and partners to fulfill their marketing needs, just like a marketing agency would. Other standouts are the newly established chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants and the student managed golden flyer investment fund. Other majors in the School of Business and Leadership, such as music business, also have their own clubs. And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, Naz makes it easy to start your own club!

Representing Naz at my internship with New York’s Statewide Financial System

In terms of internships, the possibilities are endless. Past business majors have interned at big names in Rochester such as Butler/Till, Paychex, and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, just to name a few. Last summer I interned for the New York’s Statewide Financial System and, although I worked in a communications capacity, the business knowledge I acquired was invaluable to gaining an understanding of the of system itself and doing my job successfully.

How has the business management program sparked your passion?

As I mentioned before, business was originally a minor for me, but taking it on as a major has really opened my eyes to a lot of opportunities out there that I wasn’t familiar with before. Marketing and communications is my passion, and a big part of that is my desire to write and share stories. It wasn’t until I started studying business that I realized how many people, some with business expertise and some without, have a great idea but don’t have the marketing/communication knowledge to make their idea a reality, and I would love to use my skills to be that catalyst that helps them get there.

Smyth Hall – Home of the School of Business and Leadership

Any advice for incoming freshman in your department?

Keep an open mind. There are so many directions you can go in, and while that can seem overwhelming at times, it’s a really empowering thing. Nazareth College offers so many opportunities, and you should take advantage of every one you can. Even if you think you won’t like something, give it a shot because you never know what you’ll learn about the industry or about yourself! On the other hand, if you try something and don’t like it, now you know to look for something that’s a better fit. You don’t need to be an expert in every area of your field – it’s more valuable to be really good at one or two things than it is to do the bare minimum in a lot of areas.


Explore all business and leadership majors at Nazareth College >