Excellence in a Discipline | 2024-25
Ethan Allain
Excellence in a Discipline - Management Information Systems
What is your favorite Seidman memory?
While a student at Seidman, I was involved in the Investment
Portfolio Organization, which is a student-led investment organization
that manages a real $150,000 stock portfolio. We had the opportunity
to travel to Omaha, Nebraska to attend Warren Buffet’s Berkshire
Hathaway Convention. It was fascinating to hear him speak on
Berkshire’s investment strategy, as well as field several
finance-related questions from reporters and audience members.
Our building namesake – Bill Seidman – exhibited many
desirable traits of a leader such as an innovator, integrity,
curiosity, and future-minded. How did your experience at Seidman
help you develop one or more of these traits?
A mix of involvement in student organizations, as well as
engaging different faculty helped me develop a more future-minded and
curious mindset. After initially enrolling as only a finance major, I
quickly added management information systems after talking with
faculty members and recent graduates about the career outlook. Since
then, I’ve learned that curiosity can serve as a precursor to
opportunity, especially in a professional context.
What would you like people in the community to know about
Seidman graduates like you?
Grand Valley’s program does a fantastic job at setting students
up to take on real world challenges. Whether it’s case competitions,
mock consulting projects, or applicable team-based projects, Seidman
graduates are eager to take on real challenges in the workplace.
What is your career aspiration?
I will be graduating with a degree in both Finance and Management
Information Systems (MIS). Long-term, I aspire to combine my technical
skills in systems design and financial analysis with my passion for
music and live entertainment. Whether that’s starting my own company
working for a venue management firm, or somewhere within the music
industry, I’ll continue to leverage my skills to seize opportunities
in sight of this goal.
How did your time at Seidman College prepare you to contribute
to your community as a Laker for a Lifetime?
Through the education and learning resources at Seidman, I’ve
learned that business is about more than just bottom-line profit.
Seidman has equipped me with the knowledge and skills necessary to
make an impact on the community and people around me.
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