ALUMNUS SHARES HIS INSIGHTS

In October, the College of Business was fortunate to have alumnus Roger Akers visit. He was the first speaker for the College’s new Graduate Association of Business Students (GABS) Executive Speaker Series. Initiated by Dean Dr. Shane Hunt and Director of Graduate Studies Kristine McCarty, the GABS Executive Speaker series brings in successful alumni from the College of Business graduate programs to speak to students about their career trajectory. This provides networking opportunities and allows current students to witness the successes of those that have come before them.

A California resident, Akers traveled a few hundred miles to share his experience with College of Business students. Over the course of the day, Akers had lunch with members of the GABS club, visited a number of classes and went on a campus tour. Akers spent a great deal of time connecting with current students in the College of Business graduate programs. “Roger helped us understand how to apply complex concepts like taking risks and failing, he even gave us interviewing tips,” shared Nikole Layton, a GABS member pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree and Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) degree.

Akers’s speech focused on dealing with venture capital firms as an entrepreneur. As a founder of the successful Akers Capital LLC, he has had firsthand experience knowing what venture capitalists want to see before investing.

When asked by a student what his greatest piece of advice would be, Akers responded, “People in our world take far too little risk in their lives. They settle. Take risks and trust yourself that things will turn out okay.” This seemed to be the theme of the day, and it struck a chord with many of the students.

“Our students appreciate the opportunity to learn from the experiences of those more advanced in their careers. Roger’s visit was a great success, and we look forward to inviting more graduate program alumni back in the future,” said McCarty.