Community / September 9, 2016

Cece Ukejianya ’18 Is Commanding Her Career

Cece Ukejianya ’18 Is Commanding Her Career

Victor Mullins, associate dean of the undergraduate program at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, sat down with Smith Junior Cece Ukejianya '18 to discuss how she is “commanding her career” during her Smith Journey. Cece is in the process of earning a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science in Finance. She has interned with PricewaterhouseCoopers (summer 2015) and is currently an intern with Deloitte (summer 2016 and summer 2017).

So what does the Smith journey entail? During their freshman year, Smith students begin to build their personal brand through the SmithStart program. Sophomores dedicate their second year to pioneering their path to success by focusing on an overall academic and career strategy. Junior year focuses on students taking command of their careers during to ensure that they are well positioned for their professional journey. Finally, as a senior with an arsenal of tools, knowledge, and networks, Smith students are able to embrace their experience and celebrate their success.

Cece UkejianyaDean Mullins: Reflect on how you "built your brand" during your freshman year.

Cece: Building your brand is all about finding who you are and how to best portray that to others. In order to find myself, I had to learn what I was passionate about. When you are passionate about something you end up being the best version of yourself. I am passionate about investing in myself so that I can better help others. I practiced my passion through various involvement opportunities throughout freshman year. I bettered my soft skills through leadership opportunities and I assisted others through programs and ideas I put into action. Because I was doing what I love, I was able to show others who I am and build a positive brand within the Smith community and further out to wherever I went.

Dean Mullins: How about your sophomore year?  How did you "pioneer your path?"

Cece: I knew I wanted to make an impact before I left Smith and excel after I graduated. Therefore, I began structuring my goals within the organizations I joined throughout freshman year. I started determining what visions I had for these organizations and running for positions that would allow me to do so. I built relationships with many faculty staff members that could assist in my vision for myself. Sometimes, individuals focus on creating a pathway for success outside of college for post grad but it starts now. I want to make a difference for any place I must leave behind and this is the steps I took to put that plan into action.

Dean Mullins: You're now a junior!  And I remember when I had you give your brand statement during the freshman Smith leadership institute! How are you "commanding your career"?

Cece: I was lucky to realize that it is never too early to start preparing for your future. I have already developed relationships with individuals that could help me succeed after graduation. These individuals include recruiters of different companies I would like to work for and staff members in the Office of Career Services to help shape my decisions. As a result, I had different offers from a variety of companies allowing me to choose where I wanted to end up instead of letting the decisions of a company determine where I land. This is how I’ve commanded my career and how I believe others should too.

Dean Mullins: What advice would you give to the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors?

Cece: Attending the Robert H. Smith School of Business means a great deal outside our beautifully designed halls. Understand that you have value whether it is raising your hand in class, running for a position within a club, or interviewing for your dream job. It’s easy to look around and compare ourselves to other individuals who are striving and think we can never achieve the success they have but by attending Smith, you already have. Once you see your value, you can leverage it and reach any goal you put your mind too.

Dean Mullins: How are you making a mark on campus?

Cece: I am sadly aware my time at Smith will come to an end and making a change at Smith won’t be as easy then. Therefore, in the various positions I’ve been able to hold, I’ve tried to change something for the better. That way when I graduate, the changes I made will still continue on until someone else finds a better way. It’s a basic principle we learned as children “leave it better than you found it” but harder in practice. This is the challenge I’ve tasked myself with.

Dean Mullins: What is your dream?

Cece: My dream is to achieve success in all three important areas in my life. The first is living out my passion. If I can successfully continue to better myself in order to better others then I have achieve success here. This includes learning new things often and using my new skills to change people’s lives through programs I participate in or create. The second is being social and family oriented. I want to maintain wonderful relationships with wonderful people. I want to always put my family first while still achieving success in the other areas of my life. Lastly, I want to be financially successful. Sometimes, people are ashamed to admit they want to make a lot of money; I am not one of those people. I don’t see any reason not to be money driven, as long as you have other things that you value equally that can keep you grounded. I cannot be financially successful while not living out my passion; otherwise, I am not successful at all.

Dean Mullins: Why are you passionate about the Smith School?

Cece: I usually try to set goals that I believe are out of my reach so that I work extremely hard. It’s similar to when people tell you to “shoot for the stars and land on the clouds.” However, every goal that I set for myself, the Smith School helped me surpass it. For example, one of my goals was to participate in one of Google’s student programs. I was admitted into summer programs that I applied to, one for freshman year and the other for sophomore year. This is why I am so passionate about the Smith School. It is a place of endless opportunities. You just have to take advantage of it. 

For more information about the undergraduate program at Smith, visit: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/undergrad 

Media Contact

Greg Muraski
Media Relations Manager
301-405-5283  
301-892-0973 Mobile
gmuraski@umd.edu 

About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

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