Intern Spotlight - Aamir Azam
Strayos is proud to introduce...
One of Our Shining Stars and a Brilliant Person.
Aamir is pursuing an MBA at Boston University's Questrom School of Business
Why did you choose to pursue an MBA?
While working a Project Manager in the Real Estate and Construction Industry, I was often faced with situations where I had to make swift decisions that would have a bearing on the financial as well as the overall health of the project. Since I had no prior business education, I used intuition, limited business knowledge, and personal experience to guide my decision making. That is when it became clear to me that in order to progress in my career and grow as an individual, I would need to learn about the theories of management in a setting that emphasised cross-functional knowledge and fostered diverse perspectives. As an ambitious young professional, I could think of no other professional program than an MBA that would give me that opportunity and help me refine my professional skills and add valuable attributes that I may need to be a consequential leader in any industry - one who has the strategic wisdom to back creative ideas with experiential learning. I also wanted to develop advanced and flexible management skills -both hard and soft skills - as well as prepare for the ever-changing business environment and the MBA program ticked all the boxes in that regard as well.
Just MBA things: It's not only what you learn in the classroom, it's also what you learn outside of it. Team building activity on Thompson Island, MA.
What interested you about Strayos? Why did you apply?
Having initially worked with the company on a project as part of the BU Entrepreneurship Challenge, I was very impressed by the intent and commitment of Strayos to push for change - real change in an industry still averse to adopting evolving, efficient technology. Having worked in the construction industry for a considerable amount of time, I know how difficult it is to change/add to the existing industry practices. As an individual inspired by challenging the status quo and enabling creativity, I wanted to do my part in being able make an impactful and meaningful contribution towards driving that change and Strayos presented me the platform and an opportunity to do just that. Ever since my first conversation with Ravi, I knew my interests and motivation were aligned with that of the company and hence applying to Strayos was a no-brainer.
How do you see your time at Strayos contributing to your plans? What do you hope to accomplish during your time with us?
Given my current role and responsibilities at Strayos, I believe I will be contributing directly in helping the company expand its outreach, develop its brand, and eventually to the adoption of its services on a wider scale potentially leading to a mass technological shift within the industry in the years to come. I have always been forward-focused and Strayos' commitment to sustained, earnest innovation gives me the opportunity to work on new facets of the business-development process along the way.
Via my internship, I hope to be able to understand the dynamics of the mining, drilling and blasting industry (an industry I am starting to really love) at a deeper level as well as leverage my managerial acumen to make sound data-driven business decisions. During my time here, I have already been given the flexibility to work on a host of different topics which has allowed me to learn new things and add to my overall professional growth. On a personal front, I hope to forge life-long relationships with the wonderful group of people that I am just getting to know here at Strayos.
What are you working on right now?
As a Strategy and Business Development Intern, I work on different strategies related to the overall brand development. Along with my super-talented fellow intern Zay, I am currently working on content and digital marketing strategies as well as drafting and fine tuning SEO strategies. Additionally, I also look into the finance side of things that tie directly to the sales decision-making strategy.
Tell us something personal about you!
I love travelling and am a BIG Manchester United fan. Also big on food, especially dessert. I can have dessert as an appetizer, entree and of course as a dessert itself (luckily blessed with a fast metabolism so it doesn't always show). Proud owner of 2 failed startups.