SEEING THINGS THROUGH

FROM CONCEPT TO CREATION

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..and, appropriately, keep it moving

The skills that I have developed from my leadership studies, work experience, entrepreneurial and volunteer activities support the tagline: proven, innovative professional in higher education and self-motivated entrepreneur.

By allowing me to work with diverse groups of people including freshman students, faculty, and college administration, my experience in the accounts receivable and accounts payable offices at Lehman College has given me indispensable knowledge of customer service and higher education.

I’ve communicated with the Department of Education when managing our third party billing for the programs; coordinated with our institution’s collection agencies, successfully reducing our receivables; and prepared information for our division’s monthly performance metrics reports in which we consistently performed the highest.

Using my strong expertise in Excel, I have created user friendly, accounting-related templates as well as a standardized billing system using appropriately merged queries. The user-friendly interface of such a complex system was used as a considerable time-saving measure in a vastly improved work-flow efficiency.

In working closely with management, I was able to use my team leadership skills to help communicate and execute CUNY/Lehman’s financial policies so that internal controls guidelines are properly adhered to.

In addition to providing my valued services in higher education, I have also been able to apply my strong communication abilities while doing volunteer work in the youth department within the National Council of Eritrean Americans (NCEA). Doing volunteer work in a close-knit community has given me the opportunity to gain experience in not-for-profit administration.

My community service activities has also helped me further develop self-awareness and is instrumental in the shaping of my identity. I strive to improve the communities to which I belong. In keeping with my identity, I have established a networking platform – Eritrean Diaspora Entertainment Network (EDEN) – to promote collaboration and, ultimately, success of small businesses.

As a Organizational Leadership graduate student (pre-pandemic), I have been able to further develop and strengthen my leadership skills. The two most important character traits that I am proud of are: an eagerness to problem solve and a propensity to provide knowledge towards achieving a shared goal. In short: I’m good at learning, practicing and sharing knowledge.

Coursework that I have taken, along with valuable insight from an extensive network that I have developed with EDEN as well as at Lehman College’s state of the art Multimedia Center, Lehman Stages and BronxNet has helped me be well-rounded in the knowledge of the film industry.

Outside my career in Higher Ed, I have a passion for the production of film – from concept to creation. My love for creative writing resulted in me writing high concept scripts that are thought-provoking and idea-driven. I have also written simple shorts of which I was able to practice shooting with DSLR, thereby enhancing my ability in visual storytelling.