Alumni share experiences at Business Strategy Senior Capstone
Would you buy a used car from this man?
Zach Zepke hopes you would.
Zepke (left) is aware of the preconception of dishonesty that seems to follow those who work in auto sales. One of his primary goals during his first job as a Maranatha graduate is to help change that perception.
“The whole stigma with selling cars is that everything out of your mouth is a lie,” Zepke said. “It doesn’t have to be that way. I told them during my interview, ‘I’m not going to lie for you. If that’s going to be a problem, don’t call me back.’ Well, they called me back in a week, and this job has been a great thing. I’ve had a ton of witnessing opportunities with my coworkers.”
Zepke was one of seven Maranatha graduates from the Class of 2008 who returned to campus Feb. 27 to address the Business Strategy Senior Capstone class at the request of Business Department Chair Dr. Corey Pfaffe.
Pfaffe has always encouraged input from his former students, and has maintained a blog to help business alumni keep in contact with fellow graduates as well as current students.
Each of the graduates related a different story about their entry into the business world. Some took on management positions immediately, while others found entry-level jobs. Dan Kaminski of Eugene, Oregon, convinced his employer to allow him to develop a new arm of that company, one specializing in the manufacturing of custom furniture and kitchen cabinets.
“There are many challenges with a startup company, but there are also opportunities and blessings,” Kaminski said. “I’ve had great opportunities in my church and community. I’ve been able to coach soccer in the public school system, which is something I really love. You have to trust God to lead and guide and direct you, even if things don’t play out the way you had pictured them.”
Ryan Wychopen was hoping to recruit employees for Firecheck of Texas and Security International as well as relate his experiences working in human resources at the south Texas company.
“You’d be surprised at how many companies are looking for honest people,” Wychopen said. “If you are in accounting, for instance, you will be dealing with a lot of money. It is a job that requires trustworthiness. If they see you have graduated from a Christian college, a small private school with a very regimented lifestyle, that could really prove to be to your advantage.”
Graduating from a Christian college was certainly to Micah Pfaffe’s advantage when he was hired as Information Technology Manager at Colonial Baptist Church in North Carolina.
“I liked the idea of being able to work in a ministry and gain some more IT background,” Pfaffe said. “This is helping me find my niche.”
Sara Anderson may have found a new niche while working in the marketing arm of a properties management company in Wisconsin. She found herself attending court hearings for disputes with tenants quite often and found that part of the job enjoyable. Now she is considering studying law.
Tim Reinert had applied for graduate school at Salisbury University in Maryland, but that school was unfamiliar with Maranatha.
“Once they did the research, they decided it was actually a very good school and created a spot for me in the program,” Reinert said.
Tara Watterson, whose goal is to work for one of the Big 5 accounting firms, is working as an independent accounting contractor while pursuing her Master’s of Business Administration at Marquette University.
“It’s good to have goals to pursue while you wait to see what God wants you to do with your life,” Watterson said.
--Posted by Andrew Call, 3-3-09