Category Archives: Study Abroad

Fall Career Fair leads to a full-time career opportunity for a SOM student

Jason Bellant is graduating with high honors in April 2021 with his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. During his time at UM-Flint, he was able to apply this knowledge at three different accounting positions. His current position was secured after networking with Yeo & Yeo at a School of Management Fall Career Fair hosted by Antonio Riggs, Career Planning Counselor. 

Bellant is from the Fenton/Linden area and chose UM-Flint so he could live at home but still obtain a rich education. Although he’s now married and a homeowner, UM-Flint was still the best and most convenient option in the area. 

A common obstacle most students face in college is how to tackle study habits; specifically, finding the time to learn and process the content of the course material can present a challenge. Bellant suffered from this issue in high school and knew he needed to create a strategy on how to learn better in his college courses. “I started by tracking how much time I put into my studies. I’d plan my weeks around how much time I would have to put toward my classes each week,” said Bellant. 

After trial and error, Bellant excelled in his studies and went into his last semester with a 3.79 GPA. He says his accounting classes drew him in more than his other curriculum. “I’d never clicked with a class that way before. I knew after my first class in accounting that this was what I wanted to do,” said Bellant.     

Bellant became so comfortable and confident with his courses that he would teach classmates the same study practices that helped him succeed. Part of the reason Bellant helped his peers so much is because he was often on campus pre-COVID. “The abundance of places to study helped me a lot. I found it easier to study at school rather than at home,” said Bellant.

Early this year, Bellant started a new position at Yeo & Yeo after having a one-on-one with Cara Newby, Talent Manager, at the fall SOM career fair. “In previous years, I have never had my schedule allow me to attend any of the other career fairs. With the career fair being online hosted on Handshake it was perfect that I was able to network with employers,” said Bellant.

At Yeo & Yeo, Bellant is an Assurance Staff Accountant and performs audits for clients. Bellant began his new position earlier this year and has already learned new information from his job, such as escheat laws, the audit process, and how to prepare financial statements, while applying what he has learned from his previous courses. Important concepts Bellant took from the classroom that prepared him for his position are the ALICE trick, general rules and overview of financial statements, being a critical-thinker, comprehending new information, and learning a steadfast work ethic.

Bellant was also about to use his excel and bookkeeping skills in his personal life such as the financial side of a wedding and honeymoon and undertaking a house renovation.  

“Advice I would give my younger self or a student thinking about the accounting field is to practice the basics of accounting in your everyday life in order to understand the principles and apply the knowledge to your life. I also recommend that you seek employment, like an internship, in the accounting field ASAP. It can really help you with networking and getting your foot in the door so when you’re about to graduate, you’ll have 3+ years of experience,” said Bellant.

Other advice Bellant mentions to understand is 

  • Income to expense ratios and debt to income ratios.
  • Compound interest, amortization schedules, and other financial tools to help you start saving for your future.
  • Lastly, never stop learning and be a lifelong learner! Read as much as you can about life skills; you will not regret it.

After Bellant graduates in April, he will be continuing his education to get his CPA by taking the additional course credits to have the 150 credits to be eligible for the exam over the next two years. During this time, he will be preparing for the exams and continuing to improve his accounting skills at Yeo & Yeo. 

“I love it here at Yeo & Yeo and everyone is so kind and helpful. It is beyond clear that everyone wants to help any new hire become as proficient as possible. I also value the clear path for growth with the company,” Bellant continues, “There are incentives for me to grow with the firm. I have wanted to be a CPA for a few years now, but I want it more than ever now that I have a clear path to the CPA exam and a clear path after getting it.”

“I’m excited to spend my career auditing clients and helping them in every way I can. Most of my clients are nonprofits and schools, so it is really easy to take an interest and care about helping them,” said Bellant.    

Bellent is one of the many students finishing his degree during the pandemic, he was still able to excel in his studies and seek opportunities that would help build his future.

By Alexis Menard On March 24, 2021 11:50 am 

Ben’s summer in 7 words back to school count down! Business Internship Abroad. New Experiences. European Travel.

By Alexis Menard On August 27, 2019 11:15 am

  • Budapest, Hungary: Rub the Belly for Good Luck
  • Amsterdam, Netherlands: Canals
  • Budepest, Hungary: Fisherman’s Bastion
  • Cologone, Germany
  • Differdange, Luxembourg
  • Dubrovnik, Crotia: Mt. Srd
  • Dubrovnik, Crotia
  • Rome, Italy
  • Rome, Italy
  • Rome, Italy
  • Venice, Italy: Cannals
  • Wuppertal, Germany

My name is Benjamin Molter and I am a senior pursuing an International Business Major, a Marketing Major, and a German Minor.

For a long time, I knew that I wanted to pursue a study abroad of some sorts during my college career and I finally made my dream a reality this past summer. At the end of May 2019, I packed my bags and flew to Germany to begin my journey! Over the summer, I stayed at our partnering university in Germany and I successfully completed an internship with private universities in Germany and Luxembourg. While working with the universities, I learned how to communicate with coworkers from around the world, conduct research more efficiently, and write proposals and emails catering to the businesses’ needs and wants. I would highly recommend an international internship because of all the unique benefits you get out of it. You get to live in the dorms in Germany for very cheap, possibly work in two different countries at the same time, learn a bunch about business outside the United States, and be able to travel often and efficiently.

When I wasn’t working, I was traveling nearly every weekend I was there. I would travel with other Americans who were also doing research at the university we stayed at. To save money, we would stay at hostels. Because of this, we met people from all around the globe which really broadened my perspective. I traveled to Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, and Austria. If I had to choose a favorite city, it would have to be Budapest because it was beautiful. The people were very friendly, there was a lot to do, the food was delicious, and it was very affordable.

What surprised me the most about the whole experience of traveling abroad was how well each country could speak English. Almost everyone from the age of 30 and down speaks English fluently on top of their native language(s) and another one based on what they learned in school. It really inspires me to continue to perfect my fluency in German as well as learning a couple other languages too.

The first thing that I took away from this summer was that to achieve what you want; you need to go out and take opportunities that come your way. I probably would not have done the internship this summer if I didn’t go out of my way to talk to people about it and complete all the work that was required for me to go. Though it was a bit pricey, I made it affordable by doing extra work and obtaining scholarships to help fund my expenses. The second thing that I took away from this summer was that you should travel often and make as many connections as you can. There is so much to see and do while traveling that teaches you so much about the world we all live in. Meeting and talking to people while traveling to different countries allows you to learn about the culture and history of each country more than staying in your home country.

What I am looking forward to most this Fall would be continuing work with the International Business Student Organization (IBSO). We are looking to expand our organization, creating interesting and new events, as well as taking another trip sometime during the school year.

Professor Mehdian lectures at Romanian American University

Two years ago, the University of Michigan-Flint and the Romanian American University (RAU) of Bucharest signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in sharing faculty expertise to increase the quality of education for the students of both Universities.

During the Fall ’12 semester, Professor Seyed Mehdian, Professor of Finance for the School of Management, became the first SOM faculty member to participate in teaching at RAU in Romania. During his visit, Professor Mehdian delivered several iterations of his lecture titled “Financial Management Issues” to RAU students and faculty.

Professor Mehdian is seen in the image above with Dr. Ovidiu Folcut, the Rector of Rau, Mrs. Despina Barbieru of the Office of International Relations (RAU), and students who attended Dr. Mehdian’s lectures.