Hi! My name is Collin Tesch and I will be graduating from the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business in May of 2019 with a degree in Finance and Economics.  I have always found myself to be a leader.  When I was in third grade my father was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy.  Although this was a very traumatizing event in my life it made me step up to the plate.  I started doing things my father used to do around the house like cutting the yard, raking leaves, and shoveling the driveway.  The combination of this event and activities were the start to my pursuit of being a leader.

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In high school I had the opportunity to be a Link Crew Leader.  A Link Crew Leader is someone who helps the transition of middle school students into high school students an easier process.  This role gave me the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with the first-year students and make them feel comfortable in a new environment.  Being able to experience this role made me want to continue some sort of leadership role into college.

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Originally being from Connecticut moving 800 miles away from home to attend school was a challenge for me.  I have always been a social person and loved meeting new people, however this time it was more difficult.  Coming from a Northern culture and having to embrace a southern culture was something that took some getting used to.  One thing that really helped me out what was having a very active and helpful Resident Mentor.  My Resident Mentor was always available and went out of her way to make sure that everyone felt at home on the hall.  These actions caused me to go on and become a Resident Mentor later in college.

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As a Resident Mentor I had numerous responsibilities over the course of my Sophomore and Junior year.  One of the biggest responsibilities as a Resident Mentor is to build a community that feels like home for your residents.  To accomplish this task, I held community gatherings to connect the residents with one another.  In addition to making the residence hall feel like home I was also responsible for making sure that nothing bad was happening in the residence hall.  To do this I would make rounds around the building to make sure everything seemed to be normal.  I enjoyed being a resident mentor so much that I decided to become a University 101 Peer Leader.

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Being a University 101 Peer Leader was something that I really enjoyed in my Junior at the University of South Carolina.  In this role I was doing a lot of the same things I was doing as a Resident Mentor.  My biggest job as a Peer Leader was to make sure that I was available for my students whenever they had a question.  Since it was their first semester at the University of South Carolina, they would ask me questions about registering for classes and where they should look to live during their sophomore year.  On top of being available for my students, I was also held accountable for creating lesson plans to teach the students.  These lesson plans consisted of topics such as drugs and alcohol, involvement around campus, and values.  Thanks to my role as a University 101 Peer Leader and Resident Mentor, I had the opportunity to be an accounts payable intern at Scana Corporation.

 

Since this was my first internship at a major corporation I knew I had to set myself apart from the rest.  To set myself apart from the rest I decided to take the lead on various projects.  The first thing that I decided to take the lead on was entering invoices that needed to be paid.  I continuously asked my supervisor to learn how to enter the different types of invoices and shared with my coworkers how I thought the best way to enter them.  However, this was not the biggest leadership position I held in my time at Scana Corporation.  When I first started at Scana I noticed the mail process we were running was very inefficient.  Therefore, I decided I was going to take things into my own hands and revamp the process.  These leadership characteristics impressed my supervisors and gave me the opportunity to continue the ins and outs of the Accounts Payable department.  All three of my roles as an Intern, University 101 Peer Leader, and Resident Mentor made me realize that I have partaken in Professional and Civic Engagement throughout my four years at the University of South Carolina.

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I believe that I have successfully displayed Professional and Civic Engagement these last four years because of my out of the classroom leadership experiences and internship.  Throughout my portfolio you will see how I connected with my residents as a Resident Mentor, how I was a role model for my University 101 students, and how I shined as an Intern.  Additionally, you will see what my plans are for the future.  My plans include continuing to grow as a leader and share my financial knowledge with the public.  I believe that my education and experiences will carry me into the future and allow me to have a major impact on the community.