Early-Career Success 

"Everybody has different personalities, but certain traits that we uniformly see in Bauer graduates are hunger to learn, a curious mindset and very good presentation skills," said SLB Market to Cash Process Performance Manager Nashida Subhi, who oversees the program.  

She added: "I find our students have the strength of coming up in front of an audience and explaining what they've done or what needs to be done. They also gel with the team fairly well." 

Bauer alumna Sarah Hamdan (BBA' 23) was part of the first SURF cohort, or as the company terms, "wave." Hamdan initially connected with Subhi while attending the college’s Business Career Fair. She said the encouragement she received from the Rockwell Career Center readied her to pursue the role at SLB. 

"Connecting Bauer to Business (BUSI 3302) prepared us to network and sell ourselves in real life scenarios," Hamdan said. "They also taught us to network on social media platforms like LinkedIn and to practice doing projects for actual companies." 

Bauer alumnus Kevin Su (BBA '24) also learned about the SURF program while at the Business Career Fair. Su studied finance and completed the Personal Financial Planning (PFP) track. While his career didn't go in the direction he initially expected, he's enjoyed meeting other Bauer PFP alumni on the job. 

In the time since graduating, both Hamdan and Su have returned to campus to recruit current students at career fairs.  

"It feels very fulfilling to be able to reassure them that we were once in their shoes and that it'll be OK," Hamdan said. 

"I enjoy going to the career fairs a lot because I get to tell my side of the story, and they get to talk about themselves to me," Su said. "In my opinion, it's easier to connect with somebody close to your age. When they find out that I graduated two years ago, something clicks in their head, and they open up more about themselves."