Author: Adiki Puplampu
Date: 14 November 2022
Siegfried Kahama was one of a handful of students in this year’s cohort from what most would consider a non-STEM program. A psychology major with a minor in economics, Siegfried's passion for psychology stems from the discipline’s ability to feed his curiosity about the world and its intersections with the business world, an area he is interested in exploring further. This interest in business made Siegfried an ideal candidate for his position as a finance intern at Sysco Canada this summer.
As a finance intern, Siegfried was given the opportunity to observe the finances of a corporation from a broad perspective. In his work, which mainly consisted of working on rebates and donations with the financial department and evaluating the efficacies of departmental procedures, he had the opportunity to collaborate with various departments within the organization. This work taught him that organizations are like ecosystems, each part constantly in communication with one another. His contribution to this ecosystem is a point of pride and growth for Siegfried who was able to learn unfamiliar processes firsthand.
From his time in this internship, Siegfried internalised two key job skills: the importance of communication and collaboration and the significance of lifelong learning. Siegfried also comes out of this experience with a greater appreciation for finance, an area of business he now appreciates for its ability to give meaning to daily streams of numbers and data.
Looking to the future, Siegfried’s dream job would be anything that allows him to combine and pursue his passions for business and psychology. To him this looks like working in the corporate world, within the health industry, or somewhere in-between. When asked what he would say to someone interested in applying to the ELITE Program, Siegfried had this to say: “I would tell them that they have nothing to lose. In fact, I believe they would be losing if they didn’t apply in the first place. We all have an entrepreneurial spirit in us, regardless of what field you are interested in. There is no other program that allows you to grow and share your voice like ELITE does.”