Leadership development is an integral part of a college student’s success. Student organizations across campus provide a platform to allow students to engage, listen and incorporate ideas to enact change—both within themselves, across the campus community and beyond.
Fox School of Business students Myles Savage and Makiyah Jones have elevated and refined their leadership skills at the national level.
As executive board leaders of Temple’s chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), they credit being part of this student professional organization for helping them build skills and connections that will last a lifetime.
Executive Board President Myles Savage, class of 2024, is a finance major with a minor in real estate who comes to Fox from San Francisco.
Executive Board Vice President Makiyah Jones, class of 2025, is an accounting major with a concentration in data analytics who comes to Fox from Washington, D.C.
How has being part of a Fox Student Professional Organization (SPO) — and holding a leadership role — impacted your college experience and prepared you for your professional career?
Myles: SPOs have provided a low-consequence environment for me to practice both soft and technical skills. Holding a leadership position has allowed me to display desirable attributes to employers and enriched my overall college experience by facilitating introductions with faculty and the broader student body.
Coming into college I wanted to earn a full-time job and create connections that would last a lifetime. Holding an executive board position with NABA has allowed me to accomplish this.
Makiyah: Being fully immersed in NABA has given me the opportunity to attend several conferences, allowed me to develop relationships with like-minded people, and put me on a pathway for career success.
Tell us about your experience leading a group of Temple NABA members to the regional conference in Washington, D.C.
Myles: Being a part of NABA gives you access to a national network of more than 6,000 members, like-minded students and professionals. You don’t fully grasp the gravity of this until you attend a conference.
It was incredibly fulfilling to lead a group of fellow Temple NABA students on this transformative journey. It was inspiring to see them engage, become invigorated and create meaningful connections with future employers.
Makiyah, you had the opportunity to attend the NABA national conference in New Orleans. What was it like attending by yourself?
Makiyah: As the recipient of a Google scholarship through NABA, I had the opportunity to attend the national conference. In just a week, I caught a glimpse of what the rest of my life would be like. This is not an exaggeration. Motivated by speakers including Stacey Abrams, Carla Harris and Stedman Graham, I connected with extraordinary students and networked with professionals from PWC, Accenture, KPMG and Ernst and Young (EY). A highlight of my semester was being able to share this experience at the regional conference in Washington, D.C.
My participation at both conferences has allowed me to see the value of the NABA community. I plan to continue my service at the national and regional levels for the duration of my career.
What is a key takeaway from the conference that you would like to implement in Temple’s NABA chapter?
Myles: I want to bring back to Temple that NABA is not just for accounting majors. The organization welcomes all business majors and there are resources to support many industries.
Makiyah: The greatest lesson I’ve learned is that my network is my net worth. Students often are too busy perfecting their GPAs, so they forget to access the network that SPOs provide. I vow to help strengthen the bond between our chapter’s members to ensure that we can continue to see an increase in the student body, circulate opportunities to each other, and uphold our recognition and legacy.
“NABA on the Rise” is the chapter’s way to feature and celebrate professional successes. Can you share your journey behind securing a personal success?
Myles: I had a NABA e-board mentor who was senior to me by two years. I invested the time in fostering a great connection with him, as well as with other e-board members who had similar career goals. Through their mentorship and constant sharing of various opportunities, I was offered my dream role—an internship with PGIM.
Makiyah: Being active and present with recruiters allowed me to secure an internship with EY. The Big 4 accounting firms are highly selective. To stand out from other candidates, I made sure to ask questions during firm visits, attend office visits and social events, and introduce myself to recruiters.
Most students enter college with ideas of achieving certain goals. What is one goal you have or are on your way to achieving through your experience at Fox?
Myles: Following my May 2024 graduation, I have accepted an analyst position at Wells Fargo in its Real Estate Gaming and Lodging Investment Banking Team. I plan to harness this experience into a real estate private equity or development role. I believe that if I can positively shape the environments that people reside in, then I can positively affect the individuals in these environments.
Makiyah: As I finish junior year, I will be looking forward to campaigning for the presidency of the NABA Temple Chapter. I knew that I wanted to be our chapter’s president the minute I applied to the Fox School. This upcoming summer, I plan to return to EY as an Audit GPS intern. I aspire to graduate with a full-time offer to a Big 4 accounting firm, so this is a stepping stone toward that goal.
Interested in getting involved in NABA?
Follow NABA on Instagram and LinkedIn. All majors are welcome to attend NABA’s general body meeting every Wednesday from 12-12:50 p.m. in Alter Hall room 239.