“Olin offered me a prestigious private research university with an eight-to-one student-to-faculty ratio and unmatched career resources in the Weston Career Center.”
When looking for the perfect fit for post-graduate education, Dominique (Cong) Nie was clear in her goals: great academic resources, strong career-building resources and a focus on STEM. She found all three at Olin.
“Olin offered me a prestigious private research university with an eight-to-one student-to-faculty ratio and unmatched career resources in the Weston Career Center,” she said. “The program allows me to study business analytics as a merge between business and IT, and has provided a promising career prospect within a broad and balanced curriculum from which I can build an integrated vision and develop analytical skills.”
Focused on the future
A priority for Nie was finding a place with an abundance of career-building resources. While seeking her master’s degree in business analytics, an emerging 21st-century field, the ability to translate her skills into a career was imperative.
“I began my conversations with Weston Career Center in mid-August of 2019,” Nie said. “They encouraged me to move out of my comfort zone, and I thank them for that.” She credits the WCC for helping her realize that career growth comes from facing the discomfort of trying something new.
The time with the WCC has undoubtedly been rewarding: She landed a summer internship with MilliporeSigma (a St. Louis-based lab technologies and materials producer) as a marketing content intern.
First-class educators
“During my time at Olin, I was honored to have learned from excellent professors such as Durai Sundaramoorthi, Lingxiu Dong, Song Yao, Seethu Seetharaman, Sydney Scott and Meng Liu,” she said. “Their courses helped me sharpen a quantitative mindset with analytical rigor.”
Unparalleled support team
“Karissa Rusu helped me with my resume review; Sally Pinckard gave me useful tips on my cover letter; Mark Schlafly pointed out my mistakes during my practice interview,” she said. “I was grateful to all of them for the time they spent with me.”
Nie felt kindness from her peers and support system beyond just professional assistance. One experience of such kindness came from an instructor during the holiday season when Schlafly, an experienced career coach, hosted a Thanksgiving party at his home for nearly 100 Olin SMP students. “That wonderful party, with a cozy atmosphere, remains one of my most memorable experiences,” she said.
Experience as an education
In step with Olin’s focus on experiential learning, Nie has used the opportunities provided to her to further her education with hands-on opportunities and skills labs, applying her theoretical learning in the Olin Taylor Community Consulting Program and a practicum project with the Center for Experiential Learning. She’s worked with the Boy Scouts of America and Nestlé Purina PetCare.
“Those hands-on industry projects helped strengthen my leadership and coordination skills and gave me the push to transfer my knowledge in class to mature work products for the client,” she said.
Dominique (Cong) Nie, MSCA 2020
Career
Marketing Content-Connected Labs Intern, MilliporeSigma
Background
Hometown: Wuhan, Hubei, China
Key Olin success drivers
Courses
Center for Experiential Learning
Global opportunities
Olin's collaborative environment
Professors
Values-based, data-driven mindset
Weston Career Center
Key Olin pillars of excellence
Experiential learning
Global
Values-based, data-driven mindset
