By Tatiana Zavodny
Staff Writer
Seniors looking for hands-on business experience have the option to participate in the Senior Experience Program at CSUSM.
This unique program pairs small groups of students with local businesses or non-profit organizations that have submitted proposals for projects that students can work on. Since this is a requirement for the College of Business Administration, students are encouraged to apply to a variety of proposals and are then matched with the business based on their skills, background and interests.
In this process, students work in partnership with their corporate sponsors under the supervision of a faculty member to plan, develop and complete the proposed project. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of this experience is that seniors have the chance to design every step of their process, from conception to the finished product.
One specific senior experience group at CSUSM is working alongside a local small-business to create an app called Sparkify. The five outstanding seniors working on this product include Desiree Dechon, Maria Evans, Paul Freeman, Tam Huynh and Yohei Iwashita.
The group’s website explains that through using this up-and-coming networking app, people everywhere would be able to find others in their local vicinity who share common interests, or “sparks,” and use this information to “spark” a conversation.
“You would have sparks that show certain matches. You might like the same sports team, the same music or you may have gone to the same school,” business owner, Tom Severance, said.
In all, there are 20 different categories people can choose from when looking for potential matches. In addition to making friends and finding dates, this app may have other uses in the corporate sector as well.
“A lot of money is spent on training people how to work a room, how to network. This app helps to facilitate [these skills],” the company’s consultant, Carmen Di Padova, said.
Throughout the semester, students conduct regular meetings with their faculty advisor and business sponsor.
“I step out of the role of lecturer. The idea is to let my student team handle the project. It’s a learning experience,” the group’s faculty supervisor, Professor Bill Burns, said.
When the semester is over, the Senior Experience Program at CSUSM will host its own tradeshow, featuring every student group and their completed business products. The tradeshow will take place in mid-December at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido.
“People from the business community will attend the tradeshow and many, as a result, become sponsors of projects because they get to see this panoramic view of 40 to 50 student projects,” Professor Bill Burns said.
An interesting aspect to this project is that everyone in the CSUSM campus community has a chance to contribute.
“[People] can become a part of the project by downloading the app and using it,” Di Padova said.
After trying the app, people are encouraged to submit their feedback regarding their experiences with the product.
The Sparkify app is currently available for free on Apple smartphones and tablets, but further development may yield an android-friendly version as well.
Though the app may be downloaded directly from iTunes, this Senior Experience is allowing CSUSM students a unique opportunity to download it from their website at http://seniorexperiencesparkifysurvey.weebly.com/. In doing so, students will automatically be entered in to two separate drawings for a chance to win prizes up to $150 in gift cards to Amazon, Starbucks and/or iTunes.
Other information about the Sparkify app can be found on the company’s website at http://www.sparkify.com/. For more information on the Senior Experience Program, visit the College of Business Administration website at http://www.csusm.edu/coba/.