From childhood memories at Wolfpack football games with her father to time spent as a member of the Poole College Advisory Board, Christina Blaszczak has a deep fondness for NC State. A native of Jamestown, N.C., Blaszczak earned her degree in textile management as a merit scholar and then went on to launch her career in finance in the Raleigh area. Today, Blaszczak works as a director of finance for Credit Suisse – a company she’s worked with for nearly 16 years.
“Being part of the Poole College Advisory Board gave me the opportunity to combine two things I’m very passionate about – NC State and the work we’re doing at Credit Suisse,” she says. “Beyond my role on the board, I also serve as an NC State Executive Campus Sponsor making connections between Credit Suisse and folks like Brian Newton in Poole’s Career Center.”
Blaszczak emphasized the importance of maintaining a presence on campus and building awareness of the career opportunities available to NC State students and graduates through Credit Suisse.
“We see the value in hiring NC State and Poole College students, so building that talent pipeline is important,” Blaszczak says. “Graduates from the university really do have that Think and Do mindset, which helps them creatively approach problems and tackle challenges.”
Poole College leadership does a tremendous job of adapting their curriculum to a dynamic and evolving industry environment, so being able to help advise on that is extraordinary.
Blaszczak, who serves on the board’s industry engagement task force, aims to help “connect the dots” between what students are learning in the classroom and employer needs to give Poole graduates a strong foundation for a successful career. “Poole College leadership does a tremendous job of adapting their curriculum to a dynamic and evolving industry environment, so being able to help advise on that is extraordinary,” she says.
“I’m consistently amazed by the quality of Poole students,” Blaszczak continues. “We have the opportunity to hear student presentations as part of our advisory board meetings and I find the students to be so impressive. The work they are doing at such an early point in their college journey – the ideas they have and the resources they use to bring those ideas to fruition – is amazing.”
I’m consistently amazed by the quality of Poole students. We have the opportunity to hear student presentations as part of our advisory board meetings and I find the students to be so impressive.
Beyond that, Blaszczak finds Poole College’s willingness to collaborate across campus with other colleges to be extremely beneficial to its students.
“In today’s world, business functions aren’t done in isolation. Being able to connect and apply different facets of business across various industries will truly set Poole College graduates apart from peer business schools,” she says. “In addition to that, Poole graduates are known for their innovative thinking and having an entrepreneurial mindset, which serves them well in all aspects of business. Not being afraid to try something new or offering a different approach to an existing problem is a distinct advantage many employers are looking for.”
As the Triangle continues to recruit top companies from around the world, Poole College and NC State play an important role in equipping graduates to be contributors to industry. “Having a well-qualified workforce is a key attractor for companies looking to grow or expand operations into the area,” she says.
“I’m impressed with the college’s ability to grow and offer a variety of degree programs in expanding fields like analytics,” Blaszczak says. “The ability to adapt, be innovative and think like entrepreneurs set the Poole College of Management apart now and will continue to resonate for years to come.”
