Finance student named Outstanding Graduating Senior
<p>Finance major Scott D. Turner has been named the Turken Family Outstanding Graduating Senior for the W. P. Carey School of Business for this fall. He will receive a $1,500 scholarship sponsored by the Turken family and will address the graduating class at the W. P. Carey School’s undergraduate convocation on Dec. 16.<br /><br />Turner, a native of Casper, Wyo., is graduating with a near-4.0 GPA with a bachelor of science degree in finance and a certificate in international business. He has had two internships on Wall Street and will join Goldman, Sachs & Co. as a financial analyst in New York City in July 2011<br /><br />Turner is the first to say that his ASU experience will represent much more than a degree. <br /><br />“It represents the pursuit of endlessly networking within the business community to build interests and passions; becoming involved to the genuine extent in which I was able to express and fine-tune teamwork, communication and leadership skills; and gaining professional experience through internships that give you true insight into career opportunities,” he says. “As I walk across the stage in December my actual physical diploma will serve as a representation of all of these experiences.” <br /><br />It was through Investment Banking Industry Scholars (IBIS) program involvement and his own determined efforts that he networked to secure two significant and coveted internships on Wall Street: An internship in sales and trading taught him that particular type of business was not his best fit. One in private wealth management impressed him with its team and long-term strategy focus with a type and level of client interaction he prefers—and led to his selection by Goldman, Sachs & Co.<br /><br />For several semesters at ASU Turner facilitated a class that introduces students to resources that help them succeed in the Carey School, and assisted in redesigning the course curriculum and facilitator training. He also worked as a tutor in the ASU Learning Resource Center and helped co-found the Academy Peer Programmers for Leadership Engagement (APPLE), which works to increase awareness and involvement within the W. P. Carey Academy. <br /><br />He continues to encourage other students to excel and to learn the value of networking and creating solid business relationships. He served as president of the W. P. Carey Business Ambassadors and as an IBIS mentor. He also engaged in the Undergraduate Student Investment Management Fund, worked part-time in the W. P. Carey Office of Alumni Affairs, and served the Business School Council and Camp Carey. This year he also began mentoring an underprivileged child through the Phoenix Youth at Risk Center. <br /><br />In November Turner ran the New York Marathon to raise funds for the Pat Tillman Foundation, and will travel after graduation to South America for three months of backpacking.<br /><br />Recipients of the Turken Family Outstanding Graduating Senior Award are well-rounded students who display strong academic achievement and exemplary qualities of leadership and service. In 2000 the Sam and Ida Turken Charitable Foundation established an endowment to fund this award.<br /><br /><em>Contributed by Jeanne Elliott, W. P. Carey School of Business</em></p>