Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

UPDATE: This post was updated at 10:04 p.m. on Nov. 4.

When Corin Wiggins transferred to Syracuse University this year, she wanted to expand her knowledge outside of her Information Management and Technology major. During one of her classes, Slice Consulting presented, piquing her interest. Wiggins followed the Instagram because it looked fun, and soon applied.

“Slice has helped me within my day-to-day, because it builds a community of people that I have access to whenever I need help.” Wiggins said. “You’re going to need some guidance in school, and it’s really resourceful to have people your own age going through the same things.”

Founded in 2021, Slice is a student-run consulting firm that works with businesses and nonprofits in fields such as marketing, sustainability and video editing. It provides business insight to its clients and helps members develop their professional skills. Growing from 20 to around 70 members since its founding, Slice members aim to help clients’ grow their impact.

Slice retains its large clientele by bringing on 10 to 15 new clients each semester. The club is split into teams led by a project manager, with three to seven consultants who work with clients. The companies Slice works with are usually based in the Syracuse area, but it’s also worked with companies in LA, Africa and Mexico. Slice works to revitalize a sustainable mission for its clients, hoping to bring support to communities at the local, national and international level.

“The work we do in class, it’s all hypothetical,” Jenna Poma, Slice’s president, said. “With Slice, you build experience and so knowing that you’re helping an organization carry out their mission is so personally rewarding.”

Olivia Reid, vice president of operations, oversees the project managers and teams. She tailors the projects to the interests of the firm’s members. Recently, they’ve worked with sustainability clients because it’s a field of interest for many students, Reid said.

Reid’s mission is to serve others. She credited Slice for its intention to do good in the world, which she believes will have high impact.

Working with Slice, Poma helped nonprofits, like South Africa-based nonprofit Inkululeko, build its capacity. She worked on a grant writing project so the nonprofit could better support its clients. Meaning “freedom” in isiXhosa, the organization supports South African students with finishing secondary school and applying to higher education.

“Providing support to our clients is a great way to serve our community, especially here in Syracuse,” Reid said. “The very, very least we can do is give back in whatever small ways we can.”

Tyler Branigan will enter the upcoming spring semester as the vice president of recruitment. He joined in the spring 2024 semester with a hope to branch out of the “bubble” of his home college, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He said he enjoys Slice for the professional connections, but also because of the valuable friendships he’s gained.

“Slice isn’t committing you to a career of consulting at all, it just allows you to make the most out of the time that you have here,” Branigan said.

Slice also propels students to success, including winning scholarships and gaining other opportunities around campus. Reid and Poma are both Remembrance Scholars this year, which honors the 35 SU victims of the terrorist attack on Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988.

Reid and Poma said they both use the program’s motto, “Look back, act forward,” as motivation in their Slice careers. Reid interprets it as going forward making positive change in the world and uses the hopes and aspirations of the attack’s victims as inspiration for herself.

Poma and Reid both credit their current and soon-to-be post-grad success to Slice, as members of Slice have opportunities to work with nonprofits and corporations that prepare them for life after college. Both said they will be graduating SU with job offers for the next year.

“Without Slice, I would have never had the opportunity to make real impacts within the community in terms of leadership,” Poma said.

Poma, who will conclude her presidency at the end of the academic year, said she implemented many changes during her time in Slice. She credited the founders for giving her and Reid the creative freedom to make certain changes, including new constitutional amendments and shifting the culture and organization of the club.

“I’ve met some of the most motivated, intelligent and ambitious friends through Slice,” Poma said. “Having that community to push me and support me throughout the last four years has made all the difference.”

Published on November 4, 2024 at 9:22 pm