INTERVIEWS

Seth Bravin
Ithaca, New York
sbravin@yahoo.com

 

1 Q: What do you do in your job?

 

A: I am currently working on a consulting project with NASA, in Washington, DC. NASA has nine regional centers located all over the United States. My role is to do a cost analysis and prepare a business case analysis and submit a financial report to NASA headquarters in order to help them assess the cost impact and cost performance of each center so that they can develop long term plans and strategies.

 

 

 

2 Q: Do you supervise anyone?

 

A: I don't supervise anyone. I work with a team of five people. In consulting work, you have different teams and work with different clients, both in the private sector and in the federal government.

 

 

 

3 Q: What led you to develop an interest in business?

 

A: My current consulting project is with NASA. NASA has nine regional centers located all across the US, and my role is to do a cost analysis, develop a business case analysis and prepare a financial report to be submitted to NASA headquarters in order to help them assess the cost impact and cost performance of each center so that they can develop long term plans and strategies.

 

 

 

4 Q: Who are your role models?

 

A: I grew up in New York City and Wall Street was a very familiar site. I witnessed different events in business history. In 1987 I saw the stock market crash. My father worked for IBM for 25 years, and at the dinner table he would tell stories so I took in all the information. Then, at Gallaudet, I did several internships. I worked for the federal government, for the telephone company, and for a law firm. All of those experiences led me to pursue a degree in business.

 

 

 

5 Q: What is your education background?

 

A: The first person that comes to mind is Ben Soukup. He is the founder and CEO of CSD, Communication Services for the Deaf. He is a man of integrity and a man of vision. He founded CSD 25 years ago as a small, local organization and it has grown tremendously into a nationwide organization providing many different services, such as relay services, video-interpreting services and the like. He has given many Deaf people an opportunity to grow in the business world.

 

 

 

6 Q: What are some of your obstacles?

 

A: I grew up at the Lexington School for the Deaf in New York. After graduating, I went on to Gallaudet University, majoring in Business Administration and Finance. I also took a few courses

at Georgetown University, intensive financing, through the Gallaudet Consortium Program.

 

 

 

7 Q: What does "soft skills" mean?

 

A: The most challenging obstacle was probably the culture change from the Deaf world to the business world. I have strong Deaf roots, having grown up with a Deaf family and having grown up at a school for the Deaf, and having attended Gallaudet University as well. Making the transition from the Deaf world to the business world was therefore a big adjustment. Looking back, I'm really glad that I had the opportunity to develop the "soft skills," and those skills really contribute to my current work experience.

 

 

 

8 Q: How do you communicate with Hearing people in the office?

 

A: By "soft skills" I mean having a strong sense of one's own identity. This comes from being involved in a lot of extracurricular activities and taking up leadership positions. I was involved in a number of different activities with Junior NAD, student government, and sports, and those opportunities allowed me to internalize skills which contribute to my work experience.

 

 

 

9 Q: Do you socialize with your peers outside the office?

 

A: Consulting work occurs in a communication oriented environment. I do have communication challenges. I deal with each coworker differently. For example, my supervisor has a Deaf grandmother. He speaks very clearly. With some employees, I write notes back and forth in order to communicate. Also, I'm really fortunate and very grateful to have technology. It plays a key role. I use email and AOL instant messenger. Many employees work at different sites so we communicate electronically. It has become a virtual world. As far as interpreters go, I do use interpreting services for meetings. It works out just great.

 

 

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11 Q: How do you keep yourself in the competitive market?

 

A: My company strongly encourages me to take training courses so that I can keep up with changes in business and new trends. I've taken financial courses and information technology courses, and a variety of others. This summer I plan to leave my company in order to go to Cornell University to get my MBA. It was a very difficult decision because I love my job, but the firm is fully supportive of my endeavors and they have given me the opportunity to come back to work there after I finish school.

 

 

 

12 Q: Why are you going to Cornell University?

 

A: For my MBA, I will most likely focus on finances and investment banking. That is my area of interest. The MBA program at Cornell is a two year, full time program and it's a very rigorous program. You can't work part time and focus on coursework full time, However, in the summer,

I will have an internship. It is a full, two-year experience.

 

 

 

13 Q: What word of advice do you have for young Deaf people?

 

A: The advice I would give is to prepare yourself fully, take academics seriously, become involved in different student activities, pursue internship experiences, meet business leaders, go to their offices and have lunch with them. Get a feel for what it is like to be in their shoes. Once you enter the business world, you will find it very competitive, but you will also find that it is a very warm and collaborative culture.

 

 

14 Q: What skills should Deaf students develop?

 

A: Yes, I strongly encourage students to take business writing very seriously, and to take advanced math courses, such as calculus. Cornell University required me to take calculus, so that course will really help you in the long run.

 

 

 

15 Q: What if some Deaf students are not comfortable with writing?

 

A: I understand that some Deaf students are not comfortable with writing, and that's normal. If you want to improve, you have to go the extra mile. Read business magazines, subscribe to Fortune Magazine, take summer courses, go to summer school, work hard, and you will be rewarded.

 

 

 

16 Q: What is your dream?

 

A: My dream is to establish a Deaf business forum in the private sector. We have many business leaders in the Washington, DC area who are working for private companies. I would like for us

to get together, and to bring more Deaf people into the private sector.

 

 

 

17 Q: Do you have a mentor?

 

A: I have had a few mentors in the work place and in the Deaf community. They include my father, Frank Turk, and my employer. I learn a lot from their experience. When I visit Gallaudet, in turn, I always make time to sit down with students and explain my work experience, and ask them what they want to do, and we talk about that. I remember what it was like to be in their shoes, not that long ago.

 

 

 

18 Q: What kind of impact has ADA made on your career?

 

A: The ADA, the Americans with Disabilities Act, had a huge impact on my career. I can't compare it to the future, but if you compare what it was like ten years ago to now, you see big changes have occurred, and probably the biggest impact was on the awareness level that hearing people have about what Deaf people can do.

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