DeVry Univ. holds Senior Project Showcase

DeVry University students Sarah Mirza (l-r), Lisa Turchi and Samina Ali make the final adjustments to their artwork for the Senior Showcase on Feb. 17. JEFF GRANIT staff Students at DeVry University combined classroom skills with real-life business experience for their Senior Project Showcase on Feb. 10.

More than 60 seniors in 16 groups presented the projects they have worked on for the past several months, which focused on creating business solutions and marketing plans for local small businesses.

“Students really get to showcase their talents,” associate professor Deborah Helman. “And it’s important to demonstrate to our local community that we can build relationships with our local community.”

Nilsa Martinez of Bayonne, Kristina Oriscak of Toms River, Nicole Palevo of Sayreville, Hannah Jae of Hasbrouck Heights and Carlton Dean of Somerset worked on redesigning a website for Xtreme Dezines, an online home-based business.

The client has been selling custom jewelry and handbags for four years, but after leaving her full-time job, she is now making this her occupation. So, the group created a website, promotional plan and accounting software to help her better establish her company.

“She wanted to gain revenue and market sharing, so in order to do so, we wanted to get her products out there … to promote as well as gain additional market shares and a customer base,” Martinez said.

The students created brochures and fliers to distribute at craft shows, which the client had never been involved in. She had been selling her merchandise through third-party vendors.

“This gave us a lot of insight into the real world because we had the capacity to work as a team… on a different level,” Martinez said.

“We know what to expect after school has ended,” Palevo added.

Top: Kevin Moulton, a student at DeVry University, works on his laptop prior to the Senior Showcase on Feb. 17. Above: A group of seniors at DeVry University developed a website and marketing plan for Xtreme Dezines, a home-based custom jewelry and handbag business, as part of their senior project. PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Aaron Yu of New Brunswick, Carlos Granados of Somerset and Kristopher Casey of North Brunswick built a time sheet system for Wang Technology, which is a geotechnical instrumentation company that monitors construction sites. The old system was paper-based, using Microsoft Excel, which was “clunky and annoying,” according to Yu.

“If they don’t report the proper time, they are billing an inappropriate amount of time to their customers,” Granados said.

The group collectively said the project helped them in project management, time scheduling, and making sure things are done correctly and on time. “I think it’s a very valuable experience. I found it quite enjoyable, though it’s frustrating at times,” Yu said.

Marcella Bilicska of Sayreville, Kevin Moulton of Orange, Emanuele Pontoriero of Kenilworth, Antwon Davis of Metuchen and Brian Toon of Howell worked on a project for J&H Landscaping of Freehold. The company was established last year, so the group created an integrated plan for promotion and marketing.

“It’s customer-centric software that captures information about our client,” Moulton said.

They had to start from scratch, with Pontoriero building the website and Bilicska proofreading everything. They included howto basics for gardening, direct client communication, and portfolios of previous jobs.

“We’re keeping costs down and making it very effective for them,” Bilicska said. “You bring what you learned in the corporate world back to school and apply it to teachers’ teaching.”

To reinforce how the effort that the students put into their senior projects will pay off, DeVry alumnus Nish Shah came back to give a keynote speech. The chief technology officer for Integrated Media Management is a current Monroe resident and former South Brunswick resident, and he handles the architectural side of software.

Shah graduated from DeVry’s computer information systems program in 1994 and then earned his bachelor’s degree from Phoenix University.

“DeVry basically did a training for me because it was hands-on experience, so it allowed me to think about what I needed to do in a real-life situation,” he said. He credited DeVry with improving his communication and team-building skills.

“I understand what a real company wants.”

Shah suggested that all students “work hard, especially now that we’re in a global market.”

For information, visit www.devry.edu.