At ZS, we believe innovation thrives when diverse perspectives come together. That’s why we connect with talented people from various backgrounds and invest in the next generation. One way we do this is through ZS SEED, our competitive student acceleration program designed for bright, collaborative and ambitious sophomores and juniors looking to build a strong foundation for their ideal career.
By partnering with organizations like the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and creating spaces for growth with students from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) through ZS SEED, we are cultivating a more inclusive workforce and helping emerging talent build the skills they need to succeed in the professional services industry and beyond.
Where passion changes lives
The ZS SEED program has grown significantly since its inception four years ago. ZS has continued to transform the program to provide participants with the skills they need at each level. The first level of ZS SEED is the immersion program, a three-day in-person experience designed for rising sophomores and juniors, which introduces them to ZS’s culture, people and the consulting industry. Successful participants in the immersion program have the opportunity to continue on to additional ZS early careers programming, such as our three-week ZS SEED apprenticeship program for juniors and our 11-week summer internship program for seniors. Through all these programs, participants not only have the chance to network and learn about life at ZS, but they also get to learn what the true work of a consultant is like.
During the ZS SEED immersion program, students work in small teams on a mock case project, engaging with a fictional client to experience firsthand the problem-solving and collaboration that defines ZS. “This hands-on experience is incredibly valuable for young students, particularly the freshmen and sophomores engaged in this program,” says Tre Pieczonka, early careers talent acquisition lead in San Diego. “For many students, it’s the first time they’re taking their skills beyond the classroom and seeing how those abilities can translate into a successful career.”
This highly competitive program seeks out motivated students who have shown leadership potential within their schools. We prioritize students with strong backgrounds in tech and data analytics, as these skills are key to driving innovation in any industry, solution area or product domain that ZS serves. This year, we’ve expanded our efforts by attending more conferences in partnership with the TMCF, allowing ZS to connect with more talented students earlier in their college careers. We’ve also successfully welcomed students from across 14 HBCUs, including Howard University, Fisk University and Tuskegee University.
“Consulting offers opportunities for a wide variety of majors, from business to engineering and beyond,” Tre explains. “At ZS, we prioritize connecting with students early in their careers so we can expose them to the unique, dynamic opportunities that consulting offers. Our goal is to show them how their diverse skill sets can translate into impactful work in the consulting space.”
The main goal of the ZS SEED program is to give students hands-on experience in consulting by providing them with opportunities to work through real-world challenges. ZS SEED connects participants with experienced leaders who serve as cohort captains and help guide students’ learning and development. One such leader is Joe Gazzarato, an advisory consultant in our Evanston office, who co-captained a group of six HBCU underclassmen. Throughout the program, students engage with various ZS leaders, learn about the consulting process, then apply that knowledge in group breakout sessions. As a cohort captain, Joe facilitated these sessions, helping students collaborate on mock case projects and providing insights into consulting at ZS.
“I balanced the challenge of pushing the students to think critically while encouraging them to work through the problems on their own,” Joe says. “Most of the participants were freshmen or sophomores, so it was rewarding to see them step up and tackle the complexities of consulting with enthusiasm and creativity.”
ZS hopes to see many of these students return to explore even more opportunities through programs like the ZS SEED apprenticeship program and our summer internship program. Some ZS SEED participants have even gone on to join ZS full-time after graduation, such as Reagan Alverez, an Alabama A&M University alumna, and Racquel Barnett, a Grambling State University alumna, highlighting the lasting impact of these early experiences on their career paths.
“The ZS SEED program gave me the critical professional skills and experiences that aren’t always easy to attain when going to an HBCU,” says Racquel, now a strategy insights and planning associate in Atlanta. “During undergrad, I gained a head start, and now, through invaluable mentorships and opportunities to engage with various leaders, I am being pushed to new heights of success.”
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