Zackary Espat
Providence College School of Business
“I am passionate about strategic and quantitative decision-making. I also enjoy helping others succeed.”
Fun fact about yourself: I have been playing tennis since I was four years old.
Hometown: East Greenwich, Rhode Island
High School: East Greenwich High School
Major: Accountancy and Marketing
Minor: Finance
Favorite Business Course: Advanced Accounting
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:
- Accounting Tutor: Student Success Center
- Data Analyst: Benjamin Family Social Media Fellowship
Honor Societies:
- Alpha Mu Alpha (Marketing)
- Beta Gamma Sigma (Business)
Where have you interned during your college career?
- Gilbane Building Company: Tax Planning and Risk Management Intern – Providence, RI
- Gilbane Building Company: Corporate Accounting Intern – Providence, RI
Where will you be working after graduation? Once I graduate, I will begin my MBA at Providence College. After earning this degree, I plan to work in public accounting and become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? The biggest lesson I have learned from studying business is that problems and datasets can be approached and interpreted in multiple ways. Furthermore, strategic decision-making involves more than immediate quantitative results, as long-term growth is essential to business success.
What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? My advice would be to embrace opportunities, seek new challenges, and stay informed about the rapidly-evolving business landscape.
Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? If I had to do one thing differently, I would have become an accounting tutor for the Student Success Center sooner. Working as a tutor has allowed me to meet some great friends and help many students over the past two years, and I highly recommend that other business students become tutors!
What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI? The Providence College School of Business has embraced AI and its various applications throughout the curriculum; however, the importance of using AI responsibly and ethically is always emphasized. Through my experience using AI, I have learned that while it can be an invaluable tool for increasing efficiency, it is not always accurate. Therefore, a skilled decision-maker is still necessary to interpret and apply its recommendations.
Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of working as an accounting tutor for the Student Success Center throughout my undergraduate experience. Accounting is a difficult field, and I am happy to have provided guidance and a different perspective to students seeking additional help with complex financial topics. Seeing the students I have tutored excel academically and professionally also brings me great satisfaction.
Which classmate do you most admire? The classmate I admire most is Catherine Raacke, who goes by Callie. Callie is incredibly intelligent, diligent, and kind. She is also a tutor for the Student Success Center and is passionate about developing community, empowering women, and fostering excellence in the students she tutors. I am very glad I met her.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? Aside from my family, I would most like to thank Dr. Jacqueline Elcik for my success. Dr. Elcik has been an integral part of my college experience and has helped me excel through continued guidance and mentorship. I have always had ambitious academic goals, but Dr. Elcik never doubted that I could achieve them; instead, she always offered to help me plan my schedule or introduce me to new opportunities. I am very appreciative of all her help over the last four years.
What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? The first item on my professional bucket list is to become a CPA. Ultimately, I aim to achieve a senior leadership role in a corporation that prioritizes ethical, sustainable, and data-driven decision-making.
What made Zack such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?
“Zack is among the best and brightest undergraduate business students. His exceptional academic performance, extensive professional experience, and unwavering dedication to personal growth and community engagement make him highly deserving of this recognition. He continues to perform at the highest academic level, challenging himself to start graduate coursework during his senior year, and he will continue next year in the 4+1 MBA program at PC. What makes Zack unique is his insatiable curiosity and a drive for excellence. He is unique in that he studied both accounting and marketing these last four years, interning with Gilbane in accounting, while actively participating in the Benjamin Family PC Social Media Fellowship last year, similar to an on-campus internship where a ten-person undergraduate team manages the PC Business social media channels. I feel privileged to serve as a mentor and advisor for Zack the last four years, and last year, he was a student in my Gender in Business and Workplace classes, at both the undergraduate and graduate-level, and he consistently demonstrated a keen understanding of the material, and was among the top performers in class, regularly contributing insightful perspectives during discussions.
In addition to his academic and professional achievements, Zack is a person of integrity, kindness, and resiliency. Zack has a quiet humbleness, and maturity that is rare among his peers. He approaches every task with a positive attitude and a collaborative spirit, always willing to support his peers and contribute to group efforts. His ability to balance multiple commitments while maintaining high standards for himself is truly remarkable. I am confident that Zack will continue to excel and make significant contributions in their future endeavors.”
Jacqueline Elcik, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Dean, Providence College School of Business
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