Silke Pion

The Martin J. Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University

“Always busy, always smiling, always five steps ahead.”

Fun fact about yourself: I was a student pilot from the ages of 14 to 17!

Hometown: Davis, California

High School: Davis Senior High School

Major: Finance, Business Analytics, Political Science

Favorite Business Course: Data Management for Business with Whitman Professor Penelope Pooler

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

Honors and Awards

• 2026 Syracuse University Class Marshal (1 of only 2 chosen)
• Whitman Scholar
• Chancellor’s Scholar
• Invest in Success Scholar
• Impress 44
• Dean’s List (all semesters)
• Beta Gamma Sigma

Extracurricular Activities

• Hillel
  • Community Service Chair
  • Challah for Hunger President
  • Challah for Hunger Advocacy Chair
  • Service Engagement Intern
• Professional Honors Organization Beta Alpha Psi
• Alpha Gamma Delta – Finance Director
• Martin J. Whitman School of Management
  • Whitman Lead Ambassador
  • Kenya Immersion Experience Trip Leader
  • House Leader
  • Teaching Assistant
  • Goodman Leaders Academy
• First Year Seminar – Peer Leader
• First Generation Investors – Lead Tutor
• Syracuse Jewish Community Center Volunteer
• Rescue Mission Volunteer
• Big Brother Big Sister Volunteer

Where have you interned during your college career?

• New York State Assembly Member Pamela Hunter, District Office (Syracuse, NY): Policy Analyst Intern (Spring 2024)
• Orange Value Fund, LLC. (Syracuse, NY): Junior Analyst (2024-2025), Senior Analyst (2025-2026)
• GCM Grosvenor (Chicago, IL): Finance Summer Analyst (Summer 2025)

Where will you be working after graduation? Financial Analyst at GCM Grosvenor

Who is your favorite business professor? While I have had the honor of working with so many incredible professors throughout my time at Syracuse, my favorite business professor is Elizabeth Wimer. I had the privilege of traveling to Nairobi, Kenya, with her and thirteen other students during my sophomore year and I am excited to be returning this May! Professor Wimer is one of those professors that people simply cannot get enough of. She often has to shut her office door to get any work done or students will constantly be coming in just to catch up. Not only is she an amazing person, but she also teaches business in a way that makes sense. Her Management in a Global Setting course puts course content into context using current business events and/or easy to understand examples.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? The biggest lesson I gained from studying business was putting everything in context. The amazing thing about studying business is that most of the news is covering exactly what we are learning about. Reading the news from the lens of looking for lessons you learned in class makes it not only more interesting but a great way to cement those concepts into your memory.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? The advice I would give to a student looking at majoring in a business-related field would be to start talking to people who work in business-related fields. No one will give you a better perspective of what a career can look like than someone who is currently in it. I think talking to people with different careers in business is extremely helpful in discerning exactly what kind of business you are most interested in pursuing. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to people; they are usually more than happy to help. They remember what it was like to not know exactly what they wanted to pursue and have great advice on how to excel.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? I try to live my life looking forward as I have come to understand there is nothing I can do to change the past. that said, if I could have done something differently in business school it would be to take advantage of the Whitman Career Center trips. The Whitman Career Center offers many trips to major cities to visit firms and network with alumni. I have only ever heard incredible things about the Whitman on Wall Street trip and it is something I wish I would have participated in during my sophomore year. I think the trip is a great exposure to major firms and allows for networking in a low-stakes environment prior to the internship recruiting season. I think attending the trip would have helped boost my confidence when it came to the internship search and having a better sense of what kinds of roles I would be most interested in pursuing.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI? Since AI became mainstream during my first year of college, I have never truly experienced college without it. That said, I have watched the school adapt its programming to AI. Many of my professors will add questions to assignments that have students put the question into a learning model and document the answer. Then, as students, we are responsible for doing the same research and comparing what AI produced to what we found. I think it’s a great reminder to always double check the work of AI as it is far from perfect.

The most useful aspect of AI, in my opinion, is having it explain difficult concepts in simple terms. This helps me understand the concept on a deeper level as I can work through practice problems and take extra notes that are put into phrasing that makes the most sense to me.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? The achievement I’m most proud of in college is the nearly 200 hours I spent volunteering in the Syracuse community. After COVID disrupted many opportunities to volunteer during high school, I came to college determined to show up in meaningful ways. From raising money and awareness through Challah for Hunger to support college students experiencing food insecurity, to serving meals to senior citizens at the Jewish Community Center, I have met and learned from so many incredible people. I loved going to the JCC and chatting with seniors who might not otherwise have much social time, many of them were SU alumni with remarkable life stories to share. Volunteering not only taught me discipline in balancing a busy course load, but it also introduced me to some of the most impactful relationships of my college experience.

Which classmate do you most admire? The classmate I most admire is Samantha Black (’26). She is the definition of hard-working, both inside and outside the classroom. I honestly can’t remember when or how we met; she’s one of those people who has simply always been part of my college experience. We grew close working alongside each other on the Challah for Hunger board, and I can always count on Sam to push me in the best ways. She consistently steps up to any challenge and puts 110% into everything she does. Not only is Sam an incredibly hard worker, but she is also an amazing friend, always there to offer advice or celebrate a win.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? Without a doubt, the person I want to thank most for my success is my mom. While both of my parents have supported me throughout my life, my mom has always been my biggest cheerleader in everything I do. She encouraged my siblings and me to try new things and never be afraid of failure. Not only was she cheering me on, but she has always been my shoulder to cry on and the first person I turn to for advice. I am forever grateful that she raised me to be adventurous and supported me in taking the leap to move across the country for college. My mom reminds me that success is not about perfection, but about resilience, curiosity, and believing in yourself.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? The top two items on my professional bucket list are to work internationally and to attend graduate school to earn an MBA or a JD-MBA. First, because I did not have the opportunity to formally study abroad as an undergraduate, I would love to have part of my career outside the United States. Working internationally would not only allow me to continue my passion for travel, but also help me continue developing the global perspective that is essential in today’s business environment. Second, after gaining a few years of professional experience, I plan to pursue an MBA or combined JD-MBA to deepen my understanding of business and expand my career opportunities. I love learning and see graduate school as the next step in becoming a more versatile professional.

What made Silke such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?

“My relationship with Silke Pion began when I taught her in SOM 354, Managing in a Global Setting, during Spring 2024, and later worked closely with her during the Kenya Immersion Experience. Across classroom, experiential, and leadership contexts, Silke consistently demonstrated the academic maturity, intellectual rigor and ethical orientation that define a model Whitman student.

Silke’s academic achievement in the classroom was distinguished not simply by preparation, but also by depth atypical amongst her peers. She arrived to class ready not only with the assigned material, but with original and often unexpected connections that elevated discussion. She demonstrated a rare ability to synthesize perspectives across global management, political systems, and data-driven decision-making, drawing meaningfully from her dual degrees in Finance and Business Analytics (Whitman) and Political Science (Maxwell). Her contributions consistently moved conversations beyond surface-level analysis toward questions of power, responsibility, and long-term consequences for both the Global South and the Global North.

Silke’s intellectual growth has been especially evident through her applied global learning. After earning a place on the Kenya Immersion Trip in 2024, she emerged as a dependable leader and thoughtful collaborator in a complex cross-cultural environment.

Beyond her own academic performance, Silke has made substantial contributions to the academic environment at Whitman and Syracuse University. She is a lead ambassador for Whitman’s recruitment and visitors center and plays an integral role in shaping prospective students’ understanding of the school. Multiple first-year students have independently shared that Silke’s guidance was a decisive factor in their choice to attend Syracuse. She also regularly engages with underclassmen during my open office hours not as a requirement, but as a commitment to mentorship and community-building.

This year, I asked Silke to serve as Trip Lead for the 2026 Kenya Immersion Experience which is an unprecedented decision, as this role has historically been held only by juniors that completed the trip in the year immediately prior. I made this decision because Silke embodies selfless service and understands that representing Whitman and Syracuse is a responsibility, not a privilege.

She strengthens the academic community she inhabits and elevates the university she represents. She has been an incredible asset to the School and her peers.”

Elizabeth Wimer
Assistant Teaching Professor
Martin J Whitman School of Management Syracuse University

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