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Wednesday, October 29, 2025
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‘It’s About Trust, People, and Putting Yourself Out There’: Lehman Students Reflect on Deloitte Leadership Summit
Students from the Lehman School of Business and faculty advisors Ji Yu (left) and Sean Stein Smith (right) at Deloitte University
October 29, 2025
A group of students from the Lehman College School of Business flew out to Westlake, TX for last weekend’s 2025 Deloitte Leadership Summit and returned with professional insights, new confidence, skills, and connections that changed how they see their futures.
Held at Deloitte University, the firm’s leadership and learning center, the annual event brings together Deloitte business leaders and student groups from across the country for an intensive weekend of workshops, activities, and relationship-building.
“The Deloitte Leadership Summit was an amazing opportunity for our Lehman students to meet and network with members of the Deloitte leadership team from across the country, connect with like-minded students, and participate in fun team-building activities,” said Associate Professor of Accounting Sean Stein Smith, one of the group’s faculty advisors.
Throughout the weekend, students learned that accounting and leadership go far beyond spreadsheets.
Sophomore accounting major Kimberlee King described how the experience helped her overcome early jitters. “I was nervous on the first day, worried that I wouldn’t be helpful to my peers, but a little goes a long way. I became more confident in communicating with other people and grateful for all the people I met during this process.”
For accounting junior Julian Mejia, the most valuable part was the people he met. “The sheer amount of genuine connections I made through the networking events has made this trip worth it alone. Not only did I meet and connect with students from other universities, I managed to build bonds with my fellow peers from Lehman.”
“From our team’s winning TikTok pitch to building bikes for kids, I saw how connection and purpose drive success,” said Melany Fabian, a business administration major.
Others came away with a deeper sense of what accounting represents. “I learned that accounting is the language of trust, and if there is no trust, then you are doing it wrong,” said Sudaeis Muhammed, a sophomore majoring in accounting.
For Zoé Rivera, who is studying economics and business administration, the weekend offered clarity about her path forward: “This experience made me realize that I want to pursue a path in accounting and continue building the skills and knowledge to succeed in this field,” she said.