Fares Sukkar
Class of 2022
Hometown: Nutley, NJ
Undergraduate University: Villanova University
Class Year: 2018
Major/Minor: Political Science/Spanish; Peace & Justice; Humanities
Employer: EY
Position: Consultant, People Advisory Service
Why did you pivot from pursuing Law to Business Analytics?
I worked at a "big law" law firm in Washington, D.C., for three years in a rotation program, and the last rotation I did was in attorney recruitment and internal development—recruitment of attorneys from law school or other firms, managing the onboarding process, and addressing issues related to retention or attrition. We collected a lot of data on the attorneys to determine if they were being overworked or could be used in a better way. I liked using data to make business decisions to improve the work life of the attorneys. When I realized that I didn't want to be a lawyer, it made sense to pursue analytics.
Why was William & Mary's MSBA program the best fit for you?
I liked the focus the program places on machine learning and artificial intelligence. A lot of the courses are interrelated, and the professors talk with each other and understand what the others are teaching throughout the curriculum. Washington, D.C. is a primary market for William & Mary graduates, and I had wanted to move back here, but I'm happy I was able to transition to focus on the New York market and speak with W&M alum that are based there. They also gave me a generous financial scholarship package. I am supporting myself at this point, so affordability of a program was a very important part of my decision.
How do you plan to leverage your MSBA degree professionally?
My future job will not require me to code every day, but these skills will help to inform my decisions and help me understand the business space better. The program has improved my ability to talk about business concepts and data. The stereotype is that analytics students are introverted, but I want to show that I can put the data together and use my interpersonal skills to present the results.
What is your biggest accomplishment?
I am half Arab and half Filipino. I have really supportive parents but growing up in an Asian household, there were certain expectations on career paths, like pursuing law, even though I personally wasn't sure if that's what I truly wanted. When I decided to pursue an MSBA and change my career trajectory from law to consulting, I was proud of myself in that moment because instead of playing it safe, I took a risk and a leap of faith that really helped to shape me into the person I am, and continues to shape me into the person I want to be.
