Taman Azad, a sophomore at Beloit College, is taking advantage of his background in business and tech and the resources at Beloit to make a name for himself. Originally from West Bengal, India, he is a double major in Business Management and Data Science, minoring in Marketing.

Taman’s journey to Beloit began with a scholarship program known as Next Genius, aimed at connecting South Asian students with liberal arts colleges in the U.S. Before coming to the States, he worked for a startup, eventually becoming the head of community development, scaling the user base from 1,000 to 30,000 over the summer. Taman originally wanted to major in Computer Science, but he changed majors following discovering a love for marketing. Taman often jokes about how he came to Beloit hating marketing. “I swore that I would never get into marketing, but the environment here… propelled me to get into [it].”

In April of 2024, Taman pitched the idea of a “Marketing Club” for Beloit to a few of his close friends and fellow business-minded people. Since the creation of the club, it has gone on to impact Beloit’s marketing scene, providing opportunities to learn from industry professionals and work on real-world marketing projects, driving awareness across campus for marketing as a profession.

Taman stressed the importance of utilizing the resources available at Beloit, especially for freshmen. The Advanced Mentoring Program (AMP) has been key in guiding his career exploration. “AMP has helped me visualize my achievements,” he said. He advises students to engage actively with campus resources like Career Works for finding internships, opportunities, and advice in general.

For students entering Beloit from international backgrounds, Taman has three recommendations. First, leverage the advantages of a liberal arts education. “The small school vibe is actually to your advantage because you can stand out,” he said. Second, actively utilize campus resources to support your academic and career ambitions. Finally, he encourages students to remain open to diverse interests: “You don’t need to be a [Computer Science] major to get into tech… Focus on the type of learning and the outcomes you’re getting [in classes].”

Taman challenges the perceptions of smaller colleges, highlighting their ability to provide the ideal location for creativity and thinking unconventionally to become a well-rounded business person. His final piece of advice is simple but powerful: “Don’t focus solely on what school you’re going into, but rather on the learning experience you’ll gain.”