By Jessica Prusa
With the motto of “7's will get you a job, connections will get you a great one”, it’s no wonder the revamped QUT Economics and Finance Society (EFS) is getting so much attention.
What’s even more interesting is that it’s headed by three international students from very different parts of the world.
The president of EFS is Adrian Larsen from Halden, Norway, Kurt Edwards, the vice president, is from Cleveland, Ohio in the United States, and the treasurer, Saan Uhziilamba comes from Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.
The friends met last year during their first semester and all study banking and finance.
Adrian, Kurt and Saan saw the opportunity of leading this year’s EFS as a great chance to expand the society, get more involved at university and inject life back into the former ‘skeleton’ society.
“The diversity in this group far exceeds any other group I’ve ever been involved with and as the vice president, I take pride in the influence that has built this rapidly growing society,” Kurt said.
The EFS mission is to inform, inspire, and incorporate its members into the real world. This is done through increasing student’s awareness and interest in economic and finance topics, as well as providing personal and professional development and networking opportunities.
“We want to help people who still do not know what to expect of their professional careers.
To clarify their questions we will invite industry related people and academic staff to talk about their day-to-day professional lives, as well as to give students the opportunity to ask them questions,” Adrian said.
Their first official event of the semester, ‘Fast Track’, held in August attracted 30 new members.
Director of Business Development at Alito Ignition Business, Jeremy Hayllar, began the seminar with a presentation on the value of networking in the business world.
Members were then given a chance to mingle and practice the skills of networking that will prove invaluable to their business careers.
As international students, Adrian, Kurt, and Saan recognise the importance of having international relationships and connections and wanted to convey that in their somewhat cheeky motto.
“The world is a very competitive place, and to achieve what you want, you need to surround yourself with the right people. Our goal is to facilitate the process of getting students in touch with the right people to reach career goals, whether it’s academics or industry professionals,” Adrian said.
Saan agreed, saying that “companies look for ‘global workers’ and culturally aware employees. It’s bringing lots of world experience to one place”.
Interested students can keep track of upcoming events on the EFS website. | 
