Lamyah Burhani remembers coming to UM-Dearborn as a high school student and mentally making notes of the campus environment, the welcoming feeling she experienced and knowing she wanted to say yes to as many opportunities as possible.
Three and a half years later — yes, she graduated in less than four — Burhani has completed four internships, traveled out of state for an Alpha Kappa Psi conference as the UM-Dearborn chapter president, studied in Italy through the university’s Study Abroad program and more. She says these experiences helped grow her confidence.
“I chose UM-Dearborn because, as cheesy as this sounds, it felt home-y. It could also give me the education I wanted and was the best financial decision. What I didn’t realize is how much the past few years would bring me out of my shell and help me learn how to be secure in myself and my abilities and to speak up,” says Burhani, a Canton resident double majoring in marketing and supply chain management. “Being at UM-Dearborn has helped me become a leader.”
She joined Alpha Kappa Psi her first year after attending the university’s Winter Involvement Fair. When she became president at the end of that year, Burhani transitioned the business fraternity back to in-person activities following the pandemic. She reorganized the student organization’s space in the Fairlane Center North student org room and looked for ways to create community. She planned fun and career-focused events on campus while promoting business development opportunities, which included the AKPsi Elevate Conference in Chicago.
Burhani says not only did her time in the fraternity and exploring resources help her meet new friends, but it also connected her to UM-Dearborn leaders who had expertise in career development. She credits UM-Dearborn’s career fairs, resume workshops, and the COB course Business Administration 300, taught by Business Administration Lecturer Rita Agius, which introduces students to career-securing strategies. Agius is also the senior internship program manager of COB’s Business Career Center.
“I was so impressed that there was a course that focused on all things career development. We talked about resumes, job searches, marketing ourselves, writing professionally, and anything you can think of that will make you a stronger candidate. It definitely enhanced my professional growth,” Burhani says. “The career training and network you can get at UM-Dearborn is really incredible.”
Burhani, who plans to focus on the supply chain management side of her degree and is currently weighing her available opportunities, says the Business Career Center helped her find three of her four internships. She completed two supply chain management internships, at Detroit Manufacturing Systems and Tenneco, as well as a marketing internship at The Mushroom Angel Company, located in Detroit’s Eastern Market. “I started going to UM-Dearborn career fairs as a freshman. At the time, I went just to go. I didn’t know if it would help me or not. It did. I want to encourage students, even during their first year, to go. And then keep going,” she says. “You build relationships year after year. You learn about the companies, meet the representatives, and make connections. Then you can decide what you want to work toward.”
Burhani says she did not originally intend to major in supply chain management, but Operations Management Lecturer Laura Birou noticed her talent and encouraged her to consider it as a career path. Not only does the supply chain field have a double-digit projection for growth — the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment of supply chain management professionals will grow by 30% from 2020 to 2030 — Burhani also finds it highly intriguing.
“I came to college planning to have a career in marketing. I love marketing and will apply the skills I gained in my marketing classes to my career, but I learned that I have a talent for numbers, organizing, and attention to detail that I didn’t realize,” Burhani says. “Knowing that I had a part in getting something in the right quantity where it needs to be on time is something I find fulfilling.” In addition to the automotive field, Burhani is interested in working in healthcare, where many of the supplies are potentially life-saving.
Reflecting on the past three-plus years, Burhani says her time in college also gave her an opportunity to travel to Italy through the International Summer Program in Management at the University of Padua. During the five-week program, she took business classes at the University of Padua with Italian students, while also traveling the country. She saw the Colosseum in Rome, rode in a gondola in Venice, and saw Michelangelo’s David in Florence. “I’ve never lived away from home before. I got to do that, meet friends from Italy that I still talk with, and do things I only thought I’d be able to see in books or social media,” she says. “I also saw how the world is much bigger than just me or what’s happening right now. I knew that, but to see it through so many layers of history was humbling.”
Nearing the end of her UM-Dearborn undergraduate experience, Burhani says the welcoming, home-y feeling never left. She recently sat in her favorite chair in the student org room and, while taking it all in, Burhani says she’s ready for what’s next.
“UM-Dearborn is such a special place. The people here want you to go out into the world and succeed, but they also encourage you to leave a legacy here,” Burhani says. “Thanks to the people I’ve met and the things I was able to accomplish while at UM-Dearborn, I know I’ll be able to do both.”
Story by Sarah Tuxbury
