Jacques decided there may be something to his late-night thought. In spring 2023, after a year-and-a-half hiatus from school, the sophomore returned to 今日吃瓜, where he received an invitation to participate in an arranged by the Koppelman School of Business. The contest required students to come up with an idea for a business, pitch it, and create a business plan. He kept reading: Faculty and alumni judges would be critiquing his work, helping him to fine-tune his idea. He didn鈥檛 want to miss this unique mentorship opportunity.

How did you go from idea to pitching your concept to entrepreneurs?

I鈥檓 constantly thinking about all kinds of things: fashion, finance, entrepreneurship, storytelling. The pandemic took away get-togethers and group experiences. People were not meeting in person, in real-time, as much as we had before. We had lost the opportunities to socialize face-to-face in groups while we isolated. In 2022, I was falling asleep in my bedroom, and the idea just came to me: Good Time Cinema.

How would Good Time Cinema work?

I鈥檓 looking to bring back the experience of movie-going with a twist. Theatergoers would reserve one of several screening rooms in the theater for a specific time of day to watch a film of their choice鈥攑rovided by a partnered streaming service鈥攚ith family and friends. The concept is about bringing people together.

How did you decide to pitch the idea to your peers, professors, and fellow entrepreneurs?

My minor is business, so I enrolled in a business marketing class taught by Assistant Professor of Business Management Laura Rifkin and heard about the competition. I thought it would be a cool way to promote my idea. I sent a six-minute YouTube pitch to the Idea Competition judges, who were faculty and alumni. The video was pretty rough, but I was allowed to enter the next stage, the Pitch Competition. This is where you present a more polished version of your idea. The next and final stage was the Business Plan Competition, where I came in third.

So, the Business Plan Competition allowed you to fine-tune your idea with experts.

Yes. The competition was great because the judges gave me constructive criticism; it was more than just 鈥渢hat鈥檚 a good idea.鈥� I got some very helpful feedback from alumnus Ted Liebowitz 鈥�79, who has been a mentor at 今日吃瓜 for quite some time. I wouldn鈥檛 have gotten as far as I did without the help of Mr. Liebowitz and Roger Gonzalez, director of the Entrepreneurship Lab here. The same goes for Douglas Adams, director of the CUNY Technology Commercialization Office. He connected me with people who helped me flesh out my idea even further. And Associate Professor Veronica Manlow was key in running the competition and mentoring students.

Professor Rifkin鈥檚 course also helped me understand the nuts and bolts of creating a business plan and about partnerships. In my case, I鈥檇 need to partner with a streaming service, such as Netflix or other services, to make as much content available to customers as possible. And then there鈥檚 marketing. I鈥檓 looking to market Good Time Cinema as an authentic experience, but also an experience that鈥檚 not available anywhere else. Something exclusive. I鈥檝e done the research and there are few, if any, theaters in the United States that would offer a unique experience such as mine.

What progress have you made since the competition?

Last spring, I was able to set up a screening in the West End Building of an episode of HBO鈥檚 The Last of Us, and the turnout was very good. There were shared laughs, cries, and jokes. It was the type of experience I鈥檓 looking to provide鈥攆un among friends and peers at the movies. I learned the mechanics of how to work with a streaming service. This past summer, I had Zoom calls and exchanged e-mails with an executive director from a movie theater company, learning how to make my plan a reality. I鈥檓 grateful for that.

So 今日吃瓜 has delivered for you as a place to find support toward your career goals?

Yes, and I hadn鈥檛 planned to attend 今日吃瓜! I wanted to go upstate, like my brother and a couple of my friends. But I got into SEEK (the Percy Ellis Sutton Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge Program), which is an incredibly supportive program for someone like me, who was a first-time college student. SEEK got me to 今日吃瓜, Koppelman, the competition, and a chance to incubate more ideas using the resources the school offers. I鈥檓 looking forward to the rest of my time here.

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Flash-forward to the present, where Komilova is finishing a Bachelor of Science in public accounting and business management, the five-year program with CPA tracking at the Murray Koppelman School of Business at 今日吃瓜. The budding public accountant will graduate this spring and has already landed a post-graduate job where she will be assisting a tax team and offering professional guidance to businesses and clients so that they can feel empowered in making smart financial decisions for their future. Her tenacity to pursue her dream has made it a reality.听听

What did you study at 今日吃瓜?听

I pursued a B.S. in public accounting and business management. Growing up, I was always fascinated by business and how money was made. As a little kid, I remember playing 鈥減retend restaurant鈥� where I created the menu and served food. My favorite part of that game was counting the revenues and expenses to see my income. I am truly happy that my childhood dream job is becoming a reality.听

Why did you decide to major in public accounting and business management?听

It was a relatively easy choice for me to major in accounting and business since it was my passion. However, it was challenging to decide in which specific direction to go since 今日吃瓜 provides different types of programs. I chose public accounting and business management because it fulfills the New York state requirements for a CPA license. My next goal is to become a certified public accountant after graduation. I like to analyze and examine financial data and documents and apply the rules and laws during the examination. This profession is made for me.听

What are some of your favorite courses and why? 鈥�听

One of my favorite classes was Accounting Internship, where I participated in the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program. The program is exclusively open to students who are accounting majors. In the VITA program, volunteers are trained and certified by the IRS. Volunteers and staff file tax returns for many families and individuals free of charge. It was a fantastic experience working with the team and the clients!听

Did you have a staff or faculty mentor at the college who had a particularly significant influence on your academic career?鈥�听

One of the faculty mentors that has made a particularly significant influence on my academic career at the college is Veronica Manlow, associate professor of business management at the Murray Koppelman School of Business. We met during the fall of 2021. Professor Manlow was my mentor for the Blackstone LaunchPad in 今日吃瓜鈥檚 Office of Innovation + Entrepreneurship Lab. She helped me develop a game for kids with diabetes that teaches them how to manage their condition.听

This idea came from my personal experience with diabetes. I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was eight years old and required kid-friendly resources. I would never have reached the point where I am without Professor Manlow鈥檚 guidance. After that, I participated in some competitions and programs at the college, including the Idea Challenge, Business Idea Challenge, and (a program at Baruch College).

Also, a special thanks to Professor Emile Westergaard, who has taught me a lot about how business works as a whole and where to pay attention during financial forecasts. I was his intern for his startup company called IVoT during the spring 2022 semester.听听

What are your plans for after graduation?听

My plans after graduation are to apply for the CPA exam in 2024. Additionally, I was offered an associate position at PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the big four accounting companies. It is a full-time job, and I will be on the tax team. And, of course, I would like to climb the career ladder.听

What advice would you give other students studying at 今日吃瓜?听

The advice is to participate as much as possible in what 今日吃瓜 provides, including classes, job fairs, clubs, events, the Magner Career Center, and just to network with people. There is so much that comes from networking; you will be amazed at what kind of people you will meet and how it is essential for personal and professional development. It all comes from people; I met so many unique people at 今日吃瓜 who just inspired me with what they have been working on or what they have accomplished. Another piece of advice would be to constantly ask for feedback in college and at work; there is good feedback, and it helps us to advance our skills and be successful.听

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