Senior international student discovers opportunities through entrepreneurship

Calista Widharta began her journey at the University of Kansas in 2020 over Zoom after learning about the university through various agencies in her home country of Indonesia, but that didn’t stop her from getting involved in programs like Jayhawk Consulting at the School of Business when she arrived on campus in 2022.

Widharta heard about Jayhawk Consulting through an Entrepreneurship Lunch and Learn hosted by the Management and Entrepreneurship academic area. She learned that Jayhawk Consulting is a team of KU students who work for real clients to help grow their business and provides students with firsthand experience in the business world.

She says she was immediately interested because she saw it as an opportunity to apply her skills and learn more about consulting. She loved how easy it was to integrate with her busy schedule.

“I think it’s a really good program where I can actually implement what I learn in class in the real business world,” Widharta said. “I can also do it easily side by side with my classes without feeling too much pressure on work, and they are really flexible with the work schedule and workload.”

As an international student, Widharta says she didn’t know exactly what to expect when coming to the University of Kansas but knew that she wanted to learn more about business analytics.

When she finally got to see the School of Business in person with its many classrooms and meeting rooms, she says a goal she made for herself was to have a meeting in the fourth-floor conference room during her time at the school.

Luckily, that goal became a reality thanks to Jayhawk Consulting—they meet in that exact conference room each week.

The program also provided Widharta the opportunity to network with local businesses to uncover their needs and complete assessments through things like data analysis and project development while learning valuable lessons along the way.

With almost a year of experience in the program, Widharta reflected on the most valuable skills and experiences she will take away from Jayhawk Consulting.

“I am grateful to be in the program” Widharta said. “Not only did I meet a lot of business owners and nonprofit organization leaders, I also got to learn in depth how they operate their businesses and their markets in the U.S. I didn’t have any internship or background in consulting, and in joining I got to know more about how to build good relationships with customers, engage in a team with diverse backgrounds and work as a consultant, such as planning and implementing.”

For other students interested in the program, Widharta advises not to be afraid and to get involved regardless of your major.

“Even if your major is not entrepreneurship, you can definitely join the team and choose projects that you are passionate about or align with your interests.” Widharta said.

Will Katz, Jayhawk Consulting’s faculty advisor, has worked with Widharta and the team since the program’s relaunch in spring 2023, and recognizes the growth she made.

“Calista embodies everything we are looking for in our Jayhawk Consultants. She is very bright, and she works very hard. She also has an ability to listen with empathy that is, in my experience, unusual,” he said. “It is very difficult to solve problems if one does not have the ability to hear those problems. Over the course of the year, Calista has grown more comfortable as a leader among her peers. She is not always the first to express an opinion, nor is she the loudest. In my observation, her peers recognize this, and they pay attention when she speaks.”

Apart from Jayhawk Consulting, Widharta is the vice president of Entrepreneurship Club, where she gets to meet new entrepreneurs in the area, help with presentations and organize funding. She is the treasurer for Bridges International at KU, a club that allows her to meet and connect with other international students and learn about American culture.

She is thankful to the School of Business for giving her these opportunities that have helped her make the most of her experience at KU.

“The school not only offered me classes and great professors, but they also gave a lot of opportunities outside of classes, for example, jobs around campus, involvement events and the clubs that I’m in now,” Widharta said. “Every club offers something different.”

As a business analytics major, Widharta recognizes that the major can be intimidating because of skills like coding, but she wants other students to know they will gain tools to overcome those challenges throughout their courses.

A professor that made Widharta’s experience at the school was Sara Reed, assistant professor in the Analytics, Information and Operations Management academic area. Reed taught Widharta in BSAN 450 Data Mining & Predictive Analytics and BSAN 41 Data Analysis & Forecasting.

“If you are in analytics and are scared of coding, you are going to be fine because we have amazing professors that will help you along the way,” Widharta said. “I really enjoyed my classes with Professor Reed, and I think those were the most ‘worth it’ classes I have ever taken because I learned so much.”

After graduation this May, Widharta plans to stay near KU and begin a full-time position at accounting firm EY in Kansas City as a technology risk consultant. She says the School of Business and the programs offered aided her job search and helped set her up for her future in the business world.

“The academic and career advisors really helped me in preparing myself and applying for jobs, getting jobs and connecting with people while making sure I was on time with all of my classes,” she said.

In five years, Widharta says she can see herself working on her own startup company with the help of the skills she learned throughout her four years at KU and her experience with Jayhawk Consulting.

Learn more about Jayhawk Consulting and other entrepreneurship co-curricular programs at business.ku.edu/entrepreneurship.