TAMID at Pitt: Year One
By: Teresa Leatherow, TAMID at Pitt
After an unforgettable and informative first experience at TAMIDcon 2016, our founding
members at the University of Pittsburgh were eager to return to campus to begin our fall
recruitment efforts for the Aleph class of TAMID at Pitt! Branding and recruitment workshops
prepared us to implement successful tactics, attract the best and brightest at the university, and
ultimately end up with a talented, ambitious group of business men, women, engineers,
computer scientists, and students in related fields. Lead by our Director of Branding and
Recruitment, Samantha Rothman worked day and night to see to it that TAMID was a widely-
considered organization by new students to the University of Pittsburgh, as well as current
students who would have an interest in becoming a member.
TAMID stands out at Pitt for a number of reasons, not only in what TAMID Group offers in terms
of professional development and experiential based learning in Israel, but also in the caliber of
student the organization appeals to. A culmination of some of the most well-known student
organizations at Pitt, entrepreneurship, innovation, and collaboration are at the forefront of what
our chapter stands for and identifies as. Invigorated with enthusiasm, we welcomed our newest
members and hit the ground running with our education sessions.
Instructed by Director of Education, Aakash Sudhakar, Pitt’s Aleph TAMIDniks are already
benefitting from their decision to join the organization. Aakash’s passion is contagious and
engaging and has been a driving force behind welcoming our new members, equipping them
with the skills they need to succeed either in investing or consulting projects, and of course, how
to translate these skills to their own personal and professional lives. Our returning members
have busied themselves with investment and consulting projects and are thrilled to be back and
working together. Director of Investment, Christian Sibley, and Director of Consulting, Brandon
Ruzicka-Butz have worked to coordinate meetings with team members and project managers.
Over the past year, the TAMID at Pitt chapter has not only grown in size, but also in prestige
and recognition. Our members are committed to improving our image even more throughout the
semester and the upcoming year!
Currently, Director of Member Relations, Teresa Leatherow, is planning several social activities
for members to participate in. Among the list are trips to local museums, coffee hours, and an
end-of- semester “potluck” dinner to debrief on the past semester’s TAMID operations and
outcomes as well as an opportunity to enjoy the company of one another. Additionally, plans are
underway for a team of new members to join with previous members to participate in a
university-wide hack-a- thon and to participate in an upcoming entrepreneurship workshop held
in partnership with another related student organization.
After an eventful and rewarding summer in Israel, our chapter President, Benji Pollock, has
returned and has come back recharged to lead our chapter to become all that it can be at the
University of Pittsburgh. Sure, we may be a new chapter, but we are inspired and driven to be
among the best out there- and we are equipped from the top down with talent, ambition, and
work ethic to achieve our goal. A huge thanks to the TAMID chapters that have inspired us– –
here’s to paying it back and forward!