Commencement 2012 profile: Taniel Chan

College can be a time when many young people reinvent themselves. That’s certainly true for Taniel Chan, who admits he wasn’t the best student in high school. However, at Binghamton University, he channeled his energies in a positive direction and will graduate this month as one of the School of Management’s top students.

In fact, the Brooklyn native was accepted into Harvard Business School’s 2+2 MBA program, which historically has admitted only 100 students out of more than 800 applicants from all over the globe. For the next two years, Chan will work at Goldman Sachs in the company’s finance division, supporting merchant banking. Then, he will attend graduate school at Harvard.

He says the business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi played a large role in his success at Binghamton. When he arrived on campus, he was ambitious but not incredibly focused. The older students he met inspired him to work harder on his studies than he ever had.

“I have benefited personally and professionally from Delta Sigma Pi in so many ways,” Chan said. “The fraternity has people of all ages. It was great to have the upperclassmen to look up to. Now, I have students I can guide and alumni whom I can contact.”

Chan said the Financial Statement Analysis course he took during junior year is one of the most significant academic experiences he had in SOM, as he was one of only eight students selected to serve at UBS as an equities research intern.

School of Management Dean Upinder Dhillon, who wrote a recommendation letter to support Chan’s application to Harvard, said the course is one of the most challenging in the school’s finance area. Chan worked alongside UBS analysts and during the final presentations, Dhillon says, analyzed complex problems and presented solutions in a convincing manner, earning high marks from the UBS team.

While excelling in the classroom and rising to the level of president of Delta Sigma Pi, Chan has been focused on giving back. He was instrumental in starting the Dean’s Mentorship Program, which matches underclassmen with student mentors in their areas of interest.

“Fraternities have the big sibling/little sibling dynamic, and I wanted to re-create that experience for those who don’t wish to be part of a fraternity,” Chan said. “It’s rewarding to feel that I’ve left a legacy and I plan to stay connected to it.”

Dhillon said Chan is highly respected by faculty and his peers. Because of Chan’s strong leadership qualities, Dhillon chose him to serve on the Dean’s Advisory Board – a group of student leaders that meets with the deans monthly to provide input on strategic initiatives as well as student activities.

“[Taniel] is an exceptional motivator and has a natural ability to lead people,” Dhillon said, in his recommendation letter. “He believes in making a difference and works hard to have an impact on projects he is involved in. … He is one of the few students I would rate as outstanding and consider him one of the best at Binghamton University.”