Rehan Ali was drawn to the Accelerator program because he wanted to expand his knowledge and career horizons. “I was excited about the prospect of diving into a real business experience and working with some of the best companies in the country,” he says.

A recent graduate of the University of the South, Rehan majored in math and minored in environmental studies. While his undergraduate degree provided him with an educational foundation, Accelerator exposed him to potential consulting careers where he could apply his knowledge. “With a minimal business background, I really wanted the opportunity to learn more about the field,” he says. “Accelerator helped me learn about what a real-world consulting experience feels like.”

Participating in Accelerator projects gave Rehan an opportunity to gain new skills and learn more about his career goals and aptitudes. “This is not an average summer program,” he says. “Students come here to dive into projects and to learn more about themselves and their career goals, and the program provides multiple opportunities to do that.”

Rehan was both surprised and gratified to find himself presenting his first consulting project to a team from HCA Healthcare during the program’s second week. “That’s my favorite memory,” he says.

He also discovered career possibilities he had not envisioned for himself before his Accelerator experience. “Be curious and try new things for yourself that you might think aren’t for you,” he says. “You could be surprised—like I was about my perception about myself working in the business world.”

Fun Fact: A lover of outdoor adventure, Rehan has competed in a 150-mile bike race, canoed 100 miles on the Texas/Mexico border, and climbed a mountain in Iceland.

If you had asked me 2 months ago, I would never have believed I’d be presenting my first consulting project to a major corporation during the second week of the program.