Syracuse Grad Thrives in Posse Career Program, Joins Deloitte

Chasia G. Marquette graduated this past May from Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in policy studies. She has recently started as a business analyst at Deloitte, working in their Atlanta office to consult on strategy and commercial business operations.

Originally on a pre-law path as an undergrad, Chasia’s academic experience at Syracuse also allowed her to explore other fields.

“It was a fellow Posse Scholar, Julio Burgos, who suggested I take the ‘Introduction to Analysis of Public Policy’ course,” she recalls. “That changed my whole path, from law to policy studies.”

When she uncovered a passion for identifying problems and finding solutions, Chasia decided to home in on a professional path with internships she found through the Posse Career Program. At Resources Global Professionals (RGP), she assisted on project-based work in talent management. Next as an intern at Deloitte, she supported nonprofits during the pandemic, creating plans for websites to ensure service delivery was sustained.

Throughout Chania’s studies at Syracuse and beyond, she says she has drawn strength from Posse and her fellow Scholars.

Adaptability has served Chania well over the years, including in 2019 when her planned study abroad experience at City University of Hong Kong was canceled due to local civil unrest. She pivoted back to campus to work as a teacher’s assistant with Professor Bill Coplin, head of the policy studies department at Syracuse. She ran three courses under his tutelage, teaching peers skills such as resume building and interview preparation and best practices for Excel and LinkedIn. An educational experience survey of Chasia’s design was ultimately distributed to the full student body at the university’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

As a junior, Chasia took a consulting course and volunteered at local nonprofit Rise Above Poverty Syracuse, where she helped revamp their social media strategy to reach more people.

“That was my first time experiencing what consultants do, enhancing social media and websites,” she recalls. “It was my first time working with a real client—we had to deliver presentations, get input and feedback, and then remodel everything. At the end we wrote a guide on how to maintain our suggested strategy. It was hard but very rewarding.”

Throughout Chania’s studies at Syracuse and beyond, she says she has drawn strength from Posse and her fellow Scholars.

“Posse has supported me in so many ways,” she says. “[My fellow Scholars] took the time to get to know me and my interests. I was surrounded by people who are motivated and successful. They are people I can always count on.”