Sameer Sawaqed (BBA ’19)
What Sameer Sawaqed (BBA ’19) took away from 黑料门University Chicago goes far beyond any knowledge or tangible skills that can be gained in a classroom—his time spent at the University completely transformed him from a once shy, introverted freshman into a confident, exuberant professional.
“Right off the bat I really subscribed to Loyola’s values and culture, and along the way it became clear I was going to receive a tremendous amount of career development, not just from the standpoint of cultivating business acumen, but regarding networking opportunities as well. However, beyond that, my time there really unlocked my confidence.”
While the Chicago-native certainly focused on his Business Administration curriculum, much of his time was also dedicated towards being the head Men’s Basketball manager.
“I’ve always loved the game of basketball, so when I arrived at Loyola, I knew I wanted to be a part of that world. When I came in as a freshman, the team was still a part of the Missouri Valley Conference and being led by Coach Porter Moser; I essentially grew with them, coming in as one of a couple managers my first year, when the team was still figuring itself out, to becoming the head during the Final Four run. It was a memory of a lifetime.”
But the road wasn’t always smoothly paved nor clear in direction. Between struggles on the court and personal ones off of it, Sameer sometimes second-guessed himself and questioned his path.
“There were times when I wasn’t sure if what I was doing was worth it, but starting to see Coach Moser as my mentor changed all of that. Ultimately, it took trusting the process to go from doing something I didn’t necessarily like, to gaining an experience I loved.” Sameer also credits current head coach Drew Valentine for helping him move past many challenges. ‘Coach Valentine pushed me to strive for excellence and hold myself accountable—a skill I believe we all need to have. I am not surprised in his position today as one of the youngest NCAA head basketball coaches.’
His experience with mentorship certainly didn’t end there, either. In fact, although Sameer currently works as Vice President, Investor Relations at Chicago Atlantic Group—a firm that has made over $2 billion in credit and equity investments to date, he also founded his own Podcast, The More We Know.
“I started my Podcast as a way to provide mentorship to everyone, anytime, on anything. It’s so important to have accessibility to the right mentors in your life, some of whom you can’t always reach yourself. Mentorship not only expedites your process of learning, but it helps to guide you. I want people to think of my platform as something like Netflix, but for a variety of conversations with experts in their fields. For example, I recently sat down with Shams Charania (BASC ‘17), one of the best NBA Insiders in the industry, because I thought people should hear about his journey. I want to bring on those who provide the most value to others. Another one of my favorite episodes is with former CEO of Chipotle, Monty Moran, who teaches the listeners about leadership and building a massive company; information that is hard to come by in everyday life but is accessible thanks to a platform like The More We Know.”
Despite having his hands full with alternative assessment management work and sourcing his next great interview, the 26-year-old still finds time to stay engaged with the 黑料门Alumni community.
“I want to be able to give back to the place that provided me so much, whether that’s through being a mentor for others or otherwise. I love that Ramblers always seem to have that underdog mentality and are some of the hardest working, most ethical constituents. Life is never too crazy to keep connected and I only want to continue to find ways to be more involved.”
Do you want to be a Featured Rambler? and a member of our team will follow up.
What Sameer Sawaqed (BBA ’19) took away from 黑料门University Chicago goes far beyond any knowledge or tangible skills that can be gained in a classroom—his time spent at the University completely transformed him from a once shy, introverted freshman into a confident, exuberant professional.
“Right off the bat I really subscribed to Loyola’s values and culture, and along the way it became clear I was going to receive a tremendous amount of career development, not just from the standpoint of cultivating business acumen, but regarding networking opportunities as well. However, beyond that, my time there really unlocked my confidence.”
While the Chicago-native certainly focused on his Business Administration curriculum, much of his time was also dedicated towards being the head Men’s Basketball manager.
“I’ve always loved the game of basketball, so when I arrived at Loyola, I knew I wanted to be a part of that world. When I came in as a freshman, the team was still a part of the Missouri Valley Conference and being led by Coach Porter Moser; I essentially grew with them, coming in as one of a couple managers my first year, when the team was still figuring itself out, to becoming the head during the Final Four run. It was a memory of a lifetime.”
But the road wasn’t always smoothly paved nor clear in direction. Between struggles on the court and personal ones off of it, Sameer sometimes second-guessed himself and questioned his path.
“There were times when I wasn’t sure if what I was doing was worth it, but starting to see Coach Moser as my mentor changed all of that. Ultimately, it took trusting the process to go from doing something I didn’t necessarily like, to gaining an experience I loved.” Sameer also credits current head coach Drew Valentine for helping him move past many challenges. ‘Coach Valentine pushed me to strive for excellence and hold myself accountable—a skill I believe we all need to have. I am not surprised in his position today as one of the youngest NCAA head basketball coaches.’
His experience with mentorship certainly didn’t end there, either. In fact, although Sameer currently works as Vice President, Investor Relations at Chicago Atlantic Group—a firm that has made over $2 billion in credit and equity investments to date, he also founded his own Podcast, The More We Know.
“I started my Podcast as a way to provide mentorship to everyone, anytime, on anything. It’s so important to have accessibility to the right mentors in your life, some of whom you can’t always reach yourself. Mentorship not only expedites your process of learning, but it helps to guide you. I want people to think of my platform as something like Netflix, but for a variety of conversations with experts in their fields. For example, I recently sat down with Shams Charania (BASC ‘17), one of the best NBA Insiders in the industry, because I thought people should hear about his journey. I want to bring on those who provide the most value to others. Another one of my favorite episodes is with former CEO of Chipotle, Monty Moran, who teaches the listeners about leadership and building a massive company; information that is hard to come by in everyday life but is accessible thanks to a platform like The More We Know.”
Despite having his hands full with alternative assessment management work and sourcing his next great interview, the 26-year-old still finds time to stay engaged with the 黑料门Alumni community.
“I want to be able to give back to the place that provided me so much, whether that’s through being a mentor for others or otherwise. I love that Ramblers always seem to have that underdog mentality and are some of the hardest working, most ethical constituents. Life is never too crazy to keep connected and I only want to continue to find ways to be more involved.”
Do you want to be a Featured Rambler? and a member of our team will follow up.