Matthew Qu is a problem solver.
It’s no surprise, then, that he chose to major in accounting at the top-ranked Binghamton University School of Management. When all the numbers fit together, he feels as though he’s just solved a challenging puzzle.
“I really enjoy seeing how things lead to the way they are, and finance alongside analytics allows me to project how things are going to go,” said Qu, a junior who is also pursuing dual concentrations in finance and business analytics. “Accounting is so much deeper than just doing people’s taxes, and Binghamton is helping me grow the kind of skills that help you truly stand out.”
So far, he’s found ample opportunity to put those skills to the test:
- This summer, through Goldman Sachs’ 2026 New York City Controllers Summer Analyst Program, he will support the firm’s financial reporting, controls, and regulatory compliance efforts across product control, external reporting, and fund management.
- In the fall of 2025, he and fellow students in the EY Student Leaders Program launched a mentorship program for high school students at Owego Free Academy, helping them prepare for college and the future workforce.
- As an intern with PepsiCo during the summer of 2025, he joined the company’s external reporting team. Not only did he learn how an iconic soft drink brand manages its finances and how to present the complexities of that data to investors constructively, but he also got to join the “boots on the ground,” distributing Pepsi products to grocery store shelves.
But as each experience sharpened his business acumen, it’s his role as board secretary for the University-led NSF Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine over the last year that has provided his most unique opportunity yet: helping support a transformative effort to make upstate into America’s battery tech capital.
This voluntary leadership role, which he earned through the support of SOM Dean Shelley Dionne (also a board member for the NSF Engine) and former SOM Career Services Director Olivia Pasquale, places him in monthly board meetings and quarterly on-site visits to explore different initiatives the NSF is pushing to help drive innovation in sustainable energy solutions.
Dionne described Qu as a proven leader through his professionalism and academic achievement.
“Matthew was a student I knew could rise to the occasion with little oversight; he’s bright, motivated, works tirelessly, and puts others first,” Dionne said. “His work has been so outstanding that it’s hard to remember, in board meetings, that Matthew is an undergraduate student. We are very thankful for his dedication.”
Qu’s primary duties as board secretary have included assisting with logistical tasks, setting meeting agendas and formalizing meeting minutes, and serving as a student voice to support the board’s most critical conversations.
“I found that I really like being the one in charge of taking the notes for the NSF, helping to show the path that we took to get to where we are, allowing us to follow that direction and figure out where we want to go for the future,” Qu said. “Am I always the biggest contributor to the conversation? No, but I’m always proud to have my finger on the pulse, creating that historical record of what’s driving important decisions for such a massive initiative.”
Heather Hage, president and CEO of the Griffiss Institute, who chairs the Engine’s Governance Board, said Qu’s enthusiasm for this role made him a perfect fit. She was especially impressed by the deep research and preparation he undertook after the NSF Engine sought an SOM student to act as board secretary.
“Matthew participated directly in the National Science Foundation’s program review of the engine to secure our achievement of a Phase II award, during which he provided direct, constructive, and beautifully articulated feedback about the board to the NSF review team,” Hage said. “Matthew has impressed the board and supported the engine dutifully in his role as secretary.”
Throughout his many experiences at Binghamton, Qu has also discovered just how easy it is to put so much pressure on yourself that it feels impossible to overcome. However, he finds that there’s as much to be gained from moments when he “misses the mark” as when he succeeds. No matter the outcome, he said, it’s always another opportunity to grow — a new problem to solve.