Billy Ceskavich: Graduate student shows SU pride with active involvement
Ceskavich bleeds orange in a different way — by taking part in just about everything he can on campus.
“Both of my parents went to SU. I know people who say, ‘Oh I was a legacy,’ and I totally wasn’t. I was really stubborn,” he said. “I love Syracuse, but not in the super, super spirited way.”
Ceskavich, currently a graduate student in the School of Information Studies, completed his undergraduate degree in information management and technology and political science just last year. But his time as an undergrad was spent more than just double majoring — his laundry list of activities and awards speak for themselves, and they still do as he continues his work in the iSchool.
President of University Union, Remembrance Scholar, iSchool Board of Advisers member, working at Telefund calling alumni, recipient of the RvD IDEA Award and recipient of the engagement fellowship are just a few of the things Ceskavich has completed during his five years at SU.
Ceskavich doesn’t stop during the summer — he worked at Evernote and Twitter as an intern the past two years.
“I was all over the place as an undergrad, I guess. I did so much, but for me, I just found things I liked and did them,” Ceskavich said. “Now, I’m just more focused. Sometimes I think I’m lazy, but I guess you could say I’m pretty productive.”
But Ceskavich didn’t always know what he wanted to do with his time at Syracuse. He said his undergraduate life was filled with doing fun things that didn’t really affect his professional life.
It wasn’t until an iSchool-sponsored trip to Silicon Valley that Ceskavich knew he wanted to work in the tech industry, particularly for a startup company.
During his weeklong spring break trip, Ceskavich and a group of students visited different tech companies like Twitter and Google to explore different career paths they could take once they graduate. It was there that he made lasting contacts and friends that he said he could only ever dream of.
“That trip changed my life. It really did. It solidified what I wanted to do,” Ceskavich said. “It just opened my eyes to the tech world, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, wow, I can work for a company like this.’ So I did.”
Mike Smith, a Class of 2013 alumnus, met Ceskavich on the trip and has been friends with him since. Smith said it’s been fun to watch Ceskavich progress throughout his time at SU and become involved in community projects and even attempt to start his own company.
Although Ceskavich is an incredibly busy person, Smith said he takes it all in stride. He added that Ceskavich is never cocky, and doesn’t get nearly enough praise for the amount of things he does on a daily basis.
“He’s not the type of person that would go bragging about himself and all of his awesome accomplishments, but he’s the kind of person worth bragging about,” Smith said. “He’s just an advocate for the university.”
Ceskavich said he couldn’t have imagined going anywhere else, and that attending SU has opened up connections to people all over the country. Ceskavich even has Seth Meyers’ cell phone number in his phone and called him a “chill guy” from working with him a few years ago through University Union.
Tom Charles is a graduate student in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and a close friend of Ceskavich. The two of them received the same engagement fellowship and co-founded their company together during their senior year at SU.
Although their company folded, Charles said he learned a lot from the experience with Ceskavich. He added that Ceskavich is a leader professionally and personally, and never asks for anything in return — a quality Charles finds rare in most people.
Said Charles: “Billy Ceskavich is probably going to take over the world at some point. He’s the kind of person that I’m going to be happy to keep close to me. If he starts his own company in the future, I want to be the person he calls.”