Sejla Kulaglic '12, M.S. '18
Meet Sejla Kulaglic '12, M.S. '18, a Mike Ilitch School of Business alumnus and licensed CPA working for Rehmann. With a passion for her career and a strong connection to Detroit, Sejla is making waves with her efforts against COVID-19.
As a manager of advisory and tax services, Sejla's busy season is from January to April. She says, "Prior to the pandemic, a typical work week consisted of lots of meetings, networking and being on-the-go." Now, Sejla is working from home, attempting to balance the new distractions and challenges of remote work. "Support from co-workers helped me to find my stride while working in my new setting," says Sejla about the shift in her work and the environment in which she does it.
In addition to a busy career, Sejla currently serves as vice president of the board of the Detroit chapter of Kiwanis International and will become board president on October 1 of this year. She also serves as co-chair of the board's service committee. Through her volunteer efforts she has impacted the lives of many. Books for Kids is among one of the service programs Sejla facilitates through Kiwanis. She is also the liaison for WSU's chapter of Circle K International, a student-led service leadership program of Kiwanis International that works with local activist organizations to combat blight, illiteracy, hunger and homelessness in Detroit. During the pandemic, CKI has shifted their focus to gathering donations for Books for Kids.
Through Sejla's work with Kiwanis and CKI, Books for Kids proudly donates 1,500 books a week to various recreation centers in collaboration with the City of Detroit. Since the start of the pandemic, distribution of the books has changed to comply with public health guidelines. "Four to six members come into the warehouse at a time, wearing PPE, and working at a safe distance apart to organize the books for distribution. We've received roughly 45-50,000 books through First Books (a nonprofit social enterprise that provides books, educational resources and other essentials to children in need) and we focus our efforts on distributing them in Detroit," Sejla states during our conversation.
She adds, "I feel as though WSU 100% prepared me for life after graduation. From the strong support and useful skills learned during my time at Wayne I felt better prepared for the real world-specifically the communication, planning, and teamwork skills WSU provided me with." Sejla leaves us with this piece of advice, "The more you're involved, the better understanding you'll have of how to give back."
Sejla's efforts to help the children of Detroit empower themselves through literature and service do not go unnoticed. Sejla is Warrior Strong and we are proud to have her as a member of our Alumni Family. Thank you Sejla, for all your hard work!
Warrior Impact highlights the compassion, hard work and unwavering determination of WSU alumni during the COVID-19 pandemic and the efforts of those who are taking a stand to end systemic racism and positively impact the continued fight for racial equality and justice. If you have a story you'd like to share about you or a fellow alum, submit your story here.