Brooklyn-born Cornell graduate Lee Bienstock, B.S. '05, a business analyst with Accenture, a global management consulting company, is in the final stretch on Donald Trump's "The Apprentice," on NBC.

He's hoping that Cornellians and other fans will boost his chances of winning the so-called "dream job of a lifetime" with The Trump Organization by voting for him through June 4 via text message or online form.

On June 5 the winner is being chosen on live TV, and Bienstock either is being offered a six-figure salary or is heading home to comfort himself with pizza and a few good hoop shots. Read about the results -- story updated June 7.

The other remaining competitor, a former recruitment consultant from London named Sean (the program doesn't use last names), is 33 years old, blue-eyed and beefy in a Savile Row suit. In contrast, Bienstock, 22, has a slender build and is less experienced and more casually dressed. But he makes up for it by being sharp, savvy, competitive, team-oriented and amiable, say his fans and viewers of the show, now in its fifth season.

"He's charismatic, he's smart, he's a real people person," notes Eli Magid '06, a close friend.

Bienstock, who majored in policy analysis and management in the College of Human Ecology, maintaining a 4.0 grade point average, joined the TV show this March, along with 17 other candidates with impressive college degrees and backgrounds. He immediately took charge of the Gold Rush team -- in a friendly, team-building way.

The first assignment: to get more people to text-message a buzzword in a hypothetical advertising campaign. By using the simple strategy of picking the best site -- the ticket line for half-priced Broadway shows -- and getting up earlier than the other team, Synergy, he coached his team to victory. In particular, he listened to critics, while the other team became paralyzed by personality conflicts.

Bienstock's biography on the show's Web site reflects his business acumen, competitive streak and sense of social responsibility. It notes that at Merrill Lynch he has researched emerging markets and compiled business plans for moneyed clients, including work on an investment banking deal worth more than $100 million; but also that he has taught inner-city fourth-graders and volunteered at a day treatment program for the mentally ill and at soup kitchens.

The online biography also includes a tribute by Bienstock to his grandfather, whom he called "an inspiration." An immigrant who arrived in the United States penniless and uneducated, he built a successful real estate investment business "through hard work and determination," says Bienstock of his grandfather.

Kara Joyner, assistant professor of policy analysis and management, who got to know Bienstock through two courses she taught, says: "Lee is excited about challenges and willing to go beyond the demands of any task. He is also fun to work with and has an extraordinary sense of respect toward others. I am not surprised that he has made it this far on 'The Apprentice.'"

Alan Mathios, professor of policy analysis and management and associate dean for academic affairs at the College of Human Ecology, concurs. "Lee's terrific at communicating his ideas and listening to everyone else's ideas open-mindedly," he says. "As a student of mine, he was always skillful in integrating the course material with real-world problem solving."

Bienstock also was a standout when David BenDaniel, the Don and Margi Berens Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Johnson Graduate School of Management, recruited him to be a teaching assistant in a course for undergraduates on entrepreneurship. "He's a talented businessman," says BenDaniel.