Class of 1997 – Bachelors in Business Administration, Finance
I often reflect back on my four years at Loyola and have fond memories on how that experience shaped me both personally and professionally. For most undergraduates, it’s not completely clear at the beginning of school which major or focus one will follow. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, as you should take the time to truly discover what drives you and where your passions follow. Loyola University Maryland fosters the perfect environment for making this happen and that was personally true for my experience. Ultimately, Loyola helped me confirm my path and career in life which would point me into the business community with a focus on sales, operations and management.
Looking back 18 years ago, the world is a much different place today. A lot of this change has been driven by technology, which has opened up the global communication lines and provides for a platform in which every single voice can be heard. I was lucky to start my career in the technology sector, where I have remained ever since. I enjoy being part of this industry because every company in the world is effectively in the technology space. As an organization, if you are not paying attention to disruptive changes like the evolution and proliferation of mobile, big data analytics and the internet of things (which is a fancy way of saying any device out there which is connected to a network) you won’t survive as an entity for too much longer. Loyola University and their administration understand these changes and are doing everything possible to prepare its graduates for the connected world out there.
As much as any university or program can prepare you for the future, it is ultimately going to come down to “personal ownership”, finding your inner passion and investing the time and resources into attaining your goals. Although no one wants to fail in life, sometimes you do have to take one step backwards to advance two forward. It will be very important to learn from every experience, even more so the failures, to ensure you develop your character and skill sets. There will always seem to be a lot of people or things you can blame your mishaps on, but eventually you have to come to the realization that you own that failure, as it’s the only way to learn from it and grow.
If I can leave you with one true word of advice, as you move through your education with Loyola and prepare for the world beyond that, take ownership of your personal connections and always be working on building honest relationships (personally and professionally). In today’s world, there is a never ending onslaught of social media platforms that are trying to replace personal relationships, but there will never be anything more important than truly connecting with someone. Go out of your way to pick up the phone and make that call, rather than just sending another email, text or Facebook comment. Having a healthy balance of communication touch points truly helps you build strong, long lasting relationship in life and in business.
