Alumni Spotlight Q&A:
What are you doing now as an Alum?
I am operating the America’s region (Canada, US, Central and South America) for the fastest growing sportswear brand in the world (On). I was lucky enough to start with the US team 8.5 years ago when there were only 3 of us working in a cramped space in the pearl district. Flash forward to present day and our America’s team is roughly 450 people strong with nearly 2,000 teammates globally.
Why did you choose UP Pamplin for your graduate degree?
I wanted to be in the Pacific Northwest and after touring campus and learning more about UP I knew it was the right fit for me. In my graduate program I was looking for a much different experience than that of a big state university which I already experienced in undergrad. UP gave me a tighter-knit community and access to great relationships with professors, students and businesses. I especially enjoyed the China Ventures program which culminated in a trip to Shanghai and Beijing. That experience left a lasting impression and now that we have teams in China, I feel that much more connected through my experience.
How are you using the MBA?
I fall back on my MBA often and I believe the experience is what gave me the confidence and the knowledge to not only take on a generalist role as an operator across many functions, but it also gave me the skillset to be able to scale with a hyper-growth organization. An MBA coupled with the right mindset and opportunity gives you a chance to have a fulfilling career without being bound to one swim lane. It can give you what you need to stretch into many different areas of a business if that is something you find fascinating. I’ve never been able to be a silo’d thinker so it turns out – an MBA was just the right thing for my future state.
What advice would you give to someone considering continuing their education?
I encourage people to really think hard about what they want from the experience and to do it because it helps to fill a curiosity or learning that you’re craving and/or need in order to advance in your work or your life. I advise against doing it if you’re checking a box or trying to rush the experience. It is a big investment – not just in money, but in yourself and in every one of your peers. Know that your classmates should expect a lot in return from the relationships and network and it is most valuable when everyone is ready to actively learn and participate in a program. If you are not ready to commit or give that back to the community, then I don’t encourage it actually.