Degree(s): BJ '01 (Advertising)

Whereabouts: United States, Atlanta, Georgia

What do you do?
I work for McKinsey & Company, a global management consultancy. McKinsey works with leading organizations across the private, public, and social sectors. Specifically, I am a consultant who specializes in strategy and operations for companies in the retail and apparel sector.

How did you get your job?
McKinsey traditionally hires from certain undergraduate and graduate programs, but also hires directly from the military and other employers. I knew I wanted a job at McKinsey after my service as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy and got introduced to the recruiter from a fellow submariner who was a consultant at McKinsey. Getting that introduction was a critical first step in the recruiting path.

What is the best professional lesson you learned at J-School?
Clear and concise communication. The Missouri J-School experience helped sharpen my communication skills to a level that, with additional preparation, makes me feel distinctive from my peers. That may sound overly generic, but having the ability to articulate and clearly express a point is a craft that the J-School’s curriculum and rigor uniquely provides. Specifically, the advertising/strategic communication curriculum helped shape my ability to tell a clear story, and whether I’m updating a CEO or my team, simple curriculum lessons like storyboarding or writing clear headlines/messages have created significant professional impact for me.

What advice do you have for current students?
Passion matters. Find and pursue your passions. Start at school, but keep going afterwards. I believe that the only way to do great work is to love what you do. The daily grind of classes and assignments and everything else may be overwhelming, but being at Mizzou and the J-School is a unique blend of time and resources that you will likely never have again. Use them to discover and pursue your passions.

What is your favorite J-School memory?
Being Steve Kopcha’s very first teaching assistant was transformational. He was a fun and inspirational professor, and has since grown to become an invaluable mentor and friend.