1. What was 
your major/minor when did you graduate?
I graduated in Spring 2017, with a major in Business Administration and a major in Spanish Language and Literature.
2. What is your current position (title,company,location)? Describe a typical work day.
I am currently a Senior Business Analyst for GEICO at their headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
A typical work day for me encompasses a lot of emails and meetings of course! You can usually find me leading and coordinating meetings with IT and our regional business partners to discuss the progression of a new customer service application we are building. Throughout my day you can also find me managing individual projects and excel reports that I am responsible for.
I am also very fortunate to travel for my job and have visited our regional offices in:
- Virginia Beach
- Macon, Georgia
- Dallas, Texas
- Tucson, Arizona
I am our team’s liaison and point of contact for our offices in Georgia as well as San Diego and hope to travel to California this year! During my visits I meet with our regional business coordinators and upper level management and have also led training sessions in relation to our new application.
3. How did your major prepare you for your current job?
The classes I took and the people I met, both students and professors all made a profound impact on my professional career. What I was really able to build upon through my business classes that has assisted me in my career at GEICO has been presentation skills. Since I was in a management development program and now currently in another leadership program I have had to work on multiple projects where I have the opportunity to present my research findings and ideas to senior level management.
Classes like Business Communications, Organizational Behavior and Business Ethics really taught and challenged me to not only prepare and organize a solid presentation but how to present and communicate your ideas and thoughts in front of an audience.
4. How did you become interested in your field?
Before I started my senior year I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Business Leadership Internship that GEICO offers each summer for juniors and seniors in college. Through this program I learned about every aspect of the Insurance business but more importantly learned about leadership. I always wanted to work for a company where associate development is paramount and I found that at GEICO as an intern. Although insurance isn’t a tangible product or service I enjoy it because it helps people when their most valuable assets are at risk.
5. What’s the best career advice you ever received?
Work and perform as if you were already in the position you are aspiring to be in next.
6. Was there a professor, advisor, or fellow student who made an impression on you or helped you when you were at UMW?
Dr. Gower’s leadership and social justice classes made a profound impact on how I see the world and what true leadership should look like.
7. What’s your fondest memory of UMW?
Besides all of the amazing friendships I made while at UMW my fondest memory (and proudest) is winning the first annual COB case competition my senior year. It was a challenging yet very rewarding experience and gave me the ability to use what I learned in my clases and apply it to real life business problems.
8. Are there any special accomplishments you’ve achieved after college that you’d like to share?
My biggest accomplishment has been being able to secure a full time job before graduating and having the ability to financially support myself in all aspects of life. Throughout my professional career I am also proud of being a supervisor of a team as well as working towards my Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
9. How would your family or friends describe you in seven words or less?
They would describe me as determined, passionate and a leader.
10. In one sentence, what advice would you give current business students?
Network and build your resume with as much valuable experience as you can so that you can set yourself apart when applying to jobs post graduation.
