Hometown: Saint Louis, MO
Office Location: Cincinnati, OH
University: University of Alabama
Major: Undergrad: Advertising + Finance; Grad: MBA concentrating in Business Analytics
Start Date: June 2021
Starting Role: Consulting Development Program

Describe your role.
As an Insights Account Manager on the Agency Solutions team, I work to maintain our agency relationships from an Insights perspective and assist them in getting the most out of our data solutions.

What was your experience like in the Development Program?
My favorite part of the Development Program is that you enter the company with an immediate group of peers across different functions. Everyone is learning and adjusting at the same time, and throughout the Program, I probably learned the most through my peer group as we all tackled different business challenges.

How do you believe the Development Program equipped you for success at 84.51°?
The Development Program gives you the unique opportunity to receive training across all areas of our business and in turn, build your network across 84.51° as well. I feel that this has helped me approach problems in my roles in new ways, finding ways to connect to and enhance my work with my knowledge of other teams and resources.

What did you learn from the Development Program that you have transferred into your current role?
I think one of the most fundamental things that the Development Program taught me was how to approach a project in an area where I may not have any experience. In the Program, you complete several projects across a wide variety of topics and teams, and you never know what type of problem you will be tackling next. Even though I didn’t always have all the answers to start, I quickly learned how to use my network and knowledge of the business to eventually come to a solution.

What has been the most memorable experience or favorite project you’ve worked on?
My Development Program class organized a day at Keeneland, and we spent an afternoon watching the horse races as a group. It was a ton of fun to get out of our usual routines and continue to get to know each other in a different setting.

Did you go through the internship Program at 84.51° prior to graduating? If so, what was that experience like?
Yes! I interned in 2020 on the Strategic Media Planning team within KPM. The internship was fully remote that year, but I could still feel the strong company culture through my 10 weeks online. I knew that if I was interested in 84.51° after a summer entirely on my computer, that it would be an even more incredible experience once I got into the office environment.

What advice would you give students who are interested in working in the consulting industry?
Learn to embrace ambiguity! You will not always be given every piece of information that would be ideal to solve a problem, but that can be an opportunity for you to show creativity or find ways to connect past work or ideas. I have found that some of my best work comes from projects that force me to deal with ambiguity and define some parameters or business problems on my own.

What’s your favorite part about working at 84.51°? Do you have a favorite benefit or perk that is offered?
Starting at 84.51°, I was particularly excited about the extensive amount of vacation time we receive. This continues to be a great perk, but I have also grown to appreciate the flexibility we have in where and how we work. Through our hybrid structure, I can take my work almost anywhere, allowing me to spend time with family or friends across the country at times when I typically wouldn’t be able to in an inflexible work environment.

What do you like to do in your free time outside of work hours?
I am always looking to try new things! I am new to Cincinnati, so I have been spending a lot of time exploring what the city has to offer – restaurants, sporting events, parks, etc. I play sand volleyball in a league with some 84.51° coworkers, and on fall weekends, you can find me watching Alabama football. I also love to take weekend trips to visit my friends outside of Cincinnati and experience new cities.