I live in Richmond, Virginia, where I work as a senior manager of financial analysis at Capital One. Capital One was my first job upon graduating from Virginia Tech 6 years ago … yes, I’m the youngin’ in the Weekend Executive MBA program at 28 (and a half!) years old. While my time in the business world has been brief relative to my classmates, I have had a fantastic set of opportunities at Capital One within the last 6 years. I was a member of a newly launched finance rotation program for recent college graduates, where I completed rotations in 3 different areas of the company before settling into the credit card division. I also was able to head back to my native Canada for two years, working to evaluate potential credit card retail partnerships for the company’s Canadian division. I have been back in Richmond for just over two years, and my current role at Capital One is focused largely on preparing our leadership team for external earnings presentations.

I am pursuing my MBA to focus on improving my leadership and soft skills, to help me continue to advance within finance at Capital One. Unlike many of my classmates, I do not have a career change in mind. It’s just a great time in my life to head back to school before kids work their way into the mix! I chose Duke because of its brand reputation, focus on leadership, and strong recommendations from peers at Capital One. It also doesn’t hurt that unlike many of the other top tier schools, Duke is within driving distance from Richmond, making the bi-weekly commute less stressful. Outside of work and school, I like to spend time with friends, and redecorate and renovate the historic home that I purchased last summer (I watch a lot of HGTV!), and read.