Ever since I was little, I knew I would be a Wildcat.
What motivated you to choose UK?
Ever since I was little, I knew I would be a Wildcat. My mom was a wildcat, and so I grew up going to all the UK sporting events and walking campus and always felt connected to the big blue spirit of the university. I developed a passion for sports marketing during high school and had been searching for a program that would allow me to compete in a rapidly changing job market. Following my campus and Gatton tour, I was certain that I had found a teaching environment with caring professors and staff eager to help students succeed and give them the opportunities they wanted and needed.
Tell us more about your discovery visit. What was your favorite part of the experience, and what did you learn from it?
Through the Gatton Honors Pathway Discovery Visits, I went to Louisville and met with some of the teams at Yum! Brands. During this visit, I learned about Yum Brands as a whole company, with its four brands, KFC, Taco Bell, Habit Burger, and Pizza Hut, and how they have built a global brand. We also heard about their roles in Yum Brands from some of the marketing, financial, and investment staff. I had the opportunity to hear from Mike Wesley, VP of Marketing at KFC, and learn about KFC's marketing, branding, and food innovation plans and processes, which was fun for me to listen to and learn from. But I would say my favorite part of this experience was hearing how each of the speakers got to where they are today and what they learned throughout the process. Many of them did not start at Yum or even in the food industry, so getting to hear how they got to YUM was interesting, and the advice they gave us was very powerful. I always like to hear from people who have been in our shoes and learn from them. One lesson/note I took from this experience was that looking at all aspects of a company's brand, including finances and messaging is important when applying and interviewing for employment.
What advice can you give other students who may have the opportunity to participate in discovery visits?
Do it; go on that discovery visit. These visits are meant to teach us about different business industries and what each one does beyond what we think of when we hear about food, sports, clothing, etc., but they are also meant to help you grow your network. It is never too early to network, and you never know one day after graduation, or even while you are looking for an internship, the employees you speak to during these visits could help you connect with someone in the role you want or even employ you.
