Senior Jacob Coultas is a business administration major with a concentration in marketing. He’s also a member of the baseball team and Phi Beta Lambda, a professional organization for business students. Thanks to travel opportunities, networking and close relationships with his professors, Jacob knows he is on the path to success.
Hear more about Jacob’s college journey firsthand.
I am from Davison, and I chose to go to Olivet to play baseball. I participated in many The University of Olivet baseball camps when I was younger, and I knew that Olivet was a college I wanted to attend. I always enjoyed the time that I spent at the Cutler Athletic Complex while attending these camps.
Not only am I a part of the The University of Olivet baseball team, but I am also a member of Phi Beta Lambda, which is an organization for business and marketing professionals. It provides an opportunity to gather with other students that have a common interest in business.
I have always known that I wanted to be a marketing professional ever since high school where I participated and won awards in Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). DECA is an association of marketing students that encourages the development of business and leadership skills through academic conferences and competitions. While in DECA, I had the opportunity to compete at the state level and qualified for the national convention in Anaheim, California.
Many of the things that I am working on currently are preparing myself to become a better marketing professional. Recently, I started working with Professor Mike Oyster, chair of the Business Department and assistant professor of business, as part of an independent study to promote and market the new MBA program that The University of Olivet offers to graduate business students. We are working to bring attention to this program through social media and find other ways to publicize the program. I also recently worked on a group presentation for a digital marketing conference with other Olivet students as well. I am passionate about this career because it allows me to be creative in helping companies prove why their product is better than their competition.
I have the best relationships with my professors on campus. Two of the professors that have pushed me the most to be where I am today are Professor Oyster and Professor Mike Weglarz, assistant professor of insurance and risk management. They have encouraged me to open up and gain as much knowledge within the marketing industry as I can because it is a very fast-paced market.
While attending Olivet, I had the privilege to travel to Antigua with Professor Oyster and a group of students as part of the international marketing course. This was an outstanding opportunity where we learned the marketing practices within another country. We met with local business professionals, and we participated in a live news broadcast where we shared why we had traveled from the United States to Antigua. It was a trip that I will remember forever. I have also traveled to the Chicago Advertising Federation Career Fair with Professor Weglarz and a group of other students. Both of these opportunities have benefited me by expanding my professional network with individuals from all across the world.
I would encourage students to attend Olivet because it offers the opportunity to interact with your professors on a one-on-one basis. We are able to build relationships with these professors at a level that the big universities cannot match. Professors offer small group opportunities, like the international marketing course in Antigua, as well as the trip to Chicago. Having these relationships with my professors provides real-world experiences and opportunities for business relationships in the future.
My number one piece of college advice would be to be open to new opportunities and making new friends along the way. This will provide an even more memorable college experience. My experience as a Comet has made me the person I am today by challenging myself to always do my best in order to become the business professional I want to be.
Learn more about The University of Olivet by contacting the Office of Admission at 800-456-7189 or admissions@uolivet.edu.
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