Extracting Value from Every Opportunity with Olivia Meyer
This week on the Be Epic podcast, Brent sits down with Olivia Meyer, a senior real estate finance student at the Walton College to discuss her internship that she secured from the career fair and how she turned that internship into a full-time role after graduation. During the episode Olivia highlights her campus involvement, goal setting and ability to constantly seek out feedback as factors that have helped her to achieve her goals. She also credits supportive mentors with empowering her growth mindset and pushing her out of comfort zones.
Transcript
Getting more involved quicker just to set
Olivia Meyer:yourself up to meet new people. I mean, it's an incredible way
Olivia Meyer:to get different friend groups and different personalities and
Olivia Meyer:different opinions to surround yourself with.
Brent Williams:Welcome to the be epic podcast, brought to you
Brent Williams:by the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of
Brent Williams:Arkansas. I'm your host, Brent Williams. Together, we'll
Brent Williams:explore the dynamic landscape of business, and uncover the
Brent Williams:strategies, insights and stories that drive business today. Today
Brent Williams:I have with me, Olivia Meyer, and Olivia is a current student
Brent Williams:in the Walton College of Business. Olivia, thank you for
Brent Williams:joining me today.
Olivia Meyer:Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be
Olivia Meyer:here.
Brent Williams:Yeah. And you know, you're you're involved
Brent Williams:beyond just in the classroom and internships, you're pretty busy.
Brent Williams:As I've gotten to know you. What are some of the things you do
Brent Williams:outside the classroom?
Olivia Meyer:I'm very involved in my sorority, I'm a Zeta here.
Olivia Meyer:Obviously, I went through recruitment as a sophomore. So I
Olivia Meyer:was kind of nervous at first to see how well I would get
Olivia Meyer:involved and how well I'd fit in with everybody. But it was very
Olivia Meyer:smooth transition. And I got to be on the philanthropy side of
Olivia Meyer:leadership by being the assistance to some of the exec
Olivia Meyer:members and then work my way up as being one of the exec
Olivia Meyer:members, as secretary and I really enjoy just being a part
Olivia Meyer:of all of the girls there who just supported me and are
Olivia Meyer:amazing leaders throughout the chapter. And also just some of
Olivia Meyer:the on campus involvement is women in finance and future
Olivia Meyer:business women leaders. A couple of my friends have started up
Olivia Meyer:those and so it's been really cool to watch them from
Olivia Meyer:sophomore year to now and how well they're going to exceed in
Olivia Meyer:the future too.
Brent Williams:Yeah, what made you choose finance as a major?
Olivia Meyer:I really was excited for the real estate
Olivia Meyer:portion of it, honestly. I've always wanted to go into real
Olivia Meyer:estate since I was in high school, which I don't know where
Olivia Meyer:that really stemmed from, I don't have any family members
Olivia Meyer:involved in it. I just was really knew, it was a personable
Olivia Meyer:job. And I knew that the finance background would really help on
Olivia Meyer:a resume and just learning that kind of background information
Olivia Meyer:going into it instead of just the real estate portion. Which
Olivia Meyer:really reflected I think in my internship too, just having that
Olivia Meyer:kind of background knowledge too
Brent Williams:Yeah,
Olivia Meyer:even though it's mainly my focus on my major. But
Olivia Meyer:yeah,
Brent Williams:Yeah, you know, it's interesting, like you came
Brent Williams:in kind of thinking that was probably right for you turned
Brent Williams:out sounds like it was sounds like it is something you've
Brent Williams:enjoyed, you've enjoyed the classes. Something you told me a
Brent Williams:little bit earlier that was really interesting. And this
Brent Williams:kind of segues into our conversation about the
Brent Williams:internship. I think you said when you were touring the campus
Brent Williams:thinking about coming here, one of the ambassadors leading the
Brent Williams:tour mentioned internships, is that right?
Olivia Meyer:Yes, I remember we were right in front of Walton
Olivia Meyer:Yeah. Well, that seed was planted early, which I don't
Olivia Meyer:College, and it was towards the end of the tour. And it was kind
Olivia Meyer:of a chilly day. But I was really excited to hear more
Olivia Meyer:about the business school. And she mentioned how many intern
Olivia Meyer:internships that students normally get, that are in
Olivia Meyer:Walton, or that are at Walmart and Sam's Club as well. And I
Olivia Meyer:knew I really wanted to be at a big company as successful as
Olivia Meyer:they are. So ever since then, that kind of was in the back of
Olivia Meyer:my head of that opportunity that was presented itself. And I
Olivia Meyer:didn't know how I was going to get there. But I knew I was
Olivia Meyer:gonna get there somehow. And especially with the help of
Olivia Meyer:Walton, and my professors. So that was always a fire that kind
Olivia Meyer:of ignited underneath me. And I really was able to look back now
Olivia Meyer:and kind of, you know, reminisce on that memory.
Olivia Meyer:know who the ambassador was, but a shout out to her because
Olivia Meyer:that's exactly we love that. You know, one thing that's coming up
Olivia Meyer:soon is our Career Fair, which is really an event of course,
Olivia Meyer:where students and employers can really start to match and meet
Olivia Meyer:one another. Did you utilize career fairs when you as you've
Olivia Meyer:gone through this process?
Olivia Meyer:Oh, yes, of course. I started off going sophomore year. Not
Olivia Meyer:really, with any kind of goal in mind of getting an internship
Olivia Meyer:just because I knew that they were mainly meant for geared to
Olivia Meyer:juniors and seniors. And as nervous as I was, as a little
Olivia Meyer:sophomore, I knew that that kind of experience of at least just
Olivia Meyer:introducing yourself, you thought a handshake never hurt
Olivia Meyer:anyone. And that's kind of where I got to step into that light of
Olivia Meyer:the professional and corporate world a little bit more. And it
Olivia Meyer:was, you know, really quick, I just made myself at least talk
Olivia Meyer:to five different people and just to see where it would take
Olivia Meyer:me and just get that feeling for next year to prepare a little
Olivia Meyer:bit more. But yeah,
Brent Williams:Well, I'm pretty impressed with that. You know
Brent Williams:that you pushed yourself right, and you set a goal for that
Brent Williams:event. I think that's great advice for our students. So you
Brent Williams:did find an internship and you found a really good internship
Brent Williams:after your junior year at Sam's Club. So maybe tell us a little
Brent Williams:bit about that process of finding the internship. And then
Brent Williams:tell us, you know, more about the internship itself,
Olivia Meyer:Of course, um, well backtrack a little bit to
Olivia Meyer:whenever I was first figuring out an internship, I really was
Olivia Meyer:looking for Walmart's AFDP program. And I was super
Olivia Meyer:interested in I went to all their networking events and
Olivia Meyer:really got my face out there. And met them. They were one of
Olivia Meyer:the companies I met, as well as Sam's at the career fair. And I
Olivia Meyer:ended up going through the full interview process, made it to
Olivia Meyer:the final interview, and I didn't land that AFDP
Olivia Meyer:internship. And it stung a little bit. But I didn't let it
Olivia Meyer:turn me away. And before my Sam's Club interview, I reached
Olivia Meyer:out to the girl who are one of the women who's on the panel,
Olivia Meyer:who interviewed me for the AFDP internship, just kind of asking
Olivia Meyer:ways that I can improve my interview skills. And if she
Olivia Meyer:could take the time to give me a quick call of where I can
Olivia Meyer:improve, where I could excel at, or where I could excel more at
Olivia Meyer:and where I was doing amazing, and you know, can keep going
Olivia Meyer:with that kind of skills in my interview. And I feel like that
Olivia Meyer:is what really helped me with my Sam's Club interview, just
Olivia Meyer:getting that feedback from her and kind of going in with the
Olivia Meyer:vulnerable aspect of I understand I didn't get this,
Olivia Meyer:but I would love to see where I could get some help. And she's
Olivia Meyer:one of the few people who have helped me throughout my
Olivia Meyer:internship to just being a quick mentor to go to just because she
Olivia Meyer:was over at Walmart. So it was a very tedious process. And of
Olivia Meyer:course, very stressful. But I think, taking myself outside of
Olivia Meyer:the perspective of being too scared to ask the questions,
Olivia Meyer:because in reality, the worst thing anyone could say is no. So
Olivia Meyer:I think really just utilizing those resources, and you don't
Olivia Meyer:even know that they're right in front of you was something that
Olivia Meyer:I was really excited for this Sam's Club, interview, and then
Olivia Meyer:after it was during finals week, whenever my interview was, and
Olivia Meyer:of course, it's a stressful period for any kind of college
Olivia Meyer:student, and I had two at the time for a different company. So
Olivia Meyer:I'd come out of an accounting two final and it was very
Olivia Meyer:stressed out whenever I was walking into this huge interview
Olivia Meyer:that I was really excited for and really wanted to land on.
Olivia Meyer:And ultimately, I felt like I didn't put my best foot forward.
Olivia Meyer:So whenever I was submitting my thank you emails to everyone
Olivia Meyer:who's on that panel, I kind of worded the Sam's Club one just a
Olivia Meyer:little bit more of a explanation of why I felt like I didn't put
Olivia Meyer:my best foot forward. And of course, thank you for their
Olivia Meyer:time. But just kind of like making that note of where I wish
Olivia Meyer:I could improve better on that interview. And one of the women
Olivia Meyer:reached back out to me, and she was basically saying how I did
Olivia Meyer:incredible not, don't need to worry. But she understands where
Olivia Meyer:I'm coming from and knows that I put a lot of pressure on myself
Olivia Meyer:she could see. So she got on a zoom call with me in a very
Olivia Meyer:informal kind of chat, and basically gave me the
Olivia Meyer:opportunity to submit a write up to her of my two, five and 10
Olivia Meyer:year goals for my career. And I was able to take a day or two to
Olivia Meyer:kind of figure that out and really perfect what I wanted to
Olivia Meyer:say to her, and she then presented it to the board before
Olivia Meyer:they made their decision on an intern. So to this day, I still
Olivia Meyer:feel like I owe her everything. She was just that extra push
Olivia Meyer:that I needed. And I find her in the office. And I always thank
Olivia Meyer:her and I love to give her updates on my career goals that
Olivia Meyer:I'm surpassing and things like that. So it's definitely been a
Olivia Meyer:learning curve. But I think my biggest advice is just utilizing
Olivia Meyer:those kinds of experiences and people so yeah.
Brent Williams:Well, if there is a there is a lesson for our
Brent Williams:students, because one thing that is very, very impressive to me
Brent Williams:is that you are always seeking feedback. You know, and if and
Brent Williams:that, that takes courage to send that email and say, hey, here's
Brent Williams:what happened. I didn't do as well as I thought I could tell
Brent Williams:me how I can get better. That that is a special, a special
Brent Williams:power, if you will, that you can do that. And then take that
Brent Williams:feedback and try to get better with it.
Olivia Meyer:Thank you.
Brent Williams:And then, you know, professionals at both
Brent Williams:Walmart and Sam's Club clearly responded to that right because
Brent Williams:they they both stepped up and gave you that feedback and
Brent Williams:helped you and maybe even the key to getting the Sam's Club
Brent Williams:internship.
Olivia Meyer:Oh, yes. And it made me respect the company so
Olivia Meyer:much because after experiencing that kind of feedback from them.
Olivia Meyer:She always told me that busy was just a relative term. So never
Olivia Meyer:be afraid to ask anyone for their time. It really showed me
Olivia Meyer:the values of the company just even before I had started. And
Olivia Meyer:then I continued to see that all throughout my time as at my
Olivia Meyer:internship, which was incredible to witness and it didn't feel
Olivia Meyer:like it was this huge corporation that you were just
Olivia Meyer:getting lost in the sea. It felt like very family oriented and a
Olivia Meyer:sense of belonging was there for sure.
Brent Williams:And personal connection?
Olivia Meyer:Oh, yes. Yes.
Brent Williams:All right. So you so you land the Sam's Club
Brent Williams:one and spend last summer at Sam's Club. What was the
Brent Williams:internship and tell us a little bit about, you know, the group
Olivia Meyer:Of course, I had the honor of being on the new
Olivia Meyer:that you're involved in,
Olivia Meyer:club team for Sam's Club real estate. It was a new club, or it
Olivia Meyer:was a new team that started in October of that year. So Sam's
Olivia Meyer:basically hasn't had a new club built in the past seven years.
Olivia Meyer:And Walmart used to be that muscle that would work on the
Olivia Meyer:Walmart's and the Sam's clubs, real estate portion. So it was
Olivia Meyer:really awesome to be a part of that first initial kind of way
Olivia Meyer:or group of figuring out how to maneuver around, going about
Olivia Meyer:building Sam's Clubs and what the executives wanted to see out
Olivia Meyer:of them, and what goals they needed to put up for themselves.
Olivia Meyer:So basically, this Summer, my project was to do what basically
Olivia Meyer:do the full lifecycle of one of the new clubs, that was going to
Olivia Meyer:be there. And I actually got to fly out and see it with the COO,
Olivia Meyer:Lance Del Rossa and Diana Marshall, who is the Chief
Olivia Meyer:Growth Officer at Walmart. And so being exposed that kind of
Olivia Meyer:leadership too I mean, really taught me a lot of valuable
Olivia Meyer:lessons just because I hadn't ever had that kind of
Olivia Meyer:opportunity to have one on one for especially a whole trip with
Olivia Meyer:people like that. But I got to go fly out and see the property,
Olivia Meyer:see how we interact with brokers in that kind of corporation, and
Olivia Meyer:then start my project. And it was just basically the full
Olivia Meyer:lifecycle up until I left. And I actually got to present at the
Olivia Meyer:end of year CRC meeting, which was in front of the entire
Olivia Meyer:executive council for Sam's Club. So my little intern self
Olivia Meyer:was standing up there presenting this project, asking for due
Olivia Meyer:diligence funds and seeing if they would even approve of the
Olivia Meyer:site in general. And it did get approved. So that was a big win
Olivia Meyer:for our team. But without the new club team and my directors,
Olivia Meyer:there's no way I could have accomplished that kind of goal.
Olivia Meyer:So it was a very hands on internship, which I liked, and
Olivia Meyer:they treated you like a full time employee, I didn't feel
Olivia Meyer:like I was just, you know, the intern that would get coffee or
Olivia Meyer:anything, there was always things to do. And if even there
Olivia Meyer:wasn't, I would get more exposed to other sides of the real
Olivia Meyer:estate sector, just going to the portfolio team asking what they
Olivia Meyer:did. And even I got to go on another trip with a totally
Olivia Meyer:different non real estate team and just see that aspect of it
Olivia Meyer:all of how the field execution works and things like that. So
Olivia Meyer:it was a very awesome experience. I loved the travel,
Olivia Meyer:I loved how my director just gave me so many opportunities to
Olivia Meyer:pursue. And I feel like I asked a lot of questions too, that led
Olivia Meyer:me to those kinds of opportunities as well just
Olivia Meyer:because my the very first day, my director told me that you can
Olivia Meyer:play that intern card as many times as you want this summer.
Olivia Meyer:So I started on day one, trying to trying to get my foot in the
Olivia Meyer:door. And I think the biggest thing was just leaving a big
Olivia Meyer:impression on everybody you meet and because you never know if
Olivia Meyer:it's just going to be the first one or you're going to encounter
Olivia Meyer:them a lot of times and by the end of the summer, I was on a
Olivia Meyer:first name basis with the COO throughout the office. So that
Olivia Meyer:was a pretty awesome feeling to walk through and be able to say
Olivia Meyer:hello to him and he remembered my face. So just being very
Olivia Meyer:bold, being very bold, and even if you're nervous, you just
Olivia Meyer:gotta fake it till you make it.
Brent Williams:That's one thing I actually hear with you. You're
Brent Williams:like, you know, maybe you're pushing yourself in that way,
Brent Williams:right? Even if it doesn't feel natural, or you're ready to push
Brent Williams:yourself forward. And that's really impressive. You know, as
Brent Williams:I as I think about what I heard in your description of the
Brent Williams:internship, what was important to you and I feel like I hear
Brent Williams:this from a lot of students is that the meaningful InSe
Brent Williams:internships are a result of a great team, great people pouring
Brent Williams:into you, but also meaningful work. So you felt like you were
Brent Williams:meaningfully contributing to the organization.
Olivia Meyer:Oh, yes. I I felt like I was making a difference
Olivia Meyer:just as an intern and that's because my team made me feel
Olivia Meyer:that way too. But it'll be really awesome to go back to the
Olivia Meyer:club and be able to see where my projects kind of skyrocketed
Olivia Meyer:from and where it is now. And even where I can maybe put more
Olivia Meyer:work into whenever I return, just because whenever they put a
Olivia Meyer:shovel on the ground, that's whenever it's all hands on deck.
Olivia Meyer:So I am very excited to see where that took off.
Brent Williams:There's a lot of reasons why I think internships
Brent Williams:are really important for our students. And one is, you know,
Brent Williams:this is a great mechanism to, to get a full time job, which is
Brent Williams:what we're going to talk about next. But also, you know,
Brent Williams:there's some other pieces to it, I feel like I feel like it, I
Brent Williams:think it probably makes you a better student, you know, so let
Brent Williams:me, let me ask you this, because I think that being able to learn
Brent Williams:and apply, either simultaneously, or, you know,
Brent Williams:you're in finishing up a spring semester, you learn something,
Brent Williams:you probably applied it, you know, during the summer, and
Brent Williams:then you bring that experience back to your senior year in this
Brent Williams:case. And I suspect it made you a different type of student to
Brent Williams:tell me if you agree with that.
Olivia Meyer:I completely agree with that. And I could feel that
Olivia Meyer:on my first day of senior year, I could feel myself taking more
Olivia Meyer:charge of my studies, I've always been a very diligent
Olivia Meyer:student, and value that studying. But honestly, I feel
Olivia Meyer:like the biggest change was in my presentation skills and how I
Olivia Meyer:approach adults and professors and leaders, I feel like I was
Olivia Meyer:always hesitant in the back of my head in some instances. But I
Olivia Meyer:had the competence now to really go in and take charge of a lot
Olivia Meyer:of different group projects and presentations and just really be
Olivia Meyer:on top of things like that. And in my studies, I feel like I
Olivia Meyer:learned so much this summer that everything was starting to click
Olivia Meyer:a lot in my classes, especially in the real estate section, too.
Olivia Meyer:So that was just a really cool feeling to know that I could
Olivia Meyer:participate in class discussions and share my own knowledge. And
Olivia Meyer:by this point, a lot of seniors have had those internships
Olivia Meyer:before. And so everyone really gets to now pour into what they
Olivia Meyer:have learned in those internships and put them towards
Olivia Meyer:class discussions to where we can all learn from them as well.
Olivia Meyer:So it's been a very awesome experience, being a senior and
Olivia Meyer:watching, you know, some of your peers that you've grown up with
Olivia Meyer:over the past four years, really fall into themselves with their
Olivia Meyer:careers and everything.
Brent Williams:It's a big change isn't it, it's a big
Brent Williams:change, when you start to see, you know, our students, your
Brent Williams:peers, start to get different types of experiences. And you're
Brent Williams:so right. The the discussions after that has occurred really
Brent Williams:start to change, right? Because you may, you know, clearly you
Brent Williams:had Sam's Club experience, someone else may have another
Brent Williams:type of experience that someone else another and you're getting
Brent Williams:to share those in the classroom, which as as a professor, that is
Brent Williams:so much fun to see.
Olivia Meyer:Yes. Oh, yeah.
Brent Williams:So we said that we'll go back to we said that
Brent Williams:one of the things about internships is that very often,
Brent Williams:not always, but very often they lead to jobs and job offers. And
Brent Williams:that was the case for you. So you're going to start at Sam's
Brent Williams:Club, I presume sometime in the summer after after you graduate.
Brent Williams:Tell us a little bit about you know, how that went from
Brent Williams:internship to to getting the full time role in the real
Brent Williams:estate area at Sam's Club?
Olivia Meyer:Of course, yes. I really think it started on day
Olivia Meyer:one, I knew I wanted a full time offer at the very end of my
Olivia Meyer:internship. And so I wasn't gonna waste a day, not trying to
Olivia Meyer:So they made you an offer, right at the end of the internship?
Olivia Meyer:pursue that. And I really think that the biggest piece of one of
Olivia Meyer:the biggest pieces of advice that I got from my team was to
Olivia Meyer:cast a wide net throughout the corporation, meet as many people
Olivia Meyer:as you can do as many one on ones as you'd like, just to try
Olivia Meyer:and get your name out there because you never know what door
Olivia Meyer:will open. And even if it's not in real estate, what if
Olivia Meyer:something else sparks your interest, and you now know
Olivia Meyer:someone that can, you know, get you into that kind of position.
Olivia Meyer:So from day one, I really just tried to get my face out there
Olivia Meyer:as much as possible. And really tried to show them like work
Olivia Meyer:ethic in the best way possible. Because they're looking for
Olivia Meyer:someone who is extremely driven, passionate about what they do.
Olivia Meyer:And I feel like my personality also I really got to shine
Olivia Meyer:through that. And even on days where people were really
Olivia Meyer:struggling to you know, kind of keep going I feel like I just
Olivia Meyer:tried to bring the energy as much as I could. So really just
Olivia Meyer:showing that I could fit that come in a culture and it didn't
Olivia Meyer:feel like a job anymore, to me, that's never I knew that I could
Olivia Meyer:attain that kind of full time offer. But just being very
Olivia Meyer:persistent and enthusiastic, that energy will follow you
Olivia Meyer:back. And eventually it did pay off in my final annual meeting,
Olivia Meyer:so I was absolutely thrilled coming out of that conversation
Olivia Meyer:with my manager. But yeah, just
Olivia Meyer:Yes, we had a final a midpoint review, and then a final review.
Olivia Meyer:And the midpoint review, he'd kind of hinted they'd been
Olivia Meyer:discussing where I could fit within the company, by the time
Olivia Meyer:I came back a year later, just because that is kind of tricky
Olivia Meyer:to plan out. And then by the full time offer, I or by the
Olivia Meyer:final point, it was very, very exciting to just watch all my
Olivia Meyer:hard work pay off and know that I was going to come back even
Olivia Meyer:stronger, just because I had such a great support system
Olivia Meyer:after that so yeah
Brent Williams:And you already know the team that you're gonna,
Brent Williams:it's a different team, but you're gonna land in the real
Brent Williams:estate area on the existing club teams,
Olivia Meyer:I'll be yes, I will be on the portfolio team.
Brent Williams:Okay.
Olivia Meyer:So I'm very excited, it's gonna be great
Olivia Meyer:entry level position. And that's just where I'll learn to
Olivia Meyer:negotiate and learn how to what to seed and read in a lease,
Olivia Meyer:just kind of really get the basics down, in order to have
Olivia Meyer:that solid foundation and real estate and then build up from
Olivia Meyer:there within the club. So yeah.
Brent Williams:That's gonna be exciting. And I assume it took a
Brent Williams:little bit of pressure off of the senior year, if you already
Brent Williams:had that in hand, right?
Olivia Meyer:Yes, a couple of friends and I, we've worked at
Olivia Meyer:Walmart, and Sam's and all left with full time offers. And so
Olivia Meyer:we've been very much enjoying that time to just relax and take
Olivia Meyer:in senior year, without the pressure of going to, you know,
Olivia Meyer:all the different networking events, just because we had that
Olivia Meyer:goal in mind of before. I remember sitting down with one
Olivia Meyer:of my best friends, junior year, first semester, and our goal was
Olivia Meyer:to get an internship before that semester was over, just so we
Olivia Meyer:could, you know, really enjoy the second part of junior year
Olivia Meyer:without trying to fight for one. And by the end of it, we looked
Olivia Meyer:back so proud of ourselves because we both had landed, she
Olivia Meyer:got the AFDP internship and I had gotten the Sam's Club one.
Olivia Meyer:So we landed exactly where we're supposed to be, which I'm very
Olivia Meyer:proud of us for.
Brent Williams:It seems like you're really committed to
Brent Williams:setting goals, and doing your absolute best to achieve those
Brent Williams:goals. You guys feel like I've heard that multiple times
Brent Williams:throughout the podcast. All right. Well, how about let me
Brent Williams:ask you this, let me kind of wind this up this way. If you
Brent Williams:were starting this journey all over again, as a, as a new
Brent Williams:freshman coming into the Walton College next year, you've given
Brent Williams:lots of really good advice. Is there anything else that that
Brent Williams:you would that you would say?
Olivia Meyer:I would say since I was a transfer, I think the
Olivia Meyer:only thing that I regret is not getting involved quicker. I see
Olivia Meyer:a lot of opportunities for freshmen to get that first foot
Olivia Meyer:in the door with different kinds of RSOs on campus, which then
Olivia Meyer:lead to leadership positions in those RSOs and things like that.
Olivia Meyer:So I feel like really just getting more involved quicker,
Olivia Meyer:just to set yourself up to meet new people. I mean, it's an
Olivia Meyer:incredible way to get different friend groups and different
Olivia Meyer:personalities and different opinions to surround yourself
Olivia Meyer:with. And I feel like that is something that I wish I would
Olivia Meyer:have done quicker. But obviously, given the
Olivia Meyer:circumstances, it was kind of hard, just, you know, coming out
Olivia Meyer:of COVID and transferring. But I do think that that is something
Olivia Meyer:that I would change. If I could go back and do it all again.
Brent Williams:Well, that's really good advice. How about
Brent Williams:uh, how about if I'm going to ask a part B to that? You had a
Brent Williams:great experience at Sam's Club. So if you were to advise
Brent Williams:employers, you know, thinking to themselves as their as their
Brent Williams:recruiting on campus, and recruiting interns and what can
Brent Williams:they do to create the best kinds of experiences possible that set
Brent Williams:you up for success and then hopefully set them up to get
Brent Williams:great talent into their organization?
Olivia Meyer:That's a great question. That's a really good
Olivia Meyer:question. I think recruiters going into career fairs. Always
Olivia Meyer:having an open mind. I feel like the easiest recruiters to talk
Olivia Meyer:to are the ones who were just so opening and welcoming and really
Olivia Meyer:wanted to share. I feel like they need to be even more
Olivia Meyer:passionate about their company just because they're the ones
Olivia Meyer:who are also trying to sell it as well.
Brent Williams:Yeah.
Olivia Meyer:Just because I always told myself that I'm
Olivia Meyer:trying to sell myself just as much as the company is and then
Olivia Meyer:as from an employer, I feel like my director did a fantastic job.
Olivia Meyer:Just really giving that great intern experience to make me
Olivia Meyer:want to come back essentially, he did that by just opening a
Olivia Meyer:lot of doors that maybe an intern couldn't like herself and
Olivia Meyer:everything, and just really pushing me to get out of that
Olivia Meyer:comfort zone, just because I could see where some interns
Olivia Meyer:were, maybe not wanting to keep going at the middle and just
Olivia Meyer:like getting relaxed, and he was always lighting a fire
Olivia Meyer:underneath me to keep going, keep trying, just never stop
Olivia Meyer:learning. And he would show me ways to do that as well. And
Olivia Meyer:just getting more out there, pushing me to really be a part
Olivia Meyer:of the company and see myself as a full time associate was really
Olivia Meyer:important for me to get out of my comfort zone, but in a
Olivia Meyer:healthy way. So just being my number one cheerleader, I think
Olivia Meyer:that was what made me really, absolutely have an amazing
Olivia Meyer:experience with him. So yeah,
Brent Williams:Well, after getting to know you a little
Brent Williams:bit, I'm pretty convinced you're gonna be successful in whatever
Brent Williams:you choose to do. And as dean, I can't tell you how exciting this
Brent Williams:is for me to meet to meet you. And to see that we know we say
Brent Williams:at the Walton College that we want to be a catalyst for
Brent Williams:transforming lives, right. And, and I always think about that
Brent Williams:catalyst piece, which is really about putting the ingredients
Brent Williams:together. And you know, and so you brought hard work, goal
Brent Williams:setting, passion. And then employers come alongside you and
Brent Williams:give you opportunities professors help teach you and
Brent Williams:professionally develop you and just what a great outcome for
Brent Williams:you. So we're extremely excited. And I look forward to seeing you
Brent Williams:again on the stage at graduation where I get to hand you the
Brent Williams:diploma and that won't be very long from now.
Olivia Meyer:I know I don't remind me.
Brent Williams:Well, Olivia, thank you for spending time with
Brent Williams:me.
Olivia Meyer:Thank you so much. It's been wonderful. Thank you
Olivia Meyer:for having me.
Brent Williams:On behalf of the Walton College thank you for
Brent Williams:joining us for this captivating conversation. To stay connected
Brent Williams:and never miss an episode. Simply search for be epic on
Brent Williams:your preferred podcast service.
