Kenan Scholars: Keeping the Passion Alive
By Elizabeth Berry, Class of 2018 Kenan Scholar
Since graduating from Kenan-Flagler Business School in 2018, I have been working as an associate project manager at The Link Group in their Durham, North Carolina office. We are a marketing research consultancy, and about 80% of our work is in the healthcare industry, with our remaining clients in retail, consumer packaged goods, tech and other industries. We work to help our clients get answers to their research questions by providing insights from consumers. Staying involved in The Link Group’s new hire recruiting is something that I really enjoy, so I’ve had the opportunity to come back to campus quite a few times over the past couple of years to meet with students and tell them more about our company and work. This past week, however, a colleague and I had the pleasure of presenting a lesson on marketing research to multiple BUSI 406 (marketing) sections. This is something the Link Group has been doing for quite some time, so I loved the opportunity to be a part of it. I actually remember when The Link Group came to teach in my BUSI 406 class when I was an undergrad, so I guess you could say I’ve come full circle!
Being a part of the Kenan Scholars program gave me a great amount of experience in a number of areas, but a couple that come to mind include exercising curiosity and developing confidence in public speaking . The program allowed us to dive into our own passions and the passions of others, which never failed to spark my curiosity. We also attended monthly lunch-and-learns on various topics, helping us further broaden our interests. I’ve found that curiosity is a great asset when working in marketing research, and I’m grateful I was able to exercise that curiosity as a Kenan Scholar. Additionally, I gained useful experience through presenting at meetings and emceeing events. Having a client-facing role now, I found this experience to be indispensable! My advice to current Kenan Scholars is to find a company where you thoroughly enjoy the work, and enjoy the people you are surrounded by. Most of you are already working toward your passions. Don’t let that end when you graduate.
