Igniting Curiosity
From Millburn High School to Pitt Business
with Alex Byington ’22
Connection to a City
Along with the wide range of programs offered at Pitt Business, Pitt stood out to me because of its unique location. So many of the schools I visited had the same big campus, old school feel because that is what I thought I wanted. But visiting Pitt for the first time made me realize that I wanted that connection to a city. The campus is perfectly located in the Oakland neighborhood, which caters to students and the universities located here, while also being less than a 10 minute bus ride from downtown.
MY
PITT
JOURNEY
BEGINS.
Choosing a Major and Finding a Career
I am double majoring in Marketing and Business Information Systems while also pursuing the Business Analytics and International Business certificates.
The opportunities at Pitt Business are beyond what I could have expected. Through the required introductory courses for business students, I found that marketing was an area that I enjoyed and that’s how I chose my first major. I also always knew I wanted to study abroad, but Pitt Business has so many offerings that I was able to find one that was precisely tailored for me. I have also found clubs, both affiliated with Pitt Business and outside of the business school that I have enjoyed learning from and serving in leadership roles.
The best class I took at Pitt Business was Quantitative Methods with Professor Richard Wendell as a sophomore. I had already decided that I wanted to major in marketing at this point, but this course ignited a curiosity for data analytics. The course was difficult, and I probably spent more time studying for that class than any others that semester, but it was this class, along with my internship between my sophomore and junior year, that led me to declare Business Information Systems as a major, along with the Business Analytics certificate.
Exercising the Mind and Body
The first organizations I joined at Pitt were the Behavioral Economics Club and Pitt Club Baseball. I have been with both since I was a first-year student, and I am currently Vice President of the baseball team and on the Professional Development Committee of the Behavioral Economics Club. Behavioral Economics is fascinating to me because it dives into the psychology behind why we make certain decisions. I love taking this knowledge and applying it to my marketing courses, where understanding the consumer is a core principle. With Pitt Club Baseball, I knew my baseball journey couldn’t end after high school. I love the sport so much because of the strategy, coordination, and teamwork required to be successful.
Later on, I joined the League of Emerging Analytics Professionals (LEAP) where I’ve learned valuable data analysis skills. I also took up running during the pandemic, and joined Pitt Club Running as a senior.
All of these organizations have helped to shape me into a well-rounded student and professional. Each club has its own personality and taught me skills that I have been able to demonstrate to recruiters and have used in part time jobs and internships.
Putting It All Together
I’ve completed several internships during my time at Pitt Business, including an operations internship abroad in Sydney, Australia as part of the Global Business Institute. I also interned with WarnerMedia as an Ad Innovation & Programmatic Solutions Intern, where I was exposed to complex algorithms and systems that were used to optimize the number of people that saw an ad who were in the target market. This was a great intersection of my marketing/advertising skills and passion for analytics.
Lastly, I interned for Barclays as a Technology Summer Analyst. This role solidified for me what kind of career I wanted to pursue upon graduation. I was working with my manager to search through huge databases to find microscopic pieces of data that would be used to help overhaul an entire legacy platform. The work was challenging, but I had SQL skills I learned from my Database Management course that were directly applicable to my work.
Pitt Business made me ready for my professional career through offering a wide range of experiences while at the same time helping me narrow my focus along the way. My advisors and professors have been amazing in terms of offering to help whenever possible and giving sound advice in any situation.
Exploring the famous Bondi to Coogee Walk while studying abroad in Sydney.