Fall Semester 2007

Since returning to New Haven from Seattle my time has been consumed by the Yale School of Management. Between class, extracurricular activities, and the job search I have had to squeeze what little time was remaining for myself, my family, and my friends (obviously, blogging was not included in my things to do list). While my time with school has been busy it has also been successful.

My courses during the fall semester were excellent. It was my first opportunity to take a full elective schedule; so, I took Marketing Strategy, Corporate Finance, Macroeconomics, Financial Statement Analysis, Developing Winning Strategies, and Behavioral & Institutional Economics. To go along with my 20 credits of classes, I was also selected as an advisor for the Leadership Development Program, interviewer for the Admissions Office, and coordinator of the Net Impact Deloitte Case Competition. And most importantly, I found a job. There were three criteria that any position I considered needed to meet: 1 - a rotational leadership development program, 2 - a product I can support, and 3 - a midwestern location. Of the positions that I pursued, one opportunity rose to the top as an ideal fit, Whirlpool Corporation. The company is the number one producer and marketer of major appliances worldwide. I will be a marketing manager in the Brand Portfolio Leadership Development Program, rotating through product management, category management, and merchandising management. I am very excited about the prospects of this position!

While free time was in short supply, I did my best to enjoy what little was available to me. The highlights of the fall and winter were an early October New England Foliage Color Tour and hiking Sleeping Giant State Park; a New Haven Halloween with all of my wife's family; the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with all of my family; My daughter's first Birthday; Christmas in Michigan; and purchasing a home. I could elaborate on the beauty, fun, and excitement of these events, but I will instead let the pictures speak for themselves.

Northwest Massachusetts, just south of Vermont

The base of Sleeping Giant State Park, Mt. Carmel, Connecticut

A great float at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Thanks for the new hat, Mom & Dad!

As you can tell from the date of this post, the winter semester (and my last) has started. I am taking fewer classes and many of my extracurricular activities have been completed, so I plan to be spending a lot more time doing the things that I enjoy. Graduation is at the end of May and it is amazing to me that my MBA experience is nearly complete, but I am very fortunate to have been blessed with such a great time!