Jacqueline Keene
Like many people staying in the house these days, Jacqueline Keene (McIntire ’20) is passing a lot of time playing games—cards, specifically, along with her roommates in their off-Grounds home in Charlottesville. She and her roommates also manage to get outside to exercise.
It’s not how she imagined her final semester at McIntire would go, but the Marketing and Information Technology concentrator is looking forward to her future employment plans after graduation.
In the fall, the Fairfax, VA, product is moving to Boston, where she’ll be working in management consulting at Bain.
She says that she initially wanted to work in marketing. Along with the School’s stellar reputation, it was a large reason for Keene applying to McIntire.
But it was a stint she had job shadowing, coupled with her time in the Commerce School’s hallmark third-year curriculum, the Integrated Core Experience (ICE), that led her in a different direction.
“I decided I was interested in strategy and operations as well. I learned about management consulting and was drawn to the opportunity to develop stronger analytical skills and work in strategy across a variety of industries,” she says.
We spoke with Keene about the changes to her McIntire classes and how she’s been dealing with the difference.
What’s one lesson that you’ve learned at the Comm School that is helping you to navigate some aspect of learning during the current situation?
I never used Zoom prior to spring ICE, so it was beneficial to be familiar with the app before I had to rely on it. I also improved my flexibility and communication skills throughout ICE. I learned to work with group members’ schedules and about the importance of communicating frequently with my group. In the current situation, these skills are crucial while working with group members remotely. We also all have to be flexible with adapting assignments, course content, and learning online.
What’s been most memorable about the change?
I think it was interesting to see “Public Speaking” moved online. I couldn’t help but joke about how I was going to be practicing public speaking to my computer, but it turned out better than expected. Professor Patterson did a great job moving the class forward, and I still think I am learning many of the fundamental skills that I hoped to. He also keeps the class interesting and had a Hawaiian shirt/UVA-themed class. Our final session is now an online forum where we can invite our friends and families to attend our final speeches via Zoom.
