Ashley Harbaum is a marketing major with a minor in psychology from Fairfield, Ohio. After touring several colleges near her home, Ashley visited Lee during Lee Day, and stepping onto campus gave her “a greater sense of home that I never knew could come out of a college experience.” At Lee, she is a student worker in the School of Business, an RA for Tharp Hall, and a member of Cru, a campus ministry club. So far, Ashley’s favorite part of her Lee experience has been building encouraging relationships that encourage her to grow spiritually. After graduating, Ashley plans to work in social media marketing or engage in neuromarketing research.
Olivia Grace McLain, from York, Pennsylvania, first came to Lee for Summer Honors, but stayed for the “beautiful campus, successful cross country and track and field programs, the intentional professors, and the Christian environment.” Olivia, a business administration major with a nonprofit management minor, is on the cross country and track and field teams, is i nvolved with the service club Crossover, and is part of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. She has numerous scholarships, including the Presidential Scholarship, the Honor Scholarship, and the Hagmaier Scholarship. She was named the 2019 Gulf South Conference Cross Country Freshman of the Year and was able to travel to California for Cross Country Nationals that same year, which she considers one of the best parts of her Lee experience. Olivia plans to stay at Lee to obtain her MBA and eventually become a collegiate cross country/track and field coach.
“One of my favorite things about Lee is being a part of the volleyball team,” said Mackenzie “Mack” Pearson, a marketing major from Alachua, Florida. “This team is truly a family, and it gives me an opportunity to show the love of God to others, the same way they have shown it to me.” Mack has been on the Gulf South Conference Honor Roll twice, during her time on the team. “I am grateful for the friendships I’ve made at Lee, and I love how active the campus is, with so many opportunities for everyone to be involved.” Though she doesn’t have plans set in stone after graduation, Mack would like to travel and work in marketing.
After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Cory pursued a job opportunity at BB&T. After five years on the job and completion of the company’s Leadership Development Program, Cory desired to further develop his “business sense, communication, and time management skills.” Cory works with BB&T’s credit underwriting process, as well as manages the bank’s local commercial loan portfolio and client retention efforts. By deciding to return to Lee for his MBA, Cory was able to put into practice the skills and concepts he learned while in the program, which allowed him to further excel in his career. Cory says the Lee MBA was an appropriate fit due to the skill sets he gained from his educators and peers and “Lee’s emphasis on hands-on, real-time experience through case study analysis and applications.”