News Releases 

When Detroit native Eric Louis took his first cybersecurity class at BYU, he was reminded of doing jigsaw puzzles with his grandmother. For this second-year MISM student, the pieces may look different, but the goal of puzzles and cybersecurity is the same: try to fill in the blank spaces. As Louis prepares to graduate and leave the BYU Marriott School of Business for the world of cybersecurity, his future is a new kind of puzzle, an abundance of open spaces just waiting to be filled.

Today's human resources (HR) representatives are a far cry from the paper-pushing Toby of the popular TV comedy series The Office, explains David Germann. A BYU Marriott School of Business alum, father, Googler, and all-around people person, Germann is one such example.

Some say constantly moving is a downside of being in the United States Army, but for Lieutenant Colonel Seth Miller, moving around the world is one of the most wonderful gifts his military service has given him. His time in the army has allowed him to experience people and places that his younger self never imagined.

Meeting refugees during his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tokyo solidified Cade Hyde’s desire to have a career in social impact. His ability to pursue his goals increased through opportunities at the Ballard Center for Social Impact at the BYU Marriott School of Business.

As a mom of two children and a small business owner, Brenda Tidwell uses the entrepreneurship knowledge she learned from the BYU Marriott School of Business in every aspect of her life. In between changing diapers and vacuuming up Goldfish cracker crumbs, Tidwell says she thinks about business constantly. “It's funny how you apply the principles you learn in business school no matter where you end up,” she says. 

Spending a Saturday in the Tanner Building may not be everybody's preference, but for BYU Marriott School of Business students Claire Bird, Katie Bahr, Mara Hansen, and Kyle Campbell, their all-day brainstorming session in March was the first step toward winning the 2022 Utah Society of Human Resources (SHRM) Case Competition.

For finance students at the BYU Marriott School of Business, choosing a specific career path in the diverse world of finance can sometimes seem daunting. To address these concerns, the finance department recently hosted its first-ever BYU Career Paths in Financial Services Summit, which aimed to help students learn more about different finance careers and form plans for their futures.

Mornings are when Joseph Appiah shines. As a young boy, he remembers waking up early, pulling on his worn slippers, and making his way to a busy highway between Kisi and Komenda, Ghana, to sell donuts before school. Although Appiah’s current routine is different from the donut-selling days of his childhood, he is grateful for the early mornings of his youth that helped him develop lifelong habits that lead to success.

While she enjoyed being a student teacher for high school history, Jasmine Townsend realized she wanted to spend more time outdoors. Through a master’s degree in youth and family recreation from BYU, Townsend learned she could continue to teach while also having the chance to be outside.

Although he originally wanted to pursue a career in medicine, Nalu Medeiros became interested in business after taking an accounting class at the BYU Marriott School of Business. After completing Accounting 200: Principles of Accounting, Medeiros met with a counselor to learn about the different majors at BYU Marriott, and one in particular caught his eye: the recreation management program.

If photography, traveling, reading, finding the best natural light for her plants, and spoiling her puppy were not enough activities to fill her time, Rebekah Brau also has a drive for researching why humans do what they do. Brau, a recent addition to the faculty for the GSCM program at BYU Marriott, thrives off of sharing her many passions with her students.

According to a recent BYU study, research showed that when the price and quality of goods and services is the same, consumers favor nonprofits over the government and the government over for-profit companies.

The Deans office and student council members of BYU Marriott recently heard from students about how BYU Marriott can better implement its values. The four new values, along with a refined mission and vision statement, were introduced fall 2021. In order to receive specific ideas from students on how to incorporate the values into the student experience, BYU Marriott leadership created a case competition centered around the four principles.

When a teacher disciplines a grade school student, it is usually because the student was caught passing notes or talking in class. Unless that student is Nate Gardner. A young Gardner got in trouble for showing off his E*TRADE account to his classmates during his fifth-grade computer lab class. In elementary school, he dreamed of becoming a stockbroker in New York. Now, as a strategic consultant and a 2014 BYU Marriott School of Business strategy alum, Gardner helps businesses figure out what they want to be when they grow up.

“Lift where you stand” is Eva Witesman’s life motto. This guidance directs her efforts, whether she is teaching classes at the BYU Marriott School of Business or helping businesses with their social responsibility efforts.

Growing up, Jared Cuessy was surrounded by the stories of his ancestors. The story of how his grandfather sacrificed to leave Mexico and bring his family to the United States is particularly dear to him. As Cuessy ponders the many people who came before him who made all that he has today possible, he feels a responsibility to honor his ancestors.

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, were life changing for 13-year-old Nathan Christiansen. That day, and the events that followed for years after, would inspire Christiansen to serve his country. Since completing the ROTC program at BYU, which operates under BYU Marriott, in 2012, Christiansen has been serving in the United States Army.

This school year, BYU students from the Global Supply Chain Association (GSCA) and the Black Student Union (BSU) partnered together for the first time and collected shoes to donate to children in Africa. The two student groups exceeded their goals and made their mark on both BYU campus and the global community.

When recent BYU Marriott School of Business MISM graduate Allyson Irwin was trying to find a coding camp for young students that she could work for last summer, she was surprised at the lack of options. While plenty of technical camps were available to adults, Irwin couldn't find any introductory programs for young people who were curious about the field. The absence of a coding camp for beginners became the inspiration for Code Adventure, a coding camp for young girls to learn the basics of coding and t he countless ways coding is used in a variety of fields.

As a young man with a limp and a stutter, James "Jim" Ritchie didn't believe he would be able to compete in life. However, a talk he gave as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints changed his life. A lifetime of business success later, Ritchie is now a Rollins Center Entrepreneur Founder with the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology at the BYU Marriott School of Business.