October Student Spotlight Connor Bradley '19

Coming out of high school, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in business but I wasn’t sure which area of business would suit me best. Thankfully, in the Villanova School of Business you get a little taste of many different aspects of business before selecting a major.

For someone who has had a diverse background as far as work experience is concerned, I wanted to look for a way to utilize all of those experiences. Construction, insurance, real estate, athletics, and medical technology are some of the industries I have been able to work in early on in my professional career. This fall I decided to declare a concentration in consulting as part of my management major. For me, it was a way to combine my knowledge across different industries, while fulfilling my passion for business strategy and problem-solving.

My initial instinct led me towards management. With a leadership background and the ability to analyze different situations for effective and efficient solutions, management seemed like it would be the right fit for me. My instinct was solidified when I had the opportunity to be the project manager for our Competitive Effectiveness course to solve Vanguard’s 529 College Savings issue.

Managing different ideas, schedules, and deadlines was a challenge, but throughout the semester I gained the respect and confidence of my team. Over the summer going in to my junior year, I knew management was the right major for me, but I felt as though I wanted to enhance my degree and get a better perspective of business as a whole. I never thought I would major in finance, but after taking my first finance course I found the piece to the puzzle that I was missing.

The qualitative side of my major in management and the quantitative side in finance blended naturally for me. Although a finance and management double major is pretty rare for a VSB student, I felt as though it would really enhance my business knowledge and provide the challenge I always seek. I hope to pursue a career in which I can put both of these academic backgrounds to use, as well as my love of sports!

As an athlete for all my life, and the son of a athletic director, coach and umpire, I knew I wanted to stay involved in athletics. When I came to Villanova my passion for football led me to become a manager of our football team. Being a part of the football program has been the best part of my college experience so far. It has allowed me to connect with the players, coaches, staff and many others, but most importantly my fellow managers.

My managers past and present have truly become family to me.

The bonds and lessons that sports create, whether you are playing or not, is something one cannot find in the classroom. No matter where I go in life, sports will always be a huge part of me, and maybe someday I will find myself working in management or part of a finance team of a Professional Sports League. Does anyone have any leads? Until then, Go Cats Go!