University at Buffalo School of Management

Autumn 2021 Buffalo Business 19 In the School of Management, Aucapina volunteered as a mentor in the First-Generation Student Mentorship Program, particularly keen to help connect other Latinx students. "I believe in leading by example, and the mentorship program provides an opportunity to give back and be a resource for other first-generation students," he says. Finding what matters Alyssa Brouillet, BS '20, MS '21, says she didn't truly under- stand the value of higher education until she was at UB. College just wasn't a topic her family discussed growing up. "My parents had the goal of sending us to college," she explains. "But since they both went to community college, they relied on our guidance counselors and teachers to help us through the process and couldn't speak from personal expe- rience as to why higher education was important. Personally, I think this hurdle is a lot higher for first-generation students than people realize." Brouillet pursued a business degree, hoping to gain useful skills and explore many fields. Her internship with BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York's digital experience team pulled everything into focus. She saw how she could combine the creativity of marketing with data analytics and strategy to make business decisions. The experience inspired Brouillet to earn her master's in management information systems, and today, she serves as a customer research analyst for MarketCast, looking at how diver- sity impacts the entertainment indus- try and making recommendations to help companies be more inclusive. "Every experience I had at UB has shaped me into who I am today," says Brouillet, who was an Arthur A. Schomburg Fellow during her graduate year. "My internships, projects, extracurriculars and study abroad gave me the space to learn what mattered to me. This trial-and-error approach helped me make connections, develop my sense of confidence and figure out what I want my future to look like." Setting an example College wasn't always the plan for Jared Threat, PMBA '17. Aer high school, he pursued a music management career, and though it didn't pan out, the expe- rience taught him adaptability and resilience. Threat became the first in his family to earn a four-year degree— and then pushed himself to earn an MBA too. "Education isn't something that just stops," he says. "You should learn something new every day. I got my MBA because I want to open doors for people who need help." The Professional MBA program gave Threat the skills and confidence to move from banking to marketing. He joined Mr. Smith Agency shortly aer commencement, and pivoted again earlier this year, when he was named EHS global project lead at Moog Inc. Now, years aer his parents instilled in him the impor- tance of education, Threat hopes to do the same for his baby. "We had our first child in September 2020, and my wife and I have our degrees proudly displayed on the wall outside the nursery," he says. "That means so much to me as an accomplishment, but more than that, it sets the example and expectations for our child to be great." Brouillet Aucapina Threat

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