David Budzisz

David Budzisz
Class Year
’23
Hometown
Palatine, IL
Major(s)
Management and Marketing
Minor(s)
Spanish
Career goal
“My goal after Carthage is to attend law school and specialize in contractual law. Further ahead, my career goal is to work in talent management within the sports or entertainment world.”
How have Carthage faculty had an impact on your life or Carthage career?
“One professor that really impacted my life was Professor Alyson Kiesel. She was my Intellectual Foundations I and II professor, and the thing that stuck out to me about her was that she cared about her students inside and outside of the classroom. My favorite example of this was when we met together for a paper conference. After we went through my paper, she put her pen down and asked how the first few weeks of college had been and how adjusting to my new normal was. This really showed how much the professors care and really made me feel like I was valued.”
Favorite class
“My favorite class that I have taken so far at Carthage was Intro to Business with Professor Dan Nowak. I really enjoyed his style of teaching and the way that he set up his class being a debate-style, presentation-based class. He did a really good job of integrating the business mindset with the opportunity to improve our public speaking skills.”
Campus involvement
“I am extremely involved on campus, and this is something that I take pride in. I am the VP of professional development for Pi Sigma Epsilon, a national, co-ed business fraternity. My role in this organization is to raise the level of professionalism in our chapter by bringing in corporate sponsors and hosting workshops for our members. I really love this organization because of the networking opportunities and the ability to practice my real-world skills. I am also the Head of Sales for Velocity, which is a student-run consulting firm on campus. Velocity works with local companies to provide consulting services, giving students the best experience as to what their life after Carthage could look like. I love Velocity because it is extremely hands-on, and I learned so much about the tangible services that businesses need to run effectively. Aside from these two, I am also a member of Delta Upsilon, a social fraternity on campus. I also work as a student ambassador and volunteer as a peer mentor for freshmen.”
Toughest class
“My toughest class at Carthage was Business Statistics with Professor Tom Groleau. This class was especially difficult for me because I had never taken a stats class in high school, so it was all new information to me. Because of this, I was frequently in Prof. Groleau’s office asking questions and getting help on my lab reports. He was always incredibly helpful and inviting and really made sure that I knew what I was doing. Without the relationship that we built, I cannot imagine how much I would have struggled in that class. Thanks to him, I ended up doing very well.”
Internships or on-campus employment
“I had an internship with a company in Chicago called A.M. Money. It is a student loan company that makes student loans much more attainable for college students. With them, I hosted co-branded events, worked with their social media platforms, and created various marketing materials for them. The internship was fully remote, and I will be continuing my work with them this semester as well.”
Opportunities at Carthage
“One of the best opportunities I have had on campus was the ability to participate in a quick-pitch competition hosted by Enactus, a service and entrepreneurial club. My partner and I put together a shark tank-style presentation and pitched our idea for a small business to a panel of judges that consisted of professors and local businesspeople from the Kenosha area. The event was sponsored, and the winner received a cash prize. It was a great opportunity to practice my public speaking skills while also working on a fun project with a friend of mine.”
Scholarships
“I was awarded the highest merit scholarship, but nothing additional. I was selected as a finalist for both the business and presidential scholarships, but was not selected.”
Favorite moments and memories at Carthage
“My favorite memories at Carthage so far have all been with my best friends who I’ve met here. One event that sticks out to me was last year, students were given the ability to go to a Milwaukee Bucks game for $5 with transportation included. A bunch of my friends went, and we had a ton of fun. CAB does a great job of putting on events like this that students actually want to go to, so this is one of my favorite memories from the past year.”
Favorite spot on campus
“My favorite spot on campus is the planetarium. I love this spot because not many students have access to it, so it is usually open and able to be used to just hang out or do homework. I have had club meetings in there on various occasions and even attended yoga in the planetarium. The environment in there is extremely relaxing, and it is a super fun place to go and watch the stars on the ceiling.”
Biggest surprise so far
“The biggest surprise so far has been how fast everything goes. I have had so much fun that the weeks and months just seem to fly by, and I really wish that things would slow down for a while because I am enjoying my time here so much.”
What would your 8-year-old self think of you now?
“Without sounding too egotistical, think my 8-year-old self would think the career path I am on is awesome. I’ve always had the dream of going into a sports agency and being able to combine both my love for sports and helping people while having it be my job. I think little Dave would have been really excited to hear that the dream I had back then is still what I want to do today.”
Why should other students consider your major? What advice do you have for them?
“Other students should consider my major because of the flexibility it offers post-graduation. The Marketing and Management major helps develop valuable skills that are transferrable throughout many areas of business. For example, the sales profession uses marketing tactics in order to market not only the product but the salesperson as well. On top of this, the professors in the business department care about you as a person and want to see you develop the skills necessary to excel in the business world.”
Why Carthage?
“I chose Carthage because I knew I wanted to attend a smaller school, so I could build relationships with my professors. I knew that the relationships that I could build here would be much stronger than those at a larger university. On top of this, it is relatively close to home but far enough away that I have a nice sense of independence. Finally, Carthage has an incredibly strong business program, and that was a top priority when I was choosing schools. The culmination of all of these made Carthage the best choice for me.”