{"id":31881,"date":"2018-05-08T13:08:55","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T19:08:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=31881"},"modified":"2018-05-08T20:56:41","modified_gmt":"2018-05-09T02:56:41","slug":"commencement-profile-failure-inspires-success-for-business-student","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=31881","title":{"rendered":"Commencement profile: Failure inspires success for business student"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Justin<\/a><\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: This is the sixth and final piece in a series of profiles of students who are graduating this semester.<\/em><\/p>\n

Justin McConnell persisted. For eight years, through financially tough times, after a car crash, through uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I couldn\u2019t see light at the end of the tunnel,\u201d he said. \u201cI felt like I\u2019d be taking classes forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

But soon, he\u2019ll not only be crossing the stage to receive his diploma but also standing on it as a Student Achievement Award winner to address his fellow graduates.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels good,\u201d he said. \u201cThis semester I\u2019ve gone down to three classes and my internship. I just picked up my graduation regalia \u2013 it\u2019s still so crazy to me to have those items in my hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

McConnell, 26, will soon also have in hand his bachelor of science in business with an emphasis in marketing and minor in resource management. A degree he could not have imagined acquiring eight years ago when he enrolled for the first time.<\/p>\n

UCCS was a natural enough choice. His mom graduated in 2002 after the military family landed in Colorado Springs. He graduated from James Irwin Charter Academy and toured UCCS with his high school classmates. He liked what he saw; he liked Colorado Springs.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t sure what he wanted to do, but thought he\u2019d give engineering a shot. He didn\u2019t like that, so switched to biology. But in fall 2011, he ran into financial difficulty and dropped out to work. Except, he didn\u2019t \u201cofficially\u201d drop out and so ended up with a semester of failed grades.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t sure he\u2019d go back. But while working at Walmart for a year, McConnell met a co-worker who\u2019d been in a similar situation. The person had dropped out to work, got a job a Walmart and was still there \u2013 30 years later. That was not the future McConnell pictured for himself.<\/p>\n

So he went back. But obstacles \u2013 first a car crash and then more financial difficulties \u2013 forced him to detour again. He dropped out \u2013 officially this time \u2013 and got a job as a procurement technician for a health care company. That got him interested in a business career, and gave him a definitive reason for going back to class.<\/p>\n

\"Justin<\/a>If he had it to do over, he said, he would not declare a major. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with being undecided,\u201d and taking basic courses and some electives to find your passion.<\/p>\n

He returned to UCCS in August 2014 and the following year got an on-campus job in alternative media production at the Assistive Technology Lab, turning academic documents into different formats, such as braille or a screen reader for students.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always fun to figure out what each student needs and a challenge to provide what they need,\u201d he said. \u201cI love books and like being able to help students directly, to make a helpful impact in their education.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because those technologies advance rapidly, McConnell says he got a chance to experiment with hardware and software in the lab.<\/p>\n

He also is president for the campus chapter of the American Marketing Association and helped create the Friday night Mahjong Club, where students can play or learn the Japanese board game.<\/p>\n

One of his proudest achievements during his years at UCCS, though, was the inclusion of some of his pencil and ink drawings in riverrun, the student literary and arts publication. He had one piece in the 2016 publication and two in 2017.<\/p>\n

His creative side is what pushed McConnell to select marketing over economics for his degree. And someday, he might pursue a master\u2019s degree in something like graphic design.<\/p>\n

But for now, he\u2019s done with the classroom and is looking for that first post-graduation job, which he hopes might be with an advertising agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be weird not being here for awhile,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are a lot of awesome people here. My brother is going here, though, so UCCS still will be part of my life. And I\u2019ve offered to help with mahjong nights.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 by Sue McMillin
\n\u2014 Photos by Jared Verner<\/em><\/p>\n

Read earlier\u00a0commencement profiles\u00a0in this series here:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Commencement profile: Undocumented student perseveres to earn degree<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n