Give Back

I graduated from the Information Systems Program at BYU 20 years ago. During those 20 years, I have worked at three major organizations (Arthur Andersen, IBM, and ExxonMobil) and have found my experience at BYU as wonderful preparation for the challenges of life, both personally and professionally.

As I sat in my Marriot School of Management exit interview with my accounting professor, I had a major flashback. I was picturing my Boy Scout Eagle Scout Board of Review, where the board was asking questions to determine whether I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. One of the inquiries that I was asked and turned into a 20-minute discussion was about “How was I going to give back to the program?” Now, my accounting professor was asking me the same question, “How was I going to give back to the program?”

As a young boy growing up on a small farm in rural southeastern Idaho, I would’ve never imagined a career that included working for a major professional services firm, living in major US cities, traveling internationally and experiencing different social and religious cultures.