Between ongoing assignments, internships, and exams, education provides students with unique opportunities to meet influential people while pursuing their interests and goals. There are few individuals that have the power to impact and change lives, and the lucky ones know them as professors, supervisors, and mentors. Senior finance major, Richard Monsen, has had the privilege of being taught by such influential individuals, “I was an operations and supply chains major until I took a finance course over the summer with professor Lynn Meyers,” said Monsen, “She was really the professor that changed my perspective on finance, and how I started to have a passion for it.” Monsen’s passion for finance would soon fuel his interest in the Utah Inland Port Authority which he was able to work with through Goff Trailblazers.
Monsen was looking for more ways to get involved on campus and stumbled upon the Goff Trailblazers course where The Utah Inland Port Authority would be the project client. The Utah Inland Port Authority is a hub for centralizing the transportation in receiving and distributing goods. They are tasked by the state to increase efficiency of the day-to-day business to make Utah the center for domestic and international trade. Jill Flygare, the COO of the Utah Inland Port Authority, was an influential mentor in Monsen’s life as she helped him focus on the finance side of the company through the Trailblazers course.
When Monsen heard that The Utah Inland Port Authority would be one of the Trailblazers clients, he was extremely happy to be a part of it. Before he knew it, he was right in the thick of the action being led by his instructor, Dr. Ruchi Watson. Dr. Watson gave Monsen the tools to succeed and feel confident in an unfamiliar role and environment for most college students. “My team consisted of me and three others.” Monsen said, describing their projects as “basically market research of other inland ports around the U.S. and also around Canada.”
Right away, Monsen knew this class was beyond a typical classroom environment, “I don’t really know what it is, but I just know that it’s different. It’s not business focused, it’s strategy.” Monsen said, “It’s just learning to change your view to be strategic in how you see work and the world.” Monsen expressed that this course was not simply for business majors, but for anybody who strives to be a strategic leader in the field of their choosing. The class isn’t designed to feel like it’s being taught out of a textbook, it’s coming from the real-world experience, “This was my best class,” Monsen said, “It was the most fun, and every time class came up that week, I looked forward to it.”
To convey his dedication to the project, Monsen remained in touch with COO, Jill Flygare, after the class ended. Noticing this, Flygare offered him an internship and became an influential mentor in Monsen’s professional life. For his internship, Monsen prepared for the pending growth by continuing his research on other port authorities and creating recommendations on next steps. “It [The internship] was very ambiguous, and I was used to working like that from Trailblazers.” Monsen said, “It really taught us to build our own structure for problem solving. During our Trailblazers project, it was hard and we stumbled, but we got to build the structure for what we should do: our goals, and how to go about it… Everything I did in my internship I learned from Trailblazers.”
Aside from the work itself, Monsen gained so much more than just a job to do. His many mentors reminded him that his voice was influential and powerful. “The biggest takeaway of Goff Trailblazers is that anyone can make a difference in a company no matter their position.” Monsen said, “I can still clearly remember Ruchi’s lecture when she emphasized that you don’t have to be in an executive position to make changes. My mind is now brainstorming new ideas all the time. I know that I can make a real difference through a solution.”
As far as next steps go, Monsen has accepted a full-time position at the Utah Inland Port Authority and will continue to pursue his passions in a larger scope. If it wasn’t for the teachers and mentors in his orbit at the University of Utah, it might’ve taken Monsen a lot longer to discover this voice and realize the impact it can make. “We are students, but we have skills we can utilize to make a difference.” Monsen said, “It’s hard to find a voice as a young person, and Goff Trailblazers helped me to find mine.”
About the Author
This blog was written by Chloe Carr, Lead Goff Ambassador