Trusting the Process – Olivia Holway

Olivia Holway, ʼ20, a business administration major, had no idea four years ago what she even wanted out of college. Today, she says that her four years at Meredith have given her friendships to last her the rest of her life and confidence to start work at a Fortune 500 company after graduation.

Once Olivia started classes her freshman year, she saw how faculty members were committed to making sure she was successful. With their support, she learned she could accomplish anything she set her mind to.

“The summer after my freshman year I decided to study abroad in Italy,” said Olivia. “The night before I left, I thought I couldn’t do it because I have always been such a homebody. I could not imagine actually being out of the country for five weeks, only to find out that five weeks would never be enough.”

That experience, along with an undergraduate research project she tackled her freshmen year and her honors thesis, built her confidence through her work and she learned to trust herself in making decisions.

“During that freshman research project I remember thinking that I probably wasn’t qualified to do the project but I decided to just jump right in and learn everything I could,” said Olivia. “I learned it was okay to be outside your comfort zone and a lot of times that is where you learn and grow the most.”

Junior year, she started thinking about her required internship in the School of Business and she relied on the Office of Career Planning and their expertise in helping her find a company that would give her the experience she desired.

The Office of Career Planning holds many career fairs and expos throughout the year and Olivia had the opportunity to meet recruiters from MetLife. She applied for their internship and received it.

During her internship, she created content for a “drip” campaign including content such as a “how-to” podcast series, infographics, digital signage, and case studies highlighting various teams within MetLife.

The experience allowed her to grow and within a week of completing the 10-week summer program, MetLife called and offered her a full-time position as a technical associate through their MetLife Technical University Professional Program that is designed for young professionals.

“If I did not have my peers, mentors, and professors at Meredith to push me and encourage me to apply to work for a Fortune 500 company, I never would have,” said Olivia. “The person I was as a freshman is nowhere near the person I am now about to graduate from Meredith College. Four years ago I was a shy freshman worrying about my classes and who my roommate would be. Today I am looking forward to my new job with confidence and continuing to grow in my profession.”