Graduation spotlight: Blake Jackson

Students in their final semester reach the end of their Warrington journeys this week. We congratulate the Class of 2020 graduates who finish their time at the Warrington College of Business and begin their careers impacting the business world.

Learn more below about standout Heavener graduate Blake Jackson. The Sarasota, Fla. native earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Finance.

Q: What are your plans for after graduation?

Jackson: “Ph.D. in Finance from UF.”

Q: Did you always know you wanted to pursue that, or how did that evolve throughout your undergraduate experience?

Jackson: “No, and I’m sure this is the norm—a big part of my undergraduate experience was taking time to figure out what I want to do. I developed some great relationships with some amazing faculty who encouraged me to apply for the Ph.D. program at UF. I was set to work in corporate strategy and enroll in an MBA program in a few years, but the push from faculty and the excitement from two research projects set me on the Ph.D. path.”

Q: How has your experience at Heavener set you up for success after graduation?

Jackson: “My Heavener experience prepared me for success after graduation by providing broad exposure to problems across business fields. The experience was not constrained to any one field in particular, which seems representative of more real-world tradeoffs. Further, the Heavener multi-disciplinary approach to business problems gave me countless ways to approach all of the summer projects I tackled in my internships.”

Q: Is there anything you’d like to share from your Warrington experience or otherwise that we haven’t discussed?

Jackson: “I’d like to again emphasize the value of Heavener’s multi-disciplinary approach to business education. I found a home for some critical math and coding skills in just about every class—especially in my research projects.”