Kelvin Boateng always believed he was destined to be a musician — more specifically, a singer. Voice Performance was one of his majors at Vanderbilt. It even affected how he thought about graduate school.

“Musicians learn early on that technical skills are not meant to hinder creativity but rather to arm artists with the tools to create freely without deference to technical constraints,” he explains. “I pursued a Master’s degree in marketing with a technical focus. My goal is to create narratives around products and experiences that move social opinion and influence consumer behavior.”

That focus represents something of a shift for Kelvin, whose other major was Law, History & Society. “My goal had been to become a lawyer in the entertainment space,” he says, “but my heart was not in law. I think the Masters of Marketing fits me so much better. I want to gather a better quantitative perspective on the problems facing the world, and [here] I get to place my creative, passionate, emotional storytelling assets in a world moving towards data-based decision making.”

For someone without a business education background, Kelvin sometimes feels amazed by how knowledge and experience he was able to gain so quickly. “By the first week of Mod II,” he says, “I had already been able to pitch solutions to companies like Mars Petcare, Graduate Hotels and even IMG Sports. I had also learned an absolute ton about myself from the Leadership Development Program and my Career Management Coach.”

One of his favorite experiences was working with Remora, an ad agency run by Owen students. “The agency has a waitlist of clients,” Kelvin says, “and it’s amazing to work across programs with MBAs as well.” Working with Remora clients, in turn, helped him win a position as Associate Product Marketing Manager with Root, Inc., in the Columbus, Ohio, metro area — which, for Kelvin, is home.

Looking back, Kelvin believes he made the right choice. “The students are top-notch here,” he says. “If you’re looking to be part of a group of people focused on achieving excellence day-in and day-out, without the politics and cut-throat environment, come to Vanderbilt.”

Fun Fact: As a middle-school student at the American Boychoir School, Kelvin shared a stage with the London Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic (among others) and sang solos on two CD recordings.

If you’re looking to be part of a group of people focused on achieving excellence day-in and day-out, without the politics and cut-throat environment, come to Vanderbilt.