When the pandemic derailed the marketing job she had lined up after college, Victoria Wagner pivoted to an easy choice. She was already familiar with the Vanderbilt Master of Marketing degree—her sister had graduated from the program two years earlier—and she knew she wanted to begin her professional career in a Southern city like Nashville.

Looking back, Victoria is happy that events brought her to Vanderbilt. “I came into the program not feeling like I even entirely knew all the facets of marketing,” she says. “Now, I feel like I’ve been exposed to so much. And I now know much more about what I enjoy and what I might not enjoy as much.

“The program has molded me professionally, personally, and emotionally. It taught me how to work better with others. It taught me about balance. It taught me to be patient. It taught me to think more creatively. I feel like I’ve never worked harder in my life, and I’ve never learned so much so quickly. I think that, going forward, I’ll carry the strong work ethic that I’ve developed from the program.”

The camaraderie she experienced in the program also helped shape how Victoria will approach her career. Instead of feeling like she was competing with her classmates for jobs and grades, she says, “with MMark, it felt like we wanted to boost each other, help each other, and motivate each other. I’ve been able to invest in those classmate relationships so much, and it has resulted in having amazing friends from the program. I’ve never genuinely cared so much about the people I sat next to in class or worked with on a group project as much as the people in MMark.”

Fun Fact: An avid long-distance runner, Victoria has run in two half marathons (so far).

I’ve never learned so much so quickly.