AUBURN, Ala. – A handful of Auburn gymnasts are using the summer to gain valuable experiences not only in their area of study, but also for life in the future whether they stay in the United States or travel abroad.
Fifth year Aria Brusch moved to Chicago this summer, working for Accenture. She recently graduated with her degree in psychology and is using her experiences with the company to not only prepare her for graduate school, but also prepare for life after Auburn.
Q: Where are you spending your summer and what is your role?
A: "I am spending my summer is Chicago in an Information Security: Governance and Compliance role where I am mostly focusing on people who have recently been fired or are leaving the company and keeping Accenture's information safe."
Q: What made you interested in this position?
A: "I became interested in this position because I want to move into a people data analytics position after I'm done at Auburn, and most of this position is using data to make sure that no information is lost."
Q: How has Auburn helped you prepare for this position this summer?
A: "Auburn has given me the opportunity to work in a lot of research labs that have given me the opportunity to do and present a lot of research that I was not able to do in my regular class schedule. Auburn has also taught me how to ask the 'right' questions, be a part of meetings and have the confidence to be a leader."
Q: You recently graduated with your undergrad…congrats! What did you major in and what will you be pursuing next year?
A: "I majored in psychology and am getting my master's in industrial and organizational psychology."
Q: What made you interested in these areas of study?
A: "I became interested in psychology because I wanted to be able to better understand people and their tendencies and apply that knowledge to the hiring process, retention, job engagement, offboarding and onboarding process."
Q: How have you been able to balance school and prepare yourself for life at Auburn, while also being a successful student-athlete?
A: "To prepare myself for life at Auburn, my advice is to grow your network and connect with people in different majors and just generally on-campus! It is an easy thing to just reach out after a panel and ask about how they got to their position. I think that has given me more of a guide to what I want to do post-education more than anything else. Being a student-athlete only makes it easier! You get the chance to meet a lot of people and I know everyone says it but leverage your network and you will always land on your feet."
