As a member of the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics’ Class of 2020, Ciara Brickner from Cherry Hill, New Jersey has not had the typical final semester or commencement at UD due to the coronavirus outbreak. She, and her entire class, have shown incredible resilience, maturity and spirit while adjusting to the many unexpected changes that they have encountered.
Brickner was nominated for this series by UD professor of operations management and Director of the Institute for Financial Services Analytics Bintong Chen, who said, “She received almost perfect scores from my class. She also developed a logical thinking process for realistic business problems solving by applying the topics she learned from my class to her internship projects at Gore.“
In this profile, Brickner, a marketing and operations management double major, shared her favorite UD memories, how she has changed during her time at UD and her plans following graduation.
Q: How do you think you have changed from your first semester at UD to now?
Brickner: Overall, I have grown tremendously as a person. I have become more independent, strong-willed and hardworking. At the University of Delaware, we are surrounded by so many amazing people who have an effect on us that lasts a lifetime.
Q: What is your favorite place at UD?
Brickner: My favorite place at UD is where I have called home my past three years at Delaware. My best friends and I all live on Kershaw Street and it has become a special part of every one of us.
Q: What is the most memorable course that you took at Lerner?
Brickner: The most memorable course I have taken at the University of Delaware was Consumer Behavior (BUAD 473). This class provided me great information behind consumer purchasing behavior and my professor, Julia Bayuk, went above and beyond to make this course great.
Q: What was your favorite signature UD experience?
Brickner: Every year I enjoy homecoming week the most. It is a chance to see how strong the Blue Hen spirit is. It is amazing to see current students, alumni and faculty all get together connected by one common theme, the University of Delaware.
Q: What does being a “Lifelong Lerner” mean to you?
Brickner: To me, “Lifelong Lerner” means to continuously reinvest in the Lerner College. I am a part of the Lerner Executive Mentoring Program and I cannot say enough great things about this program. I hope to one day be a mentor in this program and provide any resource I can.
Q: What are your plans following graduation?
Brickner: I am currently a Quality Analytics Co-op at W.L. Gore & Associates. I hope to continue my career with Gore.