“I am so proud to be a Yellow Jacket,” says Corbitt Grow ’19. “I’m part of a tight-knit community of people who love Randolph-Macon College.”

Grow, a political science major and Spanish minor, is especially proud of RMC’s alumni network—a support system that he’s come to rely on for mentorship and guidance. Through the EDGE Center for Career Development, the college’s four-year career preparation program, he has attended numerous alumni networking events over the years, where he’s met fellow Yellow Jackets, received career advice, and honed his networking skills.

“I can’t wait to be able to give back one day to ensure that Randolph-Macon has the same impact on others that it has had on me,” says Grow.

Alumni-Student Connections
“The EDGE works closely with alumni and other members of the RMC community to foster relationships between students and professionals,” says Josh Quinn, medical careers coordinator for the EDGE. “For example, we partner with the Alumni Relations Office to offer the AdvantEDGE program, which matches alumni with current students to develop a mutually beneficial mentoring relationship.”

Campus Life
Grow, who spent the first 14 years of his life living in Japan and Malaysia, grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Dean’s Award Recipient and Legacy Grant Recipient—his uncle, Gray Thouron ’99 and aunt, Whitney Thouron ’01, are also Yellow Jackets—and an active member of thecampus community.

A dedicated athlete, he has played for the varsity soccer and basketball teams. He also serves as head supervisor for the intramural sports program—a challenging but rewarding role.

“I am in charge of scheduling intramural sports,” he says. “Although the job requires time management and organizational skills, the most important piece is being able to collaborate with my peers who also work for the intramural department. I’ve had to find the balance of being ‘the boss’ in intramurals while also understanding that the other people are students just like me.”

Hands-on Training
A vital part of the RMC experience is experiential learning, and internships are a great way to connect academic learning with the workplace. Grow interned with Aerotek Staffing and Recruiting’s St. Louis office, where he was a member of the Monsanto (now Bayer) team, working alongside recruiters and account managers to fill Monsanto’s job openings.

“Although I discovered that recruiting is not the career path I want to take, I learned a lot about the corporate world, and how to handle myself in a professional setting,” says Grow.”I had a great relationship with my account manager, and we met every day to talk about projects. The experience was a great combination of receiving guidance and gaining independence.”

Mentorship
Grow is grateful for the mentorship his professors have provided.

“Political Science Professors Richard Meagher and Elliott Fullmer took time out of their busy schedules to work with me whenever I needed guidance,” he says. “And Spanish Professor Laurie Massery was a major contributor to the development of my Spanish skills. Her classes, which were completely in Spanish, revolved around active discussion and interaction. The best way to learn a language is to speak it, and her classes were extremely beneficial to me.”

From College to Career
After graduation, Grow will move to Dallas, Texas to begin a job at AT&T in the company’s business-to-business sales development program. Grow will work in the areas of cybersecurity and data management solutions to find ways that AT&T can help businesses run more efficiently and protect their information more securely.

“The diversity of classes I’ve taken at RMC helped me to be a versatile learner,” says Grow. “Thanks to RMC, I feel prepared to begin the next chapter of my life with AT&T.”