From working with MATHCOUNTS Outreach and the Garnett Ridge Boys & Girls Club in Athens to traveling to Oxford University to spending a weekend in south Georgia as a Deer Run Fellow, Patrick Fitzmaurice found more than he ever dreamed possible at UGA.
Hometown:
Marietta, Georgia
High School:
The Lovett School
Degree objective:
B.B.A. in Economics, M.A .in Economics
Expected graduation:
Spring 2012
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
In the fall of 2008, I entered UGA. I had no idea what I wanted to do during college, let alone afterwards. Through the broad and diverse experiences provided by UGA, I have grown as a student, a professional and a person.
One hallmark of my experience thus far has been international travel. As a Foundation Fellow I have been blessed with numerous opportunities to extend my learning and general college experience well beyond Athens. My travels have taken me to Oxford University, the London School of Economics, Berlin and Costa Rica. These rich experiences have expanded my cultural horizons and formed priceless memories.
Closer to home, the campus and greater Athens communities have provided tremendous avenues for service experiences. Following in the footsteps of the founder Phillip Mote, I had the opportunity to lead MATHCOUNTS Outreach, a volunteer organization dedicated to stimulating interest in mathematics through involvement with the local middle schools. Furthermore, as a Leonard Leadership Scholar, I have worked with the Garnett Ridge Boys & Girls Club for the past two years. As a class, we raised more than $10,000 for their cause and continue to volunteer there today.
UGA also provided the infrastructure for me to translate these experiences into internships and careers. The Leonard Leadership Scholars Program within the Terry College of Business exposed me to numerous business leaders and helped me identify my personal strengths and understand my place in an organization. Then, with the help of the Corsair Society, I secured an internship with Morgan Stanley in New York City the summer following my junior year and a job at Boston Consulting Group in Atlanta upon graduation.
My experience at UGA has been fun and memorable, and I could not have imagined a better college experience four years ago.
Family Ties to UGA:
I’m the first from my family to attend UGA, but both of my parents have become Bulldog fans (my ‘second’ parents—next-door neighbors with whom we share a lake property—are both UGA alumni).
I chose to attend UGA because…
I wanted a first-class academic program, a challenging curriculum and the consistent company of smart and engaging people. I also wanted to be in a large university setting that offered a wide range of college experiences and a broad student population. Not many schools have that. And the opportunity to be a Foundation Fellow at UGA made for an unbeatable combination.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
…randomly walk around campus having conversations with my friends (often when I should be studying), attend events and lectures that occur on campus, read a book on the benches surrounding Herty Field and tailgate on the Myer’s Quad on a fall Saturday afternoon.
When I have free time, I like…
…to read, play pickup basketball, watch CNBC, play video games (especially FIFA), cook and hang out with my friends.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
…spend the night on the beach at Nice, France, many miles away from the comfortable hotel room I was paying for in Geneva, Switzerland! Needless to say, I haven’t missed a connecting train since.
My favorite place to study is…
…the Foundation Fellows library in Moore College.
My favorite professor is…
It’s hard for me to pick among all of the great ones I’ve met at UGA. That being said, several stand out. Professor Ted Shifrin challenged me more than any professor I’d previously encountered and taught me as much about hard work as he did about theoretical mathematics. Within the economics department, Professor Mustard’s law and economics and Professor Chatterjee’s macroeconomic theory courses are particularly memorable.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
I would share it with Steve Jobs. He was one of the most impressive business leaders of our time, and I’d love to hear him explain how he was able to accomplish what he did.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
…probably not try that particular thing. If something is so sure that you are guaranteed you won’t fail, it’s probably not worth it. Challenges make life fun and worthwhile.
If money was not a consideration, I would love to…
…start a chips and cheese cart in downtown Athens—not potato chips, English chips. I have been enamored by great street food since studying in Oxford freshman year—I even had a favorite cart owner named Hassan. I see a definite business opportunity here in Athens and would love to give it a try.
After graduation, I plan to…
…start my new job as an associate for the Boston Consulting Group in Atlanta.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
Among the multitude of great experiences, two in particular stand out.
The first happened before my freshman year when I visited the sports communications department, which I later worked for, during the UGA vs. Troy game. My first UGA football game, I walked into the press box to spot none other than Larry Munson standing five feet away. Seriously? How can UGA start any better than an encounter with an icon?
Next is my recent experience as a Deer Run Fellow in south Georgia at Doug Ivester’s Deer Run plantation. Spending the weekend with a group of outstanding student leaders, meeting with great business executives and being able to spend time with Mr. Ivester (former CEO of Coca-Cola and UGA class of 1969) was an awesome experience—and a testament to the commitment of UGA’s alumni to help ‘pay back’ to the university community.
