Melanie McGinn is originally from El Paso, Texas, and is a member of the University of Notre Dame's Class of 2023. While at Notre Dame, she studied Marketing in the Mendoza College of Business and completed a supplemental major in Spanish and a minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
In addition to ND Listens, McGinn was involved in numerous business organizations and was active in her residence hall, Breen Phillips Hall.
When she enrolled at Notre Dame, McGinn didn't necessarily have her eye on her chosen field of study. “When I got there, I just knew I wanted to do business,” she says. “I decided to do marketing because it was creative and analytical.”
She added Spanish to regain her language skills and eventually added a minor in innovation and entrepreneurship because she discovered her aptitude in the field.
McGinn currently works as a business development representative at G2 in Chicago.
She explains how she uses her degree in her day-to-day work: “At ND, sales falls under the umbrella of marketing to some extent, but in the real world, marketing and sales are very different. I like that sales is just as creative and analytical as marketing, but it's a more stressful environment and very competitive because there are quotas to meet.”
Looking back on her classes at Notre Dame, McGinn says it’s hard to pick out a few favorite classes: “The professors really cared, so I had a great experience in almost every class. [my classes]”The most unique class I took was 'Acting for Non-Majors' with Sir Anton Huang, and the one I remember most after graduating was 'Why Business' with Professors Otteson and Hirschfeld.”
The alumni network has played a big role in McGinn's life. “I'm always in contact with ND alumni to talk about their careers and get a better idea of what I want to do with my own career. I started in sales right out of college with no experience, but I've been relying on the ND sales network a lot lately,” she says. “ND alumni are always happy to help, so it's a lot of fun. The best thing about being a grad student is that students rely on me and I get to help them just like others have helped me. It's very rewarding!”
McGinn describes her post-graduation visit to campus as nostalgic: “It still feels like home, but it also feels like a lifetime ago. It feels like time stood still,” she says.
She is fortunate to live so close to campus that her friends and family are close by, giving her plenty of reasons to return and visit. “It’s really the people that make ND what it is,” she says.
You can connect with Melanie Maggine on LinkedIn, and to learn more about her time at Notre Dame, check out her YouTube channel documenting her four years at the university.
