After high school, Kallie Quinn followed her sister to the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2020 to pursue a degree in communication science and disorders. The Round Rock, Texas, native begin to question her major after talking to others about different fields during her freshman year.
“Before fully committing, I took business law with Kim Patron and fell in love with both the creative and legal processes in business,” Quinn said. “I transferred into the Walton College at the start of my sophomore year and never looked back!”
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Kallie Quinn
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Kallie decided on marketing for her major. During her junior and senior years, she served as a member of the Walton College Marketing Advisory Board, as a global trade research intern at the World Trade Center Arkansas and as the program coordinator for the U of A’s Student Ambassador program. As she entered her senior year, Kallie began to question what her next steps were after graduation.
“I have always loved academia in the way that it challenges me to think critically or try something new, and offers tangible results for the effort I put in. I had debated continuing my education or entering the workforce, and by December of my senior year decided that I would take on a full-time role in the spring,” she said. “When I made that decision, I just knew it wasn’t what God had in store for me, so I kept my options open in continuing to look for a career that spoke to me.”
Due to financial considerations, Kallie thought a graduate degree was out of reach, but her part-time job in the Student Ambassador program came to the rescue!
“My part time undergrad job was the program coordinator for the Student Ambassador organization on campus, which was previously a graduate assistant role. In March, my boss approached me and asked if I had ever considered a graduate degree, as they were looking to return my role to a GA-ship,” Kallie shared. “That was the push I needed, and after some wise counsel from Chris Mendenwald and Molly Rapert, who introduced me to her office neighbor Craig Geiger (MSM program coordinator), I applied to the MSM program. I was accepted to the program, confirmed my acceptance in April, and returned to the Hill in August for year five! It was the best decision I have ever made!”
It was clear to Kallie that the Master of Science in Marketing was the right choice. Through her classes, projects and guest speakers, she grew her skillset for building marketing initiatives and pitching to clients.
“I love creative briefs and building campaigns backed by market research,” she added. “In our program, we had the opportunity to work with brands like Revlon and Member’s Mark to offer creative strategies, backed my research, to reposition products, catering to Gen Z purchasing preferences and buying habits. The MSM degree has made me confident in my ability to suggest recommendations, even if it is a bold concept, which will allow me to make impactful change in the organizations I will be a part of.”
Those classes and corporate collaborations were a strong aspect of the program, but the biggest influences were her classmates and professors.
“My life changed drastically this year because of who I was surrounded by: classmates who were eager to learn and enjoyable to work alongside, professors who were knowledgeable yet personable, and my officer team at Student Ambassadors who allowed me to lead with efficiency and grace,” Kallie said. “Each person in the MSM program genuinely wanted to see my success, and because of that support I was able to accomplish some big milestones. In April I ran my first half marathon, received the Outstanding Graduate Student in Marketing Award, and celebrated the third annual Guides Gala (an event I founded to celebrate our ambassadors) which had both record attendance and donations from local sponsors.”
“I feel that this degree is a physical representation not just of my qualifications, but the people who helped me achieve it along with the accomplishments that came with it. The value of this degree comes with the distinguished honor of receiving it from a top-ranked institution, as well as incredible opportunities to collaborate with Fortune 500 companies, learn from esteemed faculty, and build a network of amazing friends and colleagues.”
After graduating with her master’s degree, Kallie took a short break to participate in a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with the St. Thomas University Parish, AKA Catholic Hogs Campus Ministry. It was a follow-up trip from 2023 where the team cleaned up several acres of community gardens, painted buildings and taught English. They help to create sustainable nourishment for the community.
In June, Kallie will move to Dallas to begin a new marketing role with Klein Tools.
“I am looking forward to exploring a new city and role, connecting with DFW Arkansas Alum, and reconnecting with some college friends. However, home is where the hogs are, and I hope to make a return to NWA later in my career to teach at the UofA! When I am not at work, I will be looking at the potential of turning some of my creative hobbies into small- scale businesses and researching doctoral programs to see about the possibility of continuing my education even further!”
