The semester is drawing to a close, and business major Jason McKeon is facing a busy week. He just finished a 17-page paper and has a quiz and an eight-page paper due. Also on his calendar is an interview for an internship with a company that he encountered while participating in a collegiate sales competition. And he’ll somehow squeeze in a Student Alumni Ambassador meeting, hosting an Economics Society event and planning an end-of-year International Business Association party.
Oh, and he also has to punch in for his internship — he’s a financial management student trainee with the Department of Defense’s Defense Contract Audit Agency — and attend a few classes.
“I’ve been super-ambitious my whole life,” the Haverhill, Massachusetts, native says. “I just love being busy and getting stuff done. There are certain points in the semester when it can get pretty crammed, where I have to lock in and get to work, and that’s what I do. I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”
But wait, there’s more. McKeon is vice president of the Class of 2024, a position he pursued to expand his circle beyond the Manning School of Business on North Campus.
“I wanted to get to know people on South Campus, hear different perspectives and become more well-rounded,” says McKeon, who has most of the Greek alphabet covered with the three honor societies that he belongs to: Alpha Lambda Delta (which recognizes excellence in first-year college students), Omicron Delta Kappa (the national leadership honor society) and Beta Gamma Sigma (an international business honor society).
McKeon learned about UML while coming to River Hawk hockey games with his dad, Stephen, when he was a kid. He realized he liked business and finance while taking a financial literacy course in high school, and ended up choosing UML over Suffolk University, where he was recruited to run cross country and track.
“I realized (running) would take a lot of time, and I want to get involved on campus,” says McKeon, who has done that and then some. “Ever since I was young, I knew I was going to go to UMass Lowell. It’s a quality education at an affordable cost.”
While he can’t divulge much about his internship with the Defense Contract Audit Agency (“Government stuff,” he says), he can confirm that it’s allowed him to apply what he’s learned in his financial accounting, managerial accounting and financial management courses.
McKeon is keeping his career options open — “I’m willing to try different companies and figure it out as I go, seeing what I love” — but he’s leaning toward something in finance or consulting, preferably in the Boston area.
McKeon, who enjoys playing golf and hanging out with his family around the backyard firepit in his rare downtime, has heard that he’ll be much less busy once he’s out of college and working full time.
He’s not so sure.
“I’ll have to find some events and networking opportunities,” he says. “I don’t really relax.”
“Get out there and make connections with students, professors and faculty. The professors are here to help us, so don't hesitate to ask for help. Study hard, obviously, but also don't be too hard on yourself. Make sure to go out with friends and do things you enjoy. Get the whole college experience.”