Jillian Fraccola’s time with the Oregon MBA program taught her to push herself out of her comfort zone.
Born in Syracuse, New York, Fraccola had never been to the Pacific Northwest before coming to Oregon. Once here, she quickly took advantage of all the MBA program has to offer, making lifelong friends and solidifying a vision of her future career in sports marketing.
Exceptional experiences Fraccola had while at Oregon include a Sport Sponsorship course—led by Professor of Marketing and Oliphant Chair in Sports Business T. Bettina Cornwell—opening her eyes to the many facets of the industry, as well as the unparalleled travel and educational opportunities provided by the college’s experiential learning site visits.
In addition to taking Fraccola and her classmates to such far-flung places as New York City and Beijing, these unique educational opportunities allowed Fraccola and her cohort to meet with professionals in all aspects of the sports industry, helping them gain a better understanding of the national and international impact of sports. They also provided many once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences for Fraccola.
“I never thought I would ever have the chance in my life to visit the Great Wall of China,” she said. “The people and experiences are what make this program special.”
Other notable accomplishments at the Lundquist College of Business include representing the University of Oregon at the 2020 National Sports Forum Case Cup competition, where her team placed second. She was also vice president of the MBA Student Association during her second year in the program, and she acted as student liaison to the Warsaw Advisory Board, a board of leaders in the sports industry dedicated to continually improving the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center’s mission to prepare students for successful careers.
Fraccola is sorry her cohort is not able to celebrate in person their amazing accomplishments and memorable time at the University of Oregon.
While the next steps of her career are uncertain as the job market has been greatly impacted by the pandemic, Fraccola is optimistic that once the job market opens back up she will be able to secure a position using data insights to drive strategy for a sports organization.
“Most of us came to this program seeking a career pivot, and although the current circumstances may make us pivot in an unexpected direction, we have learned the skills necessary to be successful in any situation,” she said.
“We are the business leaders of tomorrow, and it is up to us to make the changes we need to create a world we are proud of. I can’t wait to see what each of us will accomplish.”
—William Kennedy