Seeking Opportunities to Grow

PROVO, Utah – Jan 18, 2021 – For many students at the BYU Marriott School of Business, recruiting season is a crazy time of trying to balance schoolwork with networking and interviews. Lillian Barton, a BYU Marriott MBA student, navigated all of that during the final weeks of her pregnancy with her second child. In fact, she received job offers in the days immediately before and following his birth. Whether Barton is choosing where to complete an internship or studying for her classes at BYU Marriott, she sees every day as an opportunity to learn and grow.

After receiving multiple offers, Barton chose an internship with Honeywell, an electronics manufacturing company. Even though her internship was remote, she was able to build relationships with her fellow employees. “I enjoyed seeing the strong connection that people at Honeywell have with each other. I was remote, which was challenging, but I was given a buddy as well as a mentor, and I had their support,” she says. “I also received some mentorship from people at senior levels of the company, and I valued those opportunities for growth.” Barton accepted an offer to return to Honeywell as a full-time employee after graduation.

Barton, who came to the program from Baltimore, Maryland, chose Honeywell because of the international work opportunities the company offers. “I want to move abroad eventually and give my family the experience of living abroad. I met people at Honeywell who had been able to do just that,” she says. “One of the recruiters I met at BYU Marriott had lived in India, and another had lived in Mexico. I'd heard of other people in the company who had similar experiences or who had short-term assignments abroad.”

Barton's interest in international business began after she earned her bachelor's degree in German literature from BYU in 2009. After graduating, she worked in a variety of positions including as a wilderness guide for troubled teens and a German teacher. She also worked for ASEA, a health products company, to help it expand into new markets.

“I was able to implement my skills in German with working in business, and I supported an ASEA office in Munich. While there, I traveled and identified good opportunities for expansion,” she says. “I also traveled to Russia on a fact-seeking trip and established relationships with people there.”

After working in international business, Barton became interested in BYU Marriott’s MBA program. “I got to a point in my career when I realized I wasn't having the broader impact that I wanted to have on organizations,” she says. “A close friend of mine had gone through the BYU MBA program a few years earlier, and the program had been life changing for her, so I started to consider applying. Once I got into the program, I realized the environment was a perfect fit for my goals and interests.”

As Barton finishes her last year of the MBA program and starts her full-time job at Honeywell, she will continue to find opportunities to grow. “I'm somebody who is constantly thinking about growth,” she says. “When I think about some of the things that I've done—like having my son last year, being in this program, or getting a job—I would say my desire for growth is the thread that binds that all together. I'm willing to take risks and willing to be uncomfortable and sacrifice for the sake of growth.”