Meet the Graduate CAP Mentors

• 
  Alexandra Cardiel

  Before joining the GCAP program at Warrington College of Business, Alexandra worked in higher education for almost seven years in Academic Success at South Georgia State College (SGSC). Her career in Academic Success began as a peer tutor in 2014. She received two promotions during her seven-year period at SGSC, first Academic Support Specialist and then Academic Success Coordinator. Alexandra also served as a Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society advisor during her time at SGSC, where she advised students on projects that won the chapter’s first international awards. She has a strong passion for helping guide students, colleagues, and the community to succeed academically and professionally. Alexandra received a master’s degree in Microbiology and Cell Science from the University of Florida and is excited to become a double gator at the end of her MBA journey! To learn more about her background, check out Alexandra’s LinkedIn profile.

• 
  Alithu Castro

  Alithu is a second year full-time MBA student focused in Strategic Human Capital Management. She has served as a GCAP Mentor since the spring 2022 semester. She completed an internship with Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey over the summer. Prior to joining UF, she worked in the Human Resources department at Irvine Company in Southern California. Alithu graduated with an Industrial Engineering degree from Universidad de Lima, in Peru, where she grew up. To find out more about Alithu’s background, visit Alithu’s LinkedIn profile.

• 
  Owen Elliott

  Owen is a second year, full-time MBA student who is interning at Liberty Mutual Insurance in their Corporate Development Program. Prior to joining the MBA program, he held roles in industrial sales, financial accounting, English-language teaching, and restaurant management. Owen received his undergraduate degree from UNC-Wilmington where he majored in finance and plans to concentrate in the same field for his MBA degree, but also is considering management operations as well as strategy. He is passionate about serving others as an ambassador and mentor.

• 
  Joshua Geller

  Joshua joined as a GCAP Mentor in Fall 2022 following an internship with McKinsey & Company as a Summer Associate in Miami, FL. Prior to joining the full-time two-year MBA program, he worked as a structural engineer for Boeing on the NASA Space Launch System at Kennedy Space Center. Joshua graduated from the University of Florida in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, interning at Motorola Solutions and Boeing Phantom Works. To find out more about Joshua’s background, visit Joshua’s LinkedIn profile.

• 
  Jordan Johnson

  Jordan is starting UF’s Full-time Two-year MBA Program in the fall. Before UF, he served six years in the US Navy and spent most of his time in the nuclear power industry where he performed various responsibilities around operating and maintaining a nuclear reactor. It was a rewarding career and allowed him to travel to many places. Pivoting away from engineering, Jordan earned his Bachelor’s in Accounting from Colorado State University. This combined with pre-military roles is where Jordan found his passion for business and being a leader. This upcoming summer, Jordan will be interning with Procter and Gamble in finance and accounting.

• 
  Savannah Kay

  I’m enrolled in the full-time 2-year MBA program, class of 2024. My undergraduate major was Spanish, and I have a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in culturally and linguistically diverse education. I worked as an English tutor in Madrid prior to teaching high school Spanish in Colorado for four years. In addition to teaching, I founded and led a district advisory group, served as World Language Department Chair, and was awarded Teacher of the Year for two consecutive years. In 2021 I joined a San Francisco based healthcare startup, where I supported HR and Operations. As the clinical compliance coordinator, I developed and implemented processes for COVID case tracking, managed teams to execute physician onboarding/credentialing, and regularly presented strategy recommendations to executives.

• 
  Christine Lam

  I’m a second year, full-time graduate student in the MS Marketing program and will be graduating in Spring 2023. This past summer, I gained a hands-on experience within the orthopedic medical device industry and discovered a strong interest in product marketing during my internship at Arthrex as a Product Marketing Management Summer Associate. To end off the summer, I graduated from UF with my BSBA in Marketing in early August. In addition to being a grad student, I am also a part-time energy consultant at E-Calcs Plus, Inc. and have been with the company for over two years. This year I hope to land a full-time role in Product Marketing or Consulting for a technology company.

• 
  Brody Lee

  Brody Lee, a SF Bay Area native, is currently entering his second year of the full-time MBA program and will be graduating in April 2023. Prior to joining the UF MBA program, Brody graduated from The George Washington University in 2012 with a major in Finance and a minor in Psychology. For the past 5 years Brody has worked in the transportation and hospitality industry in Washington, DC in both finance and operation roles. This summer Brody is interning for EY-Parthenon, a strategy consulting firm in Philadelphia, PA.

• 
  Gabriel Martinez

  Originally from Managua, Nicaragua. Graduated from USF with a bachelor’s in Marketing. Currently a dual master’s student in the Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Master of International Business programs in addition to pursuing a graduate certificate in Latin American Studies.

  I have worked in full-time and internship roles with Total Quality Logistics, Kestrel LLP, The Economist, Stephen O’Connell Center, and many others. Currently working at Paylocity in a summer 2022 internship role.

  Experienced in sales, digital marketing, operations, global supply-chain, regional logistics, and customer service.

  Serve as the director of operations with the Hough (MIB/MSM/MSMAR) Ambassadors, and as a representative for the MSE program in the Graduate Student Council.

  I am thrilled to be a Graduate and Career Peer Mentor. I am purposeful about helping fellow graduate students and cannot wait to meet them!

• 
  Nathan Mechulan

  Nathan is a Double Gator, completing his undergraduate degree in Biological Engineering in 2017, currently enrolled in his second year as a Full-Time MBA student. He has served as a Graduate CAP since Spring 2022. Nathan also serves as the MBAA’s Vice President of Professional Development, previously acting as MBAA Marketing Club President and Cohort Rep.

  Before pursuing his MBA, spent four years at Nielsen as a Data Analyst and Delivery Lead within their Local TV Data division. This summer Nathan interned at Danone in their innovation team.

  Find out more about his experiences on Nathan’s LinkedIn.

• 
  Derek Nelson

  Derek initially graduated from the University of Florida in December of 2016 with a bachelor’s in finance and a minor in information systems and operations management. After graduating, he became involved in the commercial real estate industry in Jacksonville, FL and held positions as a property accountant and a financial analyst. He returned to the University of Florida in the spring of 2022 with the intention of transitioning into more technical roles and is currently studying data science within the MS-ISOM program. He has accepted an offer for an IT internship at the Bacardi North American Headquarters in Coral Gables this summer and is also the vice president of marketing for the Association of Information Systems at the University of Florida.

• 
  Mackenzie Nelson

  Mackenzie is originally from the greater Boston area and attended Skidmore College for his undergraduate studies. He is entering the 2nd year of the full-time two-year MBA program with a concentration in Business Analytics. This past summer Mackenzie interned with Deloitte Consulting as a Summer Associate in their Chicago office. Mackenzie will be returning to the firm following his completion of the MBA program as a Senior Consultant at Deloitte. Prior to the MBA program, Mackenzie played professional golf for 4 years where he played on a variety of different professional golf tours. He traveled all across the country, and at times internationally, playing tournaments with the end goal of reaching the PGA Tour.

• 
  Alexandrea Perkins

  Alexandrea is currently a Full- Time MBA student in the 2- year program with a concentration in marketing. This summer she will be interning with Johnson and Johnson as a MLDP Intern where she will be working on a limited launch strategy for the US market. Prior to the program, Alex spent three years working in both cancer and orthopedic clinical research. Over these three years, she gained regulatory experience and worked in cross-functional teams. Her experience has taught her the importance of collaboration to understand consumer insights and to address patient needs.

  Alex is excited to be a resource to students as they prepare for their careers.

• 
  Justin Revis

  Justin is one of two GCAP captains and is in his second year of the two-year MBA program here at UF. He is also a double gator, receiving his bachelor’s degree in geography from UF in 2019. Before joining the MBA program, Justin worked in government and logistics. During the summer between year one and year two of the MBA program, Justin interned for Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook) as a Project Manager focusing on data analytics in Meta’s Risk and Response division. As a GCAP captain, Justin advises his own cohort of students, and supports other GCAPs and the BCS office. Justin serves as UF MBA Association’s Vice President for Internal Affairs, the Warrington Teaching Committee, and is a member of various clubs and organizations throughout Warrington and across UF.

  Go Gators!

• 
  Paxton Shamlou

  Paxton Shamlou, a Florida native, joined the Graduate CAP team as a 1st year MBA student in 2021. Prior to starting the MBA program, she worked at Ross Stores corporate buying office in New York City for 3 years. During her time at Ross, she held a variety of roles including Location Planning & Product Development across various product categories. She earned her undergraduate degree in Business Administration with minors in Retail & Sustainability from the University of Florida in 2018. This summer Paxton is interning for the Coca-Cola Company as Brand Management Intern! Outside of the classroom she enjoys working out, traveling, and playing with her 3 doodles!

• 
  Julia Sivco

  Julia is in the Master of Science in Management (MSM) program. She graduated from UF in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Leadership and started her masters as a combination degree student. In the summer of 2021, she worked at JBS USA as an HR Learning & Development Intern. In the summer of 2022, she will be working at Procter & Gamble as a Human Resources Manager Intern. Julia also volunteers with the Alachua County Crisis Center and is involved with UF’s Hispanic Student Association and Psychology Club. To find out more about her, you can visit Julia’s LinkedIn profile.

• 
  Sarah Turnbull

  Sarah is currently a 2nd year in the 2-year MBA program. Before pursuing her MBA, Sarah worked at a car dealership out of Colorado Springs where she was an inventory accountant. Sarah decided to pivot in her career and is now focusing on supply chain. This summer Sarah will be out at Beaverton interning for Nike in their Global Operations and Logistics department.

• 
  Denise Williams

  Denise Williams is a student in the Full-time MBA program, with expected graduation in May 2023. She is involved in Women in Business, Human Capital Club, and UF MBA Ambassadors. Prior to enrolling in the program, she worked in the finance and education sectors in roles including sales, training, mentoring, and academic coaching to help students get into preferred colleges. With the goal of establishing a career in HR, Denise enrolled in the UF MBA program in 2021 and has accepted an internship with Procter & Gamble as an HR Manager intern for the summer of 2022. She is determined to help students achieve their professional development goals and is always ready to go the extra mile to make sure that happens.

• 
  Mei Wu Fung

  Mei is a second year within the full-time MBA program and is in her second semester serving as a GCAP mentor. Prior to joining the UFMBA, she graduated from Pomona College with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and worked in environmental consulting following her graduation in Miami, FL. This summer, she interned as a Graduate Global Operations intern at Nike where she worked on Network Strategy within Supply Chain Innovation. She wishes to continue within her path in supply chain at Nike. She greatly enjoys being a GCAP and seeing mentees goals come to fruition as they attain their desired roles.

  Find out more through Mei’s Linkedin!