91¶ÌÊÓƵ

April 28, 2024

by Eliza Fry, Marketing Manager, Goddard School of Business & Economics

On the back of Allison (Allie) Richardson's shoulder is a tattoo. It says, "If not now, when?" Once you have met Allie and had the pleasure of talking with her and learning more about her, you come to find that this is the perfect description of how she approaches her life. Allie knows what she wants, and she does not let fear hold her back.

This approach appears to have been serving her well her whole life. It served her well first when she was a high school student in Spanish Fork, which is where she not only established good habits as a student but discovered a love of track and field, and became an accomplished javelin athlete. And, after a brief stint at Utah Tech University (formerly Dixie State), that same drive has served her well as a student here at 91¶ÌÊÓƵ, where she has been studying Marketing for the last few years, while also competing in conference every year in javelin for Weber's track team (which is no small feat). In everything she does, Allie pushes hard towards success and refuses to put off possible opportunities for later.

Where did this drive originate?

Allie was one of five children raised by a single mom. She lost her dad when she was young, and as such, she learned at a young age that nothing in this life is a guarantee, and that accomplishment and advantage come through hard work. She watched her mom struggle and sacrifice so that her children could have opportunities that she, herself, didn't get; and Allie was determined to earn the diploma that her mom wasn't fortunate enough to go for. As a first generation college student, Allie feels a passion for education and has felt pushed to get her degree, even from a young age.

Now, as she graduates from Weber State with her bachelor's degree (Spring 2024), she is embarking on an even more remarkable journey. Allie is taking her drive for success abroad. She has been accepted to the very prestigious Kedge Business School, Paris Campus (in France), and will be going there to complete her master's degree in September. Allie says that while she is nervous to be going to a new country, she feels well prepared for this new challenge, and is ready academically to face whatever is in store for her. She is grateful also to have had the opportunity during her undergraduate work to have participated in study abroad trips with the Goddard School to Rome, and Japan and Korea. Allie says, "These opportunities helped prepare me, I think, to study in a different country. They broadened my view, and I feel better prepared to study with people from other backgrounds."

Allie intends to get a Masters of Science in International Studies. She received the Excellence Scholarship to attend the school, which is a scholarship given to only a select few attendees of the school, those who embody values of leadership and that are ranked in the top 10% of their class. While she is attending there she plans to work to help pay for housing. Her program will be a fast track, her plan is to earn her Masters degree in one year. She will be studying such topics as International environmental issues and geo politics, marketing, negotiation, international entrepreneurship, and she will complete an internship which will give her experience and an opportunity to directly apply what she is learning before completing her dissertation. She is very excited about this great opportunity.

As Allie says, anything she puts her mind to, she tends to accomplish. And she doesn't believe in putting things off. Now is her time, and she is seizing the opportunity, taking the chance, and we can't wait to see how high she will fly.