Connor Lotz

Connor Lotz was a 2014 graduate fro Blue Valley High School. Connor was enrolled in the CAPS Global Business course. He quickly found his passion and spent both semesters his senior year in that course. Connor is currently attending the University of Missouri – Columbia in the Trulaske College of Business.  He is  majoring in Marketing, focusing on course topics in Marketing Management, Promotion, Sales Management and Brand Management and Distribution.  Connor will also be receiving emphasis certificates in Multiculturalism, Drone Aviation, and Sales.

Here is the rest of Connor’s interview:

Did your CAPS experiences help you understand what you wanted to pursue in college and where you wanted to go?

CAPS allowed me to envision myself in a business environment; however, I had no idea where it would take me. We always touched on Global Business and international trade, including the ethics that surrounded it.  Now I can use what I’ve learned as I head overseas to Prague this summer to intern for the MU International Trade Center.  This probably would not have been possible without the mentoring from Gregg Brown and the other outstanding CAPS staff members. Being able to participate and lead hands on projects such as Innovation Celebration allowed me to gain the real-life experiences that were necessary to put me at an advantage to other college applicants.

Were there things at CAPS that helped prepare you for success in college?

I never really thought of myself as a leader before CAPS but during my time there I was really able to flourish. I got the opportunity to work on a classified project for Black & Veatch which was hands down one of the most memorable experiences.  I was able to lead a team of peers from the other CAPS strands and I acquired skills that could not be taught in a modern classroom. We learned how to be successful by sharing ideas and planning efficiently.  It wasn’t always ‘fun and games’ but when we hit our deadlines and blew the B&V Executives away with our presentations, all the hard work paid off.

What was your biggest take-away from your CAPS experience?

My biggest take-away from CAPS is to work smarter, not harder in order to reach goals in the quickest and most efficient way possible.  Find out what is important to you and pursue it.  We always learned that if you do what you love and love what you do, then you never actually work a day in your life. Additionally, I learned to ‘respect’ professional dress which the CAPS environment requires.  Honestly, being able to put on a suit and be out the door in less than 5 minutes has some major advantages!