Day One

Anna Tychynska
Freshman
International Business and Spanish

After a travel-filled Saturday and adventurous Sunday, Monday finally arrived. Today was our first day of meeting with some of the Loyola alumni! I started my day at 8 a.m by getting breakfast and heading to the pool for a quick swim while enjoying the warm weather in LA. Later that morning, we met up with our group at the hotel lobby at 11:00 a.m to head out for our lunch meeting with Jagger Kroener and Owen McAndrews. Since this was our first meeting of the trip, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I felt prepared and ready!

Jagger and Owen are both Loyola alumni who have built impressive careers. Jagger is a real estate agent and Owen is a senior manager of solutions engineering. While we enjoyed our meals at Public School 310, we got the chance to hear about their unique journeys and how they made it to their current roles. Their stories were both inspiring and realistic. They spoke openly about the challenges they faced early in their careers, the risks they took, and the importance of doing what you’re passionate about. What stood out to me the most was how passionate they are about what they do. It was clear that their success didn't happen overnight, but rather through persistence, hard work, and as Jagger mentioned, many sacrifices he had to make to reach his goals. They were incredibly open to answering all of our questions and being honest with us about their experiences. To conclude our lunch meeting, Jagger and Owen shared a piece of advice that truly resonated with me: “Do what comes naturally to you and focus on what you’re good at.”

When our lunch was over, we discovered Erewhon was just across the street, and we couldn’t miss the opportunity to go! I had been looking forward to trying one of their famous smoothies ever since we arrived in Los Angeles, and I was excited to finally experience it. 

After our quick stop at Erewhon, we headed back to the hotel to rest for around an hour. We then met again in the lobby and headed to our dinner with Wayne Kimball Jr. at R/10 Social House, which is located right by the Redondo Beach. We arrived just a few minutes before the sunset and took a short walk along the beach, enjoying the pretty views in California. 

Wayne arrived with his wife and their son, who definitely made the evening even more memorable! Wayne Kimball, Jr. is currently the Global Head of Growth Strategy & Market Acceleration, Data Cloud at Google. He previously also held leadership roles in Cloud AI, corporate development, and strategy, and before Google, he worked at Accenture. He earned his MBA from Quinlan and now serves on the Dean’s Board of Advisors, which made it even more special to hear from him as both a leader and a Loyola alum.

During our dinner at R/10 Social, Wayne spoke about his career journey, the career shifts he made, and how his MBA in international business shaped the way he thinks globally. As an international business major myself, that part of the evening stood out to me. It was really reassuring to see how a degree similar to what I’m pursuing can lead to such impactful and important leadership roles! One of the most impactful parts of the night was the advice he encouraged us to take away: a commitment to discovering, exploring, and becoming. He emphasized the importance of staying curious, stepping outside of your comfort zone, and continuously evolving both personally and professionally.

To end the night, we headed back to the hotel, and I finished writing this blog feeling incredibly grateful. This was only day one of our professional meetings, and I have already learned so much. I couldn’t be more thankful that Loyola provides us with opportunities like this, opportunities to connect, learn, and explore.