Lizzy Ricci '16: Just Do It
While a management major at LMU, Lizzy decided she wanted to work for Nike, and was willing to do whatever it took to get there. After graduating in 2016, she packed up and moved to Portland, Oregon. She arrived in the city without a job, but full of motivation. Lizzy had one connection she made at Nike a few years before on a trip with her family, and she kept in touch. She reached out to that connection and expressed interest. It wasn't long before she landed a position as a white badge contractor for the company. Nearly five years later, she's worked her way up to learning and development manager.
The great irony of Lizzy’s path to Nike is that she originally did not think of herself as a sports person. Before coming to LMU, her twin sister was always the athletic one. Still, their bond began opening her eyes, and she eventually started working at the Fit Well Center on campus. Through that experience, she learned time management, and fell in love with wellness. She became a spin instructor, and decided that she wanted to support work and life balance with corporate wellness.
When you take a leap of faith like Lizzy did, a few things can happen. Working for a major corporation with a name like Nike sounds exciting, but even dream jobs can have crushing realities. This was not the case for Lizzy. In a relatively short amount of time, she has moved into a new position, and even traveled to the Netherlands headquarters. Still, her experience has humbled her. Coming from the close knit community at LMU, she is still adjusting to the size of her new company, and becoming more of a business professional.
When reflecting on what she learned from LMU, Lizzy noted that the university taught her how to truly network, and to trust in what you know. Being a student at LMU made the transition easy. She noted that professors such as Ellen Ensher were a huge part of her success. She encourages every student to take advantage of office hours. As a natural planner, going to LMU helped her further hone her time management skills, which has allowed her to work as a spin and yoga instructor on top of her ever growing career.
In every situation, Lizzy brings in faith, family, friends and fitness. These foundations create the map for her career and life success.
Written by Lindsay Western, MBA '17