Student of the Month aims for management after graduation

Her older sister, Tara, had planned to enroll at CSC before McBride came to the same conclusion after independently investigating her options in California. Tara is a sophomore and also a member of Project Strive/TRiO.

“I was very surprised, shocked and happy about receiving the award,” McBride said.

Project Strive/TRiO Director Jen Schaer said McBride is a great addition to the Project Strive family.

“She has been a mentor and also promotes the program to new students. She has helped at Signing Days and also as a New Student Orientation mentor. Jenna pushes herself to do well in her classes and accepts challenges head on,” Schaer said.

McBride, who plans to graduate in May with a Business Administration degree including options in both Management and Accounting, said she enjoyed the eight-week business courses because the format allowed her to take between 18 and 21 credit hours each semester. She also took summer classes online to accelerate her graduation.

An internship with the campus food service, Creative Dining, during the summer of 2015 helped McBride clarify her future career path. She managed the C-store in the residence halls including in-store promotions, inventory and ordering for high school students attending summer athletic camps.

Her friend and Project Strive/TRiO Student of the Month for November, Brook McPherson, and her supervisor, Amber James, were very helpful during the internship.

McBride is now the Lead Adventure Guide at the Chadron Maverik C-store which is equivalent to an assistant manager. McBride has taken the initiative to talk to her store director and the district manager about her career plans. The Big Snow Region that includes Chadron also covers Colorado, where McBride would like to work after graduation.

“I realized from my experience in Creative Dining that I wanted to be in management instead of accounting. My goal is to become a Maverik store director and owner. I really like working there. Having a job really helps. I like to be busy. I met people and it made me want to stay in Chadron,” McBride said.

Project Strive also helped her stay in Chadron, meet friends and overcome homesickness. She has attended workshops about stress management and resume writing.

She is the co-president of Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) and served as an officer last year, as well. The group has sponsored bands on campus, movie nights and a fall leadership conference. McBride led PBL fundraising efforts by helping to organize a 2015 Valentine’s Day Dinner attended by staff and faculty.