Excelling in Hampton's Five-Year MBA Program: Kennedy Lucas '23

Alumni Office (A): Kennedy, what have you been doing since graduating from Breck?

Kennedy Lucas ’23 (K): I am a student at Hampton University in their five-year MBA program. The program is highly prestigious and selective, boasting a 100 percent job placement rate for its graduates. Not only was I accepted into this program, but I was also awarded a Prudential Hampton University Fellowship that comes with a large scholarship and a dedicated mentor. I was also selected out of the 10 Prudential Hampton University Fellows to be a part of the PGIM Fixed Income Credit Research Case four-member competition team.

A: Tell us about what your competition team has done this year.

K: In our first competition, my team created a financial analysis of Cinemark Holdings Incorporated, where we figured out a lot of key financial ratios, including leverage, coverage, FCF to debt, EBITA, adjusted EBITA, and debt-adjusted to EBITA ratios. We presented our findings and won first place with $20,000 in prize winnings. As Prudential Hampton Fellows, we also visited Prudential headquarters, met the company’s CFO, and even watched the Hampton/Howard basketball game from the company’s suite. 

A: We’ve seen some impressive LinkedIn posts this year. Are there any other first-year experiences that have been exciting for you?

K: I participated in a Price Waterhouse Cooper Freshman Leadership Summit, and my team was runner-up in the competition associated with the summit. I have also been inducted into the Sigma Beta Delta Honors Society and secured an internship working remotely for Yahoo this summer as an account strategist intern.

A: You were incredibly involved in the performing arts at Breck. What made you decide to major in business?

K: My whole family is in business, and for the longest time, I was like, “I am not going into business.” I focused on performing arts in school and outside of school but started to become less and less passionate about it. I started thinking about how I could bring the skills I learned in theater and use them in my career. Skills like public speaking, communication, and how to work on a team with others led me to business. There were a lot of options, but I really liked sales and marketing after my case competitions and even credit research. I also knew that I had an opportunity at Hampton to get my business degree and an MBA straight out of the gate. It has been a really good fit.

A: Tell us about the Hampton experience. We have students at Hampton now and a few on their way. What do you love about the university?

K: Hampton University is a rigorous and prestigious HBCU in Virginia, right by the Chesapeake Bay. I like the location on the waterfront, and I enjoy all of the opportunities in the business program that are geared toward black college students. There are so many partnerships from big companies that are working hard to recruit Hampton students. My advisors and the dean are great, too. They often make recommendations of opportunities for me to go for, like my advisor and my dean, who support me when I am a part of case competition teams. The career fair was great as well. I get so many emails about student programs and internships open for Hampton students to apply to each week.

A: Do you have a career roadmap?

K: I want to be in a career where I can work together with people and use my public communication skills. Something in marketing or sales fits the vision I have for the future. I am still a freshman, and there are a lot more opportunities for me to explore before I finalize anything.

A: Did you have any experiences at Breck that prepared you for Hampton’s five-year MBA program?

K: Absolutely! The most helpful experience at Breck was the rigorous education. There were many times when I would have an essay, a test, and a presentation all in one week. Often, the tests covered multiple units as well. There were a lot of faculty and staff at Breck ready to help students and support us at Breck. At Hampton, I take lessons I learned at Breck, get assignments done early, and study efficiently. Sometimes, I have work done weeks early and am able to work at a comfortable pace when some of my peers are pulling all-nighters or stressing over a single assignment. 

A: Thank you, Kennedy!

You can find Kennedy at Hampton University preparing with her case competition team, competing at events, excelling in her classes, playing video games (when she has all of her work done), or watching basketball games in corporate suites.