By Alexis Menard On November 24, 2020 12:00 pm
Alumna, Monique Lawler (Roberts) graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing. Since her time at UM-Flint, she has gone on to work in a Commercial Real Estate (CRE) field and identifies trends in the market. She and her friends also created a non-profit to promote gender equity in underserved communities. As our featured Alumni of the month, Monique gives insight into how she ended up in CRE, why she chose UM-Flint as well as her favorite experiences at the university.
Q: Degree(s) and graduation year:
A: Bachelor of Business Administration–Marketing, 2011
Q: Pursuing another degree?
A: Not currently. I enrolled in an MBA program, but decided to put my enrollment on hold to pursue other endeavors.
Q: Where are you currently working and your title? How long have you been in this position or at this organization? What is your normal day to day?
A: I work in Commercial Real Estate (CRE), as a Research Analyst for Cushman & Wakefield’s Memphis affiliate office (Commercial Advisors); I have been in this position for a year. My normal day-to-day consists of identifying trends in the market, creating drive-times, demographic profiles, void analyses and fulfilling ad-hoc research requests.
Q: Why did you choose UM-Flint for your degree(s)?
A: The convenience of having one of the top-ranking universities on the world in my hometown was a huge factor. Course selection, campus activities and culture were other major factors in choosing UM-Flint.
Q: What is one of your favorite experiences at UM-Flint?
A: One of my favorite experiences was a CIS project that involved working with local veterans, helping them navigate, understand, and utilize resources available to Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB).
Q: Why did you choose to go into the career path you are currently in?
A: I was pre-med for four years, then decided on a whim that I wanted to learn more about consumer behavior, and the methodology behind it. That led me to analytics and somehow landed me in CRE.
Q: What is one of your proudest accomplishments so far?
A: Not to sound cliché’, but my proudest accomplishments are my teenage daughter—who’s considering UM as her top college choice, and my beautifully tenacious 3-year old son. I am also proud of my friends and I for establishing a non-profit organization to promote gender equity in underserved communities.
Q: What advice would you give students that are thinking of pursuing a career in your field?
A: I would tell them to go for it!! Especially BIPoC, because there is such an untapped gap in professionals of Color in CRE; I say challenge the status quo!
Q: Fun Facts!
A: Although I am not currently pursuing another degree, I am pursuing (and hold) several certifications in my favorite hobbies and interests. I’m a certified personal trainer, I hold a TEFL certification to teach English as a Second Language, I’m pursuing my yoga-training certification and I’m currently undergoing Commissions to become a Notary/Loan Signing Agent in my state.