Macon State College MVPs is a web feature that profiles notable students, alumni, faculty and staff.
Full name: Steven McGinty.
Age: 25.
Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla.
Residence: Macon.
High School: Wolfson Senior High in Jacksonville, where he was treasurer of DECA and a member of the National Honor Society, Key Club and Engineering Club.
Current Employment: Product development specialist for Birch Communications. “I advanced from a summer 2007 internship to a full-time employee handling multi-million dollar projects.”
Degree Objective: Bachelor of science in business with a major in marketing.
Class Rank: Senior.
Macon State/Community Activities: 2008 secretary of Phi Beta Lambda, team captain for Race for the Cure and organizer of "Concert for Cures" benefiting breast cancer and Alzheimer's research, care and support, both of which have affected his family. (See http://www.maconstate.edu/news/newspage.aspx?sqid=442) He’s also participated in the March for Babies, Ronald McDonald House Charity Dinner, CASA Tree and Thanksgiving food drive.
Career Goals: Continue on to graduate school after graduating from Macon State to attend either Mercer or GC&SU in the spring, while maintaining full-time employment in the telecommunications industry.
He chose Macon State College because … “I previously attended the University of Florida, and the large class sizes just didn't work for me. Macon State's smaller class sizes, the dedication of the professors to the students and the convenient location of the campuses are what brought and kept me here.”
The one thing that surprised him about Macon State was … “How many of the same people I would end up having classes with semester after semester. That's just something you don't get at larger schools.”
His favorite professor is … “Charlie Aiken, who taught me sales management, strategic marketing, advertising – and he was my internship sponsor. He just has such an incredible spirit and passion for teaching and keeping things interesting. I signed up for as many classes as I could take with him and have learned so much from him.”
His favorite place to study is … “Usually at my desk, minutes before taking a test.”
One thing people don’t know about him is … “I just adopted a puppy from the animal shelter and I now know what it's like to be a father.”
His friends make fun of him because … “I used to work at the Olive Garden.”
The one person he’d most like to meet is … “Jeffrey Lewis on ‘Flipping Out.’ I want to know how you can be so successful in your industry and yet completely insane at the same time.”
Five years from now he sees himself ... “Finished with my MBA, working full-time with a high-paying salary, enjoying a nice home and a comfortable lifestyle and being very thankful for everything that has come my way through education.”