The years of strolling through campus, studying in hammocks and 3-day weekends unfortunately can’t last forever…so what comes after college? It varies for everyone, but one thing the alumni below all have in common is Margaritaville University helped lead them to where they are today.   

Danielle B.
Penn State, Marketing

Hello Fins Fam! My name is Danielle, and I am a proud Margaritaville University alum! I was incredibly lucky to be an OG Campus Brand Manager (aka, a senior ambassador and mentor to the ambassador group) after being a college ambassador. After graduating in 2019, I joined the Margaritaville Special Events Team. In this position, I got to help out at the USA National Pickleball Championship and the New York Times Travel Show. I loved being able to extend my knowledge of the brand and see event planning on a larger scale than what I could accomplish as a student.

Currently, I am working as a Sales Assistant for Discovery in New York City. MargU prepared me for this role by enhancing my creative thinking, organization, and sales skills. MargU was also a major talking point in my interviews. I highlighted my MargU accomplishments and discussed how my experience equipped me for new roles. Three major takeaways from the program have been relationship building, communication and being proactive. Many of my events and contests required the help of others. I had to rely on the relationships I formed with local businesses – as well as the MargU team – to ensure my events were executed successfully. Consequently, these relationships helped bring new events to the table.

Also, having consistent communication was extremely important in making sure events were executed properly and in a timely manner. Finally, being proactive was key, even though last-minute hurdles were unavoidable, having everything organized ahead of time ensured a successful activation. MargU gave me real-world experiences that I couldn’t get from a classroom. The program developed my professional skill set, yet never felt like a job. This role really captures the idea of being ​better than the best​ ​without sacrificing the fun, cheerful side of the Margaritaville brand. I am super grateful for all of the experiences and people that I have met through MargU. FINS UP forever and always!

Abigail H.
Northern Kentucky University, Media Informatics

After graduating from NKU and Margaritaville University in 2018, I started working in the media and publishing industry as a digital marketing coordinator. I enjoy spending my work week broadcasting industry-specific informative webinars as a kind of production manager and marketing these digital events to our audiences.

I credit a great deal of my knowledge of marketing and event planning to my experience in MargU. After joining MargU, I changed my major to better align with what I really loved (​read about that here​).

My work with MargU was an often-discussed topic during the job interview process, as the combination of my experiences – including MargU – helped score me an awesome job at an amazing company. There’s even a group of us who wear Hawaiian shirts for Jimmy Buffett’s concert days here in FINcinnati!

Brooke B.
East Carolina University, Acting

My senior year of college at East Carolina University coincided with the very first year of the College Ambassador program…such an awesome year!

After graduating in 2017 with my BFA in Acting, I moved down to Florida to join a theatre company (and live on the beach) where I have been working as an actor ever since. I recently joined the official Actor’s Union and plan to move to NYC when it’s safe to do so. I will miss the tropical weather, but there are more opportunities in New York, and I love working as an actor (*cue the song ‘It’s my Job’ by Jimmy Buffett).

Margaritaville University has always been an attention-grabber in my cover letters, and on my acting resume I list “Jimmy Buffett Superfan” as one of my special skills. This always piques the interest of potential employers in an audition room or interview, and I get to have a fun, genuine conversation as I explain my experience with the program. This is so important in an audition room, as we only get three minutes to show a director what we can do; that tiny bit of conversation helps them to see who I am as a person (and that I’d be fun to have in a rehearsal room)!

I also learned valuable marketing and brand management skills, which have been extremely useful as I market myself as an actor as well as a freelancer with other companies. I am so grateful that I got to be a part of Margaritaville University and I’m proud to be a MargU Alumni!

AJ P.
West Chester University, Urban & Environmental Planning

Hello! My name is AJ and I was a part of Margaritaville U’s graduating class of 2019! As an Urban & Environmental Planning major at West Chester University in Pennsylvania, I was able to incorporate the values and ideas that make up the Margaritaville lifestyle with my work and school by thinking about what makes a location particularly inviting.

The Margaritaville brand is all about creating an environment that encourages camaraderie between the people who spend their time there, and when considering what will make a location desirable, these characteristics go hand in hand. These days, I am working at Bartlett Tree Experts as a Plant Healthcare Specialist in Chester County, PA with the goal of keeping parks and recreation areas, as well as private properties, looking beautiful and inviting!

Carissa N.
Elmira College, Pre- Vet

Hello Fins Fam! I am a graduate from the MargU Class of 2019! Since the start of high school, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I attended Elmira College in New York, where I was on a pre-vet track, studying Biochemistry and Business Administration. Throughout college I spent much of my time volunteering at the SPCA and Humane Society, as well as the local Nature Center and Museum. Before graduating, I started working at an Animal Hospital close to home as a veterinarian assistant. After about three months there, I realized that due to the intense emotions inherent to the job, being a veterinarian was not for me.

By enrolling at MargU, I grew so much as a professional. I learned how to meet fast approaching deadlines and how to collaborate with many different groups to host events. However, one of the most important things I learned and something that changed my future significantly comes from my favorite Jimmy Buffett lyric, “Breathe in, breathe out, move on.”  This means a lot to me because I removed myself from what I thought was my dream job with the help of this powerful lyric as it reassured me that it was okay to move on.

Since then, I have been testing the waters elsewhere hoping to find my own Margaritaville in the workforce, but most importantly, wherever I am! I am beyond grateful for all the past and present opportunities that Margaritaville University has given me! Bye for now, just know, you can always reach me on my shell phone! Fins Up!

Stanislav V.
Dartmouth College, Russian

Hi! Stanislav (Stas) here. I graduated from Dartmouth College in 2021 with a degree in Russian. I also graduated from MargU in 2021. I am currently living in New York City and working as an Investments Rotational Analyst on the Municipal Bonds desk. I have yet to visit the new Margaritaville Resort Times Square, but it is nice to know that there is a slice of paradise here in the city waiting for me. MargU had a very positive impact on my future, as interviewers were very intrigued by my participation in the program and were pleasantly surprised that Jimmy Buffett has fans my age. I was eager to share with them what the program was all about and the tenets of the Margaritaville state of mind. Postgrad life is very different, but still a blast! Fins Up!

The Margaritaville University College Ambassador Program is currently accepting applications for the 2021- 2022 school year. Learn more about Margaritaville University here.