Mike Cook took three PMBA classes this spring and
worked as a marketing intern at Riverbanks Zoo, but still managed to find time to volunteer for
local causes.
"I've been a volunteer since I was an undergrad," says Cook, 35, and a native of Indiana. "I come from a privileged background, and it's important to help others…It's something my mother instilled."
After earning an undergraduate degree in financial planning and consumer affairs from Purdue University, Cook worked in the insurance industry in Indiana, then South Carolina. He learned about the Moore School's graduate programs from a fellow Purdue graduate, Robert Adams, who recently completed the IMBA program. Cook came to USC for an IMBA Open House, and learned about the PMBA program, as well. The PMBA seemed like a good fit - he could fit classes around work and still take courses with an international component.
Cook did an Internet search to look for volunteer opportunities in Columbia and discovered the USC Community Services Web site (http://www.sa.sc.edu/communityservice/programs.htm), which lists organizations and events in need of volunteers.
Cook found that one-day events are well suited for his school and work schedule and allow him to support a variety of causes. He has so far repaired houses for Homeworks of S.C.; helped with painting and repairing an elementary/high school in Dillon, S.C.; and volunteered at three local running/walking events - March for Meals, MS Walk, and the Epilepsy Walk.
Working in the Dillon school, an example of the poor rural schools profiled in the documentary, "Corridors of Shame," which aired last year on ETV, was an "eye-opener" for Cook. "There were holes in the roof, doors with big cracks at the bottom…" Cook and dozens of other USC students spent day making repairs and were warmly received by local parents, students, and teachers, who shared lunch with them.
Cook enjoys hiking and has also taken time to visit parks, including Congaree National Park, Harbison State Forest, and Sesquicentennial State Park, and the state's beaches and mountains. After graduation, he hopes to work for a time overseas, perhaps in India or China.