Emily Tillo
Boston University, Questrom School of Business
Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida
High School: Stanton College Preparatory School
Major: Finance
Minor: Journalism
Favorite Business Courses: Management as a System (freshman year introductory class in the business school, Professor Rebecca Nichols); Organizational Behavior (Professor Rebecca Nichols); Money, Financial Markets, and Economic Activity (Professor David Spieler); Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management (Professor David Griswold).
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:
I am a member of the Division-I women’s golf team at Boston University and have served as co-captain the past two years. I finished the 2014-2015 year with the lowest scoring average (76.04) of any Patriot League player and am the first repeat winner of the Women’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year award (2014 & 2015) and the first three-time winner of the Patriot League Female Golfer of the Month (Sept. 2013, Sept. 2014, March 2015).
I am also the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a student-led and NCAA-sanctioned organization that serves as the student-athlete voice on campus. SAAC organizes community service initiatives in the greater Boston area—including the “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk, Special Olympics Swimming, and visits to the Franciscan Hospital for Children. SAAC members also discuss academic and athletic policies at their meetings every two weeks, and disseminate this information to administrators and student-athletes.
Additional Awards and Honors:
- Scarlet Key Honor Society
- Questrom School of Business Honors Program
- Dean’s List, Fall 2012-present
- Provost’s Undergraduate Student Advisory Board
- Mary C. Buletza and Harry Agganis Athletic Endowed Scholarships
- Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholar Team, 2014 & 2015
- NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum, 2013
Where have you interned during your college career?
Company: PGA TOUR
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Role: This past summer, I worked in the communications department, reporting directly to the Senior Vice President of Media Development and assisting him with company-wide digital, marketing, public relations, and communications initiatives, including a presentation for the FedExCup Playoffs and player profiles that were published on PGATOUR.com for the Presidents Cup.
Company: UBS Wealth Management Americas
Location: New York City
Role: I worked on planning and investment proposals for high-net-worth clients by conducting research and constructing portfolio reports to filter taxable equities and model future returns.
Describe your dream job: My dream job is to be the first female commissioner of the PGA TOUR. I want to increase golf’s accessibility to those who normally would not have been exposed to the game and use golf as a tool to teach universal core values and life lessons to future generations.
What did you enjoy most about majoring in a business-related field? I love how cross-functional business disciplines are. Majoring in finance has given me a strong background in analytical processes and theoretical thinking, skills that can be applied to many other fields and professions.
Where would you like to work after graduation? I would like to work in the Communications department at the PGA TOUR, handling media and player relations and planning promotional activities and charitable events at tournaments across the world.
What are your long-term professional goals? I want to work in the global communications and international business departments for a sports organization that shares my passion for sports and philanthropy. Sports have provided me with personal, professional, and educational opportunities, and I want others to have these opportunities, too. I hope to use my role at a sports organization to introduce more people to sports and the positive values and life skills that stem from healthy competition.
“I knew I wanted to major in business when…I realized how closely linked business is with the sport of golf. Many business deals are conducted on the course!”
“If I didn’t major in business, I would be…majoring in broadcast journalism.”
What was the happiest moment of your life? The day I signed my National Letter of Intent to play golf at Boston University.
Which academic or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of receiving a golf scholarship and a presidential scholarship to attend Boston University.
What animal would you choose to represent your professional brand? An eagle, because it symbolizes efficiency, loyalty, courageousness, and commitment, all of which are qualities that would represent my brand and me well.
Who would you most want to thank for your success)? God, my parents, and my college golf coach, Bruce Chalas. I’ve been blessed with an amazing support system. God has given me two devoted, selfless parents who have always been there for me and who have taught me what it means to work hard, treat others with respect, and strive for success in all aspects of my life. Bruce, my golf coach at Boston University, has taught me to live my life with confidence and conviction and, most of all, to enjoy the challenge of each round of golf.
Fun fact about yourself: I made my first hole-in-one of my golfing career at a college tournament in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, in March of 2015.
Favorite book: Harvey Penick’s Little Green Golf Book
Favorite movie: The Bourne Identity
Favorite musical performer: Coldplay
Favorite vacation spot: Cape Cod
What are your hobbies? biking, swimming, running, going to the beach, spending time with family and friends
What made Emily such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2016?
“Emily is an outstanding member of the Questrom School of Business community, and an excellent example of how Questrom students use their education and opportunities to provide value to the world. A Boston University Presidential Scholar with an amazing grade point average of 3.96, Emily has been named to the Dean’s List each and every semester of enrollment, with three semesters of perfect 4.0 semester averages (including all of her freshman year!). She is a member of the Questrom Honors Program, and I had the pleasure of accompanying in May 2014 to the Czech Republic and Hungary as part of the Honors Sophomore International Field Seminar. I was delighted, though of course not at all surprised, by the degree of openness, drive to learn, and maturity that Emily demonstrated throughout the entirety of the trip.
I also greatly admire the many responsibilities and involvements that Emily is so effectively balancing. Not only is she a member of the elite Boston University Golf Team, but she has twice been selected as the Patriot League Female Golfer of the Month, in September 2013 and September 2014, she was also named the Individual Champion of the 2014 Dartmouth Invitational, and most impressively was the Patriot League Women’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2014. For these contributions Emily has won several awards both from Boston University and from outside organizations, but it would be a mistake to assume that Emily’s strengths are primarily related to her athletic achievement. As I mentioned, Emily’s academic record is stellar which is quite an accomplishment given the demands on her schedule as an athlete. She is concentrating in Finance and also earning a minor in Journalism. She has contributed to the Questrom and BU community in a myriad of ways, including by serving on both the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Provost’s Undergraduate Student Advisory Board, responsibilities for which she was hand-selected by myself and Ken Freeman, the Dean of the Questrom School of Business, reflective of the great esteem in which she is held here at the School.
Emily has also obtained professional experiences. She engaged in the Individual Entrepreneurial Project in the BU New Venture Entrepreneurship Competition, where she and her team was selected as a semi-finalist for a golf app that gamifies practice and gives tutorials on how to execute short-game shots. She served as social media intern for ProQuip Golf USA managing their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts in order to build brand awareness, and writing blog posts on trending golf topics and other matters. In 2014, Emily worked for UBS Wealth Management Americas as an intern, working directly with a financial advisor on wealth planning and investment proposals, constructing client portfolio reports, and updating asset holdings to support clients’ investment goals. She worked this past summer at a coveted internship with the PGA TOUR, a great fit for her, and she has frequently shared how interesting and beneficial the experience was for her.
Emily has developed great experience and knowledge, but perhaps even more important is how this is reflective of her ethic. All of these experiences communicate qualities that Emily holds that are not easily quantified. She has a tremendous sense of business acumen that is coupled with her drive to learn. She states that she is “eager to learn something new. I enjoy pushing myself intellectually. I value hard work and the intrinsic rewards that follow. I am passionate about my education.” These are all truisms about Emily Tillo, and she embodies them in all that she takes on. She pushes herself every day to learn, grow, and contribute. She does not back down from challenges and she perseveres to do the very best that she can, and then just a little bit better. And in all of this, she is truly a pleasure and a delight to get to know. She is humble and modest, but aware and proud of her hard work and accomplishments.”
Rachel I. Reiser
Assistant Dean for the Undergraduate Program
Boston University, Questrom School of Business
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