Nicholas Alexander Cardamone: 2016 Best and Brightest

Nicholas Alexander Cardamone Georgia Tech

Nicholas Alexander Cardamone

Georgia Institute of Technology, Scheller College of Business

Hometown: Pembroke Pines, FL

High School: The Sagemont School

Major: Business Administration – Concentration in Information Technology

Minor: Certificate in Marketing

Favorite Business Courses: Emerging Technologies, Strategic Management, and Personal Selling & Sales Management

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

  • Recipient: 4 year President’s Scholarship – Top 2% of class; 4 year Provost Scholarship – Top 1% of class
  • D1 Student Athlete – Georgia Tech Cheerleading (4 years)
  • Undergraduate Research – Sustainability in Marketing, The Evolution of Marketing Communications, and Brand Management (1 year)
  • S. Park Police (Washington, D.C.) / Atlanta Mounted Police – Volunteer Horse & Riding Trainer in Urban Horseback riding
  • Co-Founder & President of The Scheller Society of Entrepreneurs

Where have you interned during your college career? (List Companies, Locations and Roles)

  • SAS Institute (SAS) – Washington, D.C. – Pre-Sales Support Intern
  • The Clorox Company – Atlanta, G.A. – World Class Operations Continuous Improvement Intern
  • General Electric – Atlanta, G.A. – Information Technology Leadership Program Intern/PMO Simplification Project Leader
  • Keller Williams Realty (KW) – Pembroke Pines, FL – Real Estate Agent/Sales & Marketing Associate

Describe your dream job: To be the principal owner of an international real estate conglomerate or software firm.

What did you enjoy most about majoring in a business-related field? Majoring in business at Georgia Tech allowed me to engage daily with classmates and professors from around the globe. Each of these individuals provided a unique perspective to our classes and supplemented my international business acumen. Additionally, business classes at Tech are built around group projects and collaboration, which sets us up for success post-graduation.

Where would you like to work after graduation? I have accepted an offer to join Google in Ann Arbor, MI begin January 2016. My first role at the company will be as an Associate Account Strategist on the SMB Sales team.

What are your long-term professional goals? To become a c-suite executive of a global software firm or principal owner of an international real estate conglomerate.

“I knew I wanted to major in business when…I fell in love with real estate (Thank you Mom and HGTV). From that point forward I dreamed of becoming the CEO of a real estate conglomerate leveraging the latest technology to win business and create long lasting partnerships with clients.” 

“If I didn’t major in business, I would be…a professional golfer (FORE!).” 

 What was the happiest moment of your life?  The happiest moments of my life are seeing my younger brother and sister succeed in their areas of interest.

Which academic or personal achievement are you most proud of? My proudest academic achievement to date is being the recipient of the President’s and Provost Scholarships. These scholarships, the largest merit based scholarships at Georgia Tech, allowed me to capitalize on the amazing opportunities Georgia Tech offers its students. During my undergraduate career, I was able to complete 4 internships, backpack solo across eight different European countries, study abroad in the south pacific (Fiji, Australia, & New Zealand), train mounted police horses for the city of Atlanta and the US Park Police in Washington, D.C., become a 4 year division one student-athlete and make life-long friends.

What animal would you choose to represent your professional brand? A bear would best represent my professional brand because I believe bears represent strength, tenacity, and courage. They stand up against adversity, taking action and leadership.

Who would you most want to thank for your success?  I would like to thank my parents, Daniel and Luz Cardamone, for my success. Without their support and encouragement I would not be where I am today. My parents taught me how to overcome adversity, to not compromise on my ethics, and to relentlessly chase my dreams.

Fun fact about yourself:  I help exercise and train mounted police horses in my spare time. For the city of Atlanta, I help prepare the mounted police horses for work on the streets of Atlanta where they will encounter buses, cars, potholes, flags, unfamiliar noises, and crowds of citizens. Additionally, we train the horses for crowd control and situations where the officers will be required to make arrests. For the U.S. Park Police, I helped train and exercise horses that were under consideration of becoming official mounted police horses. In this role, I rode with fellow trainers throughout the streets, national parks, and the downtown area of Washington, D.C. to assess the temperament of the horses.

Favorite book: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Favorite movie: Rocky

Favorite musical performer: Vance Joy

Favorite vacation spot: Sky Valley, GA (Family Mountain/Vacation Home)

What are your hobbies? Golfing, horseback riding, running, soccer

What made Nick such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2016?

“I met Nicholas when he was an incoming freshman, and I immediately knew that he would leave a lasting impact on our community. We teach our students to maintain excellence and balance across three areas: Academics, career-related work experience, and community involvement. Nicholas is a powerhouse worker with exceptional communication skills, and he took all three areas to the max. In my career class, he was one of the most engaged students. He founded a club, he is a varsity athlete in a sport he’d never tried before college, and he trains police horses in his spare time. Nicholas thinks outside of the box and goes for his goals, even if they seem out of reach, and he is one of the best professional relationship builders I’ve ever met, out of thousands of students.”

Lauren McDow
Corporate Relations Manager
Georgia Institute of Technology, Scheller College of Business