IM grad at St. Norbert pairs business skills with a love for the outdoors
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De PERE, Wis. -- As a product of the Upper Peninsula, William McCormick of Iron Mountain quickly took to the outdoors lifestyle that was offered him.
"My parents, along with my sister, Macy, taught me how to appreciate what we were given," McCormick said, adding, "I was raised in the great outdoors of the U.P. and it was wonderful."
Now the soon-to-be St. Norbert College graduate -- with a triple major in accounting, finance and economics -- is pairing his love for the outdoors with his passion for data and looking to turn it into a full-time job.
A 2018 graduate of Iron Mountain High School, he is the son of Casey and Matty McCormick.
"Growing up in the U.P. and going to places like Piers Gorge for backpacking or hiking, and backpacking up and out of Isle Royale numerous times, pushed me to find a career and a company where I can help people who love the outdoors as much as I do," he said.
McCormick will walk across the stage and receive his business degree from St. Norbert in May. He will have completed 149 credits at St. Norbert, compared with the traditional 128, and is on track to take the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination.
For the time being, the CPA exam is on the back burner. McCormick wants to continue a path he began last summer when he was among only 24 interns hired by Backcountry.com, a Utah-based company that caters to outdoor enthusiasts.
Fewer than 3% of the applicants for the ecommerce operations internship were accepted. The paid internship also included living expenses and it fostered an experience McCormick said he will never forget.
"I built daily website data reporting dashboards - essentially data reporting dashboards on website performance," McCormick said. "So, looking at industry-standard metrics and the average order value, average unit revenue, demand sales and the daily visits. I was able to build a dashboard that would showcase each day's reporting on that metric."
It wasn't all work. McCormick was able to take in many of the beautiful sights the Beehive State has to offer.
"Utah has five national parks, and almost every Friday I would work till 4, 5, or whatever, and then we (interns) would go. I would go mountain bike 15 miles, or we would spend a night and wake up in Moab and watch the sunrise in Arches National Park. It was a great overall experience," he said.
McCormick has earned his way onto the dean's list for seven semesters at St. Norbert. He's also involved on campus. He is a member of the economic honors society, a research analyst fellow with the college's Center for Business and Economic Analysis and part of the accounting club. Probably not surprising, he is also the president of the snowboard and ski club, and he has co-hosted a sports podcast with more than 120 episodes to his credit.
"I have had the pleasure of working with Will in several classes as well as in the Center for Business and Economic Analysis," said Marc Schaffer, associate professor of data analytics and economics and the director of the CBEA at St. Norbert.
"I always appreciate the drive, creativity and passion that Will brings to the table. ... Will is a go-getter, and I respect that he is mixing his future career and his passion. That is something I think we all hope to achieve," Schaffer added.
McCormick is looking forward to the next chapter in his life, hoping to enjoy more of what Utah has to offer and working in the outdoor industry on a full-time basis.