In our Alumni Spotlight series, we ask alumni to tell us about their careers and how their UVA experiences prepared them for life after the Lawn. This month, let's meet Ellie Kayton, a 2017 graduate with a major in Systems Engineering and minor in Engineering Business. NOTE: This interview was conducted pre-COVID.I grew up in Albemarle County and really enjoyed my time at UVA. I was a member of One Less and Kappa Delta Sorority, two groups full of powerful women. I loved getting sandwiches at Feast and Take It Away, going up and down Route 151, running (despite the hills) and my roommates and I spent a lot of time at Fifth Season picking out plants. If we were feeling active we went on hikes (Spy Rock is my favorite) but we really did a lot of sitting on our porch enjoying time together. I also got into yoga when I was at UVA! Fly Dog Yoga was the first place I tried yoga and I've kept up with it post grad. One of my favorite memories is my fourth year — the weather was absolutely perfect — and my best friend and I skipped Foxfield and went to Blue Grass for brunch and then went to Fifth Season. It was a great day.
Tell us about your career and your current job.
I work at Capital One in McLean, VA. I started out in the Analyst Development Program and since transitioned to the role of Product Manager. I own two products in Card Fraud, one on our website and one that is backend (think APIs and Microservices) and work with three teams of developers.
I love being a Product Manager because of the balance of strategy, problem solving and delivery work.
What does a "day in the life of you" look like?
I metro into the office around 9, get coffee and check Slack. I have two stand up ceremonies in the morning when I check in with my tech teams. Throughout the day I split my time between various activities: meetings with stakeholders, deep thinking and analysis on what my products should do next, monitoring my in market tests, and grooming future work with the teams. I usually live by 5:30 and go to the gym that's in our office! Then come home and play with my dog.
How have your experiences and education at UVA shaped your life after college and your career path thus far?
I have benefited greatly from the community UVA provides in the Northern Virginia area as well as the technical skills I learned while studying SIE. Many of my school friends live within two miles of me, and I think that's made the social transition piece of post grad easier. At work, there's a UVA network and we have our own happy hours, lunches, etc. I'm also on the UVA recruiting leadership team for Business Analytics which has given me a good community at work. On top of all of that, I feel like I learned how to learn while at school. The coding and the statistics didn't hurt, but the problem solving and presentation/communication tools have been what has helped me the most in my career thus far.
How has UVA Engineering helped you innovate and lead in your career?
Systems Engineering taught me how to ask the right questions, learn quickly and develop point of views on things that matter. I feel like every company is looking for those traits in their leadership.
Tell us about an event, class, advisor, professor, or mentor that really impacted your career path/choices.
Human Computer Interface was polarizing but I loved it. I had never heard of Behavioral Economics before that class, and I ate up all the concepts and the wire framing. It's what got me started on my Product journey and I use a lot of what I learned in that class when I work with designers today.
How did engaging with the Center for Engineering Career Development support your goals and vision for the future?
When I was a second year, all I knew was that I wanted to study abroad in Paris with my best friend over the summer. But, I felt like everyone else was getting internships. Heather and the Center for Engineering Career Development set me up with a local Wedding Cake business, which was a flexible enough job that I could go to Paris while still getting some cool experience. I ended up building the business owner a relational database to keep track of her clients and Heather helped me make sure that all the cool stuff I did was then reflected on my resume. Honestly I'm not sure if I would have gotten the internship with Cap One after 3rd year if not for her.
With your professional perspective, what skills do you think are vital for current UVA Engineering students to learn?
I've already said it but learn how to learn! And if that's too broad of an answer then tacitly, as a Product Manager, I touch SQL, AWS, Java, Statistics and do a lot of presentation making, story telling and communicating.
For current students hoping to go into your field, what are some of the most effective things they can do right now to prepare themselves for future success?
Be results focused.