By Tanner Adomaitis, Staff Writer
Originally Published November 28, 2023
Beginning her educational journey at Saint Vincent College (SVC) in 2013, Caitlin Michael double majored in marketing and management with a minor in operational excellence and graduated in 2017. After graduating from SVC, Michael attended St. Francis University, where she earned a degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and a master's degree in education and leadership. Now, Michael attends West Virginia University, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Marketing and is set to graduate at the end of the current semester.
Michael has since returned to SVC as a marketing instructor and will soon be an assistant professor of marketing upon completing her Ph.D.
“SVC was the only place that I applied for my undergrad. I visited the campus in the fall of my senior year of high school, and I absolutely loved it here from the moment I set foot on campus,” Michael said. “I was very eager to come here, learn about everything and everyone and be a part of the community, and none of that has changed. The second I graduated, my thoughts became, ‘Well, how do I come back?’”
Michael said that she decided she wanted to be a professor because she loves research and teaching.
“I love the ability to help future marketers and shape the future leaders who will run the business world in the coming years. I want to be able to share my findings with them so we can make the world a more inclusive and happier place. I strongly believe that marketing can be used for good, and my research is about how we can make the world a better place.”
During her time at SVC, Michael helped found the Student Reading Club and was involved with the Women in Business and the Operational Excellence clubs. Outside of work and education, Michael cares for a “zoo of rescue animals,” including four dogs, five cats, a Ball Python, a Bearded Dragon, and seven Crested Geckos. When not making dinner for her animals (or cleaning up after them!), Michael volunteers at animal shelters, attends concerts in the Pittsburgh area, and binge-watches Netflix.
Moreover, Michael loved bingo and all of the events held by the Activities Programming Board, as well as the community aspects. As an instructor returning to SVC, she is thrilled by several of the changes that have occurred, such as the new library, the different setup of The Shack, and the GET app for ordering food—something Michael says she would have loved as an undergraduate student.
“But it’s also very comforting that many things have remained unchanged. There are still the same smiling faces of staff and faculty members eager to help and support everyone in the community,” Michael said. “The FMO workers that I ate lunch with as a student in the Wimmer lobby are still here, and now I get to greet them in the morning in the elevator. It’s been wonderful that the community is still the same, but we have more fun technological and architectural advancements.”