Matthew Buchholz is a Spring 2022 graduate of George Mason University's School of Business. He has enjoyed his roughly four years at GMU studying information systems and operations management, as well as minoring in economics. Despite around half of his college experience being spent during COVID-19 and abroad in Perth Australia, the time he spent on campus was most impactful to him.

"When I first met Brian, it was the second semester into covid (spring of 2021) when I decided to enroll in his systems analysis and design class. That semester everything was either asynchronous or only 50% in person. I was lucky enough to take his in-person class. That class was unlike any others I had took before. Through asking us to really think and to cumulate our knowledge from lower-level courses into a semester long project, Brian implanted the fundamentals of consulting into my mind and those of my classmates.

A year after that class, I come around to enrolling in my final semester of courses. I still had little idea of what I wanted to do after graduation and had no professional experience outside of my retail positions. Brian’s class sounded difficult, and I couldn’t be sure what I was up for; I decided to enroll.

That semester, Brian instructed me and my team as we tried our hardest to apply the lessons from his previous course to real world clients. Our project had us delve into the field of cyber security regulatory compliance. Something not yet taught at the university. Through the trials and tribulations of this project, I was able to develop my sense of professional candor and respect for my team. The pressure shaped me. Brian led me into the professional world, and helped me see I can find success in nearly any field."

- Matthew Buchholz

After road tripping the United States following graduation, Matthew will start as a Technology Consultant at Ernst & Young in the late summer of 2022.

Matthew hopes to expand his knowledge of cyber security and jump on the leads presented by his recent project. Along with this, he hopes to promote the university and solidify the GMU school of business as the utmost professional institution in northern Virginia.