Meet Kate Zuccaro ’20 – an alumna who graduated with a degree in Business Administration with a Marketing emphasis and a self-design minor in Consumer Psychology. Kate knew from the moment she walked onto Chapman’s campus, and subsequently learned about the four pillars on the fountain in Attallah Piazza (a commitment to intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual development), that Chapman would be the place for her to call her collegiate home.

Why Chapman?

Kate says that she was attracted to Chapman “because of the strong sense of community I felt during each of my visits on campus.” This supportive persona of Chapman allowed her to envision herself actively participating in the Chapman community, both academically and socially. “I am so proud to be a part of this community because of the constant encouragement to become a respected leader and beneficial contributor, while at the same time preparing me for success in my professional career,” says Kate.

Chapman Experience

While at Chapman, Kate participated in the Emerging Leaders Retreat, was a member of the Admissions Volunteer team, and was also a member of a sorority, Alpha Phi! She says it is these experiences that helped her improve her soft skills and provided her the opportunity to establish lifelong connections and friendships.

Kate also had a few influential professors that she says she had the honor of spending time with at Chapman: Professor Marshall Toplansky and Professor Mario Leone. “These professors taught the most engaging and thought-provoking classes I took while at Chapman,” says Kate. “They both always challenged us to think differently dn presented us with real-world exercises that were applicable to the scenarios we would encounter after graduation. Additionally, they both went above and beyond to make themselves available outside of class for extra office hours or just to discuss our professional experiences and goals after graduation.” Kate went on to say “Taking classes with these professors should be a requirement at Chapman as I am still referencing various instances from either classes or outside conversations with these professors as I embark on my professional career, three years post-graduation.”

Outside of the business school, Kate enjoyed a class called: The Pursuit of Happiness and Knowledge: Walt Disney and Charles Darwin, where she learned about the psychology of Disney and everyone who worked behind the scenes to make it come to life. She thoroughly enjoyed the guest speakers who came to class, especially Floyd Norman.

Post-Grad Career Experience

Kate serves as a Marketing Manager on the Roku TV team at Roku, where she first started as a Roku TV Marketing Intern in the summer of 2019. She says, “I had such a great experience that I worked with my manager to transition to a contractor position so I could continue to work on one of my projects during my senior year at Chapman…My core responsibilities were implementing Brandfolder, a digital asset management and partner portal solution for the Roku TV Marketing team, and managing our marketing relationships with our 3rd party partners.” She was promoted to Marketing Manager in the fall of 2022, where she had the unique opportunity to assist the Product Marketing team with the launch of Roku Smart Home products and was the lead marketing liaison for a strategic partner event: Walmart Connected Home.

Kate says that the Argyros School prepared her for her career by teaching her “the business foundation for approaching real-world business problems.” She says that hearing about the professional experiences of many of her Argyros School professors “helped expand my critical thinking abilities and apply textbook learnings to real-world problems. For example, during my senior year while contracting for Roku…I consulted with Professor Leone which was an invaluable mentoring and networking experience that enabled me to develop a well-structured, comprehensive project plan.”

Kate’s Advice to Argyros Students

“ My advice for students or recent graduates is to maintain relationships with your professors and when you’re hired for a professional job, find a mentor to help guide you in the direction of your goals and ensure you’re continuing to see your professional growth as you lay the groundwork for your long and successful career.”

Connect with Kate on LinkedIn >>>