Ben Johnston ‘25 has secured a role at USI Insurance Services, an insurance brokerage and consulting firm. The management major graduated a semester early from the Barney School of Business and credits the connections he made at UHart and relationships with alumni for helping him narrow down his career path and eventually land his current role. “Over the years at UHart, I consistently connected with several alumni in different industries who helped me understand what those jobs entail,” Ben says. “One even wrote me a letter of recommendation that was instrumental in my hiring process.”
Ben notes that his classmates were like-minded, enabling them to share ideas and motivate each other toward success. He adds that professors effectively connected classroom learning to their personal careers, guiding him in his future career planning. The Allan Center for Career and Professional Development also served as a valuable resource.
During his time as a student, Ben interned at Fidelity Investments in an operations role, which taught him how to network with senior leaders and understand office dynamics.
Now at USI, Ben is applying the technical skills he learned at Barney to excel in his role. “The knowledge of relationship building is the most important thing I learned,” Ben explains, “and has been extremely helpful in navigating the early career process, where you need to find your place and build relationships within your company.” Outside of academics, he found being part of the lacrosse program a valuable experience that fostered lasting friendships, life skills, and plenty of fun.
“Playing on the lacrosse team while graduating early taught me valuable time management skills and the ability to form lasting relationships with a diverse range of people,” Ben emphasizes. “UHart, particularly Barney, provided experiences that exposed me to real-world businesses. One Barney presentation led me to my current career after I met representatives from my company when they were guest speakers in one of my classes.”
Ben Johnston ‘25, Barney School of BusinessTake advantage of networking and don't be afraid to reach out to people. Nine times out of 10, whoever it is will be excited to talk to you and help however they can.