Appalachian State University Alumnus, John Vines, believed that his two most influential mentors in the Walker College of Business shaped him into realizing his potential as a future business leader. Amy Odom and Michelle Boisclair, associate and executive directors, respectively, in the Walker College of Business BB&T Student Leadership Center, can attest to his powerful leadership style and his drive to develop himself professionally. According to Vines, his mentors “taught me how to communicate my own vision to employers and student organizations alike, share that vision with others, and earn the commitments of my fellow students and co-workers to execute that vision.”
Throughout his time at Appalachian, Vines regularly visited the BB&T Student Leadership Center, a center that provides resources that help students in securing jobs or internships. Conveniently, Vines worked in the Business Career Services office which is housed in the center. Vines said this time helped him figure out the best ways to leverage his double major in marketing and management.
Vines also served as a student ambassador for the Walker College as a member of the Walker Fellows. He attributes the connections he made in the center and the Walker Fellows to his current success as a Retail Management Trainee (RMT) for Food Lion. As an RMT, Vines provides employees with a solid foundation of technical training while also developing employee leadership ability. In many ways, Vines has begun to empower other leaders just as his mentors and peers once empowered him.
As a May 2018 graduate from Appalachian, Vines encourages students to embrace all the changes that come with starting a new career. Championing the services that the BB&T Center provides and stressing the importance of being involved on campus, Vines continues to work and serve his local community with the same principles he learned from the Walker College of Business.
Nov. 1, 2018
Taylor Heidenreich
Boone, N.C.
John Vines
