John Hill has to be one of my favorite guest speakers I’ve had at Michigan State. This program does a great job of bringing back alumni to speak to our classes, but John Hill was something more. He was incredible to listen to. Not only was his content interesting and valuable, but just the way he was able to smoothly speak in front of people is a skill that I aim to obtain.

It was clear from the start that he did not have a problem with taking risks in his career. Risks that could have gone horribly wrong and set him back years. He was able to do what he had to do to make the most of every opportunity, and he did not care what the opportunity was. It was enjoyable to listen to him describe his career path, because it is one of the craziest I have ever heard. It helped me, personally, to hear him talk about the risks he took and how much they paid off.

I am facing potentially a huge risk once I graduate in May because I am considering moving out to South Dakota to take a Sports Reporter/Anchor job. It’s good to know that things work out, no matter how daunting they look. Hill and his wife — who we also met and is an MSU JRN alum — must have had an incredible connection, with trust and faith that things are going to work out together. #Goals.

Also, his achievements speak for themselves. He has worked his way up in an unconventional way, but it was a way that saw his earnings and status rise quickly. You know that you have to listen to what he says, because you just know that he knows what he’s talking about.

It was enjoyable to hear somebody speak who comes off as relatable as he does. You can tell that he had no idea where this business was going to take him, but he trusted the process and it worked out. That’s the best piece of advice somebody could give to us students. Just trust the business. There’s something out there for everybody if you are willing to put in the work and find the opportunities that are out there. He knows what us students need to know and he was able to convey a ton of information to us in the short 45 minutes that he spoke to us.

There are speakers that come in and talk to us and we say “that was great, I’m glad he/she spoke to us.” Then there are those that speak to us and we say “I need to talk to him/her again.”