“Everyone I spoke with was really satisfied with their careers, so I became interested in the Real Estate major,” she said. “I did more research, and I discovered that many Finance courses overlapped with the real estate major.”

As Megan enters her final semester at UNI, the guidance she has received as a double major in Real Estate and Finance, her leadership role in Rho Epsilon - the Real Estate majors’ student organization - and her cooperative education experience have given her the business skills that attract great employers. In fact, she already has a job lined up after graduation with the Principal Financial Group in Des Moines.

Megan has enjoyed her Finance and Real Estate classes because of professors such as Mir Zaman, Carl Schweser Professor of Financial Analysis, and Arthur Cox, Director of the UNI Real Estate Education Program. Their high expectations and emphasis on building career skills have been important to Megan's educational growth.

“On the first day of Dr. Zaman’s class, he announced that he was a hard professor, and we would need to work hard in his course,” she said. “Later, he reassured me that I could do it, but I was nervous at first.”

As a Real Estate student and as president of Rho Epsilon, Megan has gained additional confidence in her skills by working with Dr. Cox. In his courses, she has learned how to finance a house, manage investment properties, and handle other financial endeavors.

“Dr. Cox is really open to questions and I never felt intimidated to ask him one,” she said. “He creates a relaxed atmosphere with his personality and sense of humor. He makes classes fun.”

In the Fall 2004 semester, Megan completed a coop with Aegon USA Real Estate in Cedar Rapids. Working in special services, she kept the department’s inspection database up-to-date. This role gave her insight into the world of non-performing loans, insurance issues following property damage and property bankruptcies.

“When I returned to school full-time after my coop I understood my upper-level courses better because I had my experience to use as a point of reference,” she said.

In addition to her studies, Megan’s duties as the president of Rho Epsilon give her the opportunity to plan meetings and network with business leaders. This semester, Rho Epsilon is meeting on a weekly basis. The club also holds two networking events each year for UNI real estate majors and potential employers. Students and local and state business professionals participate in the annual golf outing on the last day of spring semester finals and a picnic at the beginning of the Fall semester.

As Rho Epsilon president, her connections with professionals in her field helped find her position as an Investment Analyst I with Principal Financial Group in their Commercial Real Estate Underwriting side.

"I became aware of the position through a phone call from Kerry Studer, a current employee and someone I met during my time as Rho Epsilon president," Megan said. "He informed me that I should not miss this opportunity."

A phone interview was followed by a personal interview at Principal. Megan was offered the position 24 hours later.

In addition to Rho Epsilon, Megan is involved in the CBA’s first entry into the University Challenge. Student groups from UNI and two other schools compete to create a recommendation on a real estate development plan for a Minnesota real estate developer. Dr. Cox leads Megan and seven other students in their quest to win $2,000.

“We went to Chanhassen, MN, a suburb of Minneapolis, and viewed the developer’s potential property,” she said. “The group is now writing a proposal that will either support or discourage developing a real estate venture on that property.”

Megan’s double major, internships, and leadership experience helped her secure a dream job at the Principal Financial Group. She looks forward to the new challenges awaiting her there.