Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University Museum recently issued the following announcement.

 Jacob Coddington, a second year MBA student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, has been selected as a 2019 Forbes Under 30 Scholar.

Coddington is one of just 1,000 “high performing students” from across the globe selected for the title this year. This honor is reserved for people who represent the entrepreneurial spirit of Forbes and provides free admission to the 2019 Forbes Under 30 Summit set for Oct. 27-30 in Detroit.

“I’m honored to be named a scholar and can’t wait for the 30 Under 30 event,” Coddington said.

The summit is a unique event featuring industry networking sessions, immersive field trips in Detroit, a community service day, a music festival, and the opportunity to participate in sessions featuring some of the biggest names today in technology, entertainment, finance, fashion, food and philanthropy.

Speakers include Serena Williams, Heidi Zak, Steve Case, Kevin Durant, Olivia Munn, Jon Oringer, 21 Savage, Jenny Campbell, Anthony Casalena, Manish Chandra, Bradley Tusk and a host of other movers and shakers.

“I’m really excited about networking with some of the best young leaders in the world and getting the invaluable opportunity to learn from speakers like Steve Case, Alexandre Mars, Serena Williams and Kevin Durant,” Coddington, of Glen Carbon, said.

Fostering leadership and innovation

Each year, Forbes selects between 1,000 and 1,500 students as Forbes 30 Under 30 Scholars, according to Laura Brusca, vice president of corporate communications for Forbes. She said selection is made on the basis of a variety of criteria, including a written statement by applicants regarding how they embody the “Under 30” tenets of leadership and innovation.

“At Forbes, we champion success and those who aspire to be successful, and our goal is to nurture self-starters,” Brusca said of the program launched six years ago. “This program is designed to increase diversity and give entrepreneurial-minded, high-achieving students low-cost access to four days of programming that will help them think more broadly about social, economic and geo-political issues impacting our world today.”

Coddington an experienced innovator

Coddington isn’t new to the world of innovation, entrepreneurship and business. He’s a May 2018 graduate of the University of Mississippi with degrees in finance and marketing and also played on the men’s basketball team there.

But he chose SIU for his master’s degree and is currently co-teaching the “Innovations in Sustainability” innovation class in SIU’s honors college and he works as a graduate assistant in the university’s Office of Innovation and Economic Development.

He also serves as the president of the Saluki Entrepreneur Corps, a registered student organization, and works remotely in sales and business development for Yo Radio, a tech start-up business based in Edwardsville, Illinois.

He co-founded New Blue Marketing, and helped get the business, now operated by his co-founder, fully operational.

Innovation fellowship experience

In addition, Coddington was one of six SIU students chosen as 2018 University Innovation Fellows, a national leadership program. In conjunction with the program operated by Stanford University, Coddington was given the opportunity to attend innovation and design-thinking workshops, including one in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and another at Stanford.

“I highly recommend getting involved in the program at SIU,” he said.

He said SIU has been instrumental in launching him toward the career and future he envisions.

“Along with having a phenomenal MBA program, the College of Business faculty do everything they can to help students succeed outside of the classroom,” Coddington said. “By placing such a priority on innovation, SIU gave me access to experiences and opportunities I wouldn’t have found at other universities.”

Future plans

Coddington is looking forward to a career as a global management consultant and his goal is to eventually create or join a technology business. After completing his MBA, he’s hoping to more international experience by working abroad or consulting with global businesses.

Original source can be found here.