Pierce Skinner – About Me

Hello class! My name is Pierce Skinner and I am a fourth-year MIS student with the intent to graduate this upcoming May. I have always had a knack for solving problems from a business perspective but was unsure about what I wanted to do when I arrived at UGA. Funny note here, I still don’t know what I really want to do but an older mentor of mine told me “Pierce, I am 53 years old and I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.” I still had to decide what to study so during my Freshman year, I decided to focus my studies in MIS after learning from older mentors who told me that studying MIS will open many doors down the road due to the evolution of technology in the business world. I really enjoyed MIST 2090 with Professor Jetha and felt that he was the first professor to open my eyes to the endless possibilities that can be created through tech, AI, new platforms, etc. I can’t say that I have always found MIS to be enjoyable especially throughout the more technical courses but I am extremely excited for this class to bring it back to where it all started in 2090, which for me, is learning how businesses and entrepreneurs succeed in a digital world.

Growing Up/ Home Life

So I grew up in Lagrange, Ga. Lagrange is a mid-sized town located about an hour southwest from the Atlanta airport. I have two great parents and am the middle child between two sisters. I actually come from a family with Auburn roots, as my grandparents, mother, as well as older sister all went to school there. As you can tell, I kind of went rogue coming to UGA but clearly with our school and football program, made the right decision. Like many other students from the state of Georgia, the Zell Miller scholarship made the decision a lot easier. Growing up, I was a typical guy who enjoyed sports and outdoor activities. Throughout my time at Lagrange High School, I was a tennis player and ran cross country. I was a pretty small kid in high school so football wasn’t really in my cards. Instead, I was a leader for our student section, the “Blue Crew.” I was also pretty involved with our school’s chorus program. My crowning achievement for the program was bringing a basketball hoop into the guy’s dressing room to run games behind the scenes during the shows. The director wasn’t a huge fan, but let me tell you, we had more guys join the chorus program than ever before due to the fun culture that we created.

What I like to do

This part of the blog might be a little all over the place, as I try to break down some of the things that I enjoy doing. In my free time, which has gradually shrunk over my four years here at UGA :(, there are a few things that I really enjoy doing. A typical free day for me would entail a swim at Ramsey, a trip to the UGA golf range, and grilling/looking at fun trips to take. I took swimming with Brett Anderson for my PE requirement and enjoyed it so much that I am back for another round this semester. This past summer, I lived in Tampa, FL with my older sister and brother-in-law(Sam). Sam was just finishing his college golf career and was entering mini PGA tour events. I was able to caddy for him throughout last summer which was hands down my favorite “job” that I have had. Spending that summer with him pushed me to invest in my own golf game and I have been trying to play as much as possible since. Alright, after a long day, I really enjoy lighting up some charcoal and throwing some meat on the grill. I had the opportunity to get a traeger grill/smoker, but turned it down, due to my loyalty to charcoal. Would love to hear which side of the spectrum you guys fall under. The last piece is my interest in outdoor sports such as skiing/surfing. I have had the privilege to go on two ski trips throughout college. One trip to Whitefish, MT and one to Snowshoe, WV. The trip to Montana was a family trip that was incredible and I was able to get into real back country skiing. The trip to snowshoe was with a couple buddies and we were definitely roughing it, but, we absolutely tore up the terrain park during our time on the mountain. The last outdoor sport that I really enjoy is surfing. I went on a surf trip to Folly Beach, SC last spring and hope to go back again this summer. The waves were perfect for a novice like myself, but I long to get off the west coast and try my luck at a bigger break one day.