Hello everyone! My name is Spencer Shippel and I’m a 5th year MIS and Finance Major graduating this May. I was born and raised in Alpharetta, GA, and am hopefully looking to move to another part of the country after college to see something new. I don’t currently have any specific career plan for after graduation but am actively seeking something in the consulting or software sales field. I’m very excited to take this class as I feel it might provide me with some guidance on how to pursue my future. My mom is originally from New York and is a practicing real estate attorney in Alpharetta. My dad Is from South Africa and has a manufacturing business in Atlanta. I have two brothers, an older brother, Grant, who works in insurance in Nashville, and a younger half-brother, Jack.
One very important hobby of mine is golf. I‘ve played since I was little but didn’t start playing competitively until I was a sophomore in high school. I’ve been fortunate enough to play at many great courses around the world including some in Ireland, such as Ballybunion, Tralee, and Lahinch. I would say that was probably one of my favorite trips I’ve ever taken. Even when is pouring rain, and 40 mph winds, it is still a surreal feeling to be so close to the birthplace of the sport you love. I’ve also been fortunate enough to make many of my friends through the sport of golf. In high school, I would take online classes and be able to leave school around noon to go to the course every day to play and made tremendous and lifelong friends along the way. I still play with them often although we all went to different schools, we still find time to drive to each other and play.
I also love to travel and was fortunate enough to participate in the Onward program two summers ago. Onward is an internship program that allows Jewish students the opportunity to travel to Israel for a summer and work with startups in Tel Aviv. I was able to go during the midst of Covid, which seemed almost nonexistent there, and worked for a company called SolidBlock. SolidBlock is a real estate tokenization company, which makes it easier for people to invest in Real Estate assets by offering them as partial shares set up as a cryptocurrency. It was a tremendous experience, and I was able to make lots of new friends and travel throughout the country. I got to visit Jerusalem and see the old city as well as go scuba diving and drive ATVs at the Red Sea. We also got to experience the nightlife of Tel Aviv, which I can only describe as a slightly less intense version of New York City. Overall it was a fantastic experience, and one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Another important interest in my life is my love for movies, and some of my favorites include “Inglorious Bastards,” “The Lincoln Lawyer,” and the “Dark Knight” trilogy starring Christian Bale as Batman. “Inglorious Bastards” is a thrilling World War II film directed by Quentin Tarantino that tells the story of a group of Jewish-American soldiers on a mission to take down Nazi officers. “The Lincoln Lawyer” is a legal thriller that follows the story of a defense attorney who operates out of the back of his Lincoln town car. The “Dark Knight” trilogy is a series of critically acclaimed superhero films that follow the story of Batman as he battles some of Gotham City’s most dangerous criminals. I always enjoy watching these films because of the great stories, memorable characters, and outstanding performances by the actors.