Adam Rose
I was born and raised in Las Vegas but spent many of my summers at Panguitch Lake in southern Utah; so I’m a mix of city and country boy at heart. Before coming to IE University, I took specialized high school career tracks in Business, Finance, and Economics with the National Academy Foundation (NAF). I also worked at Credit One Bank, first as an intern and then as a full-time risk specialist before coming to IE University. I don’t have a concrete idea of the work I’d like to do, but I do know that I want to continue fostering positive change in whatever role I choose.
“IE University has given me the opportunity to make relationships I don’t think would have been possible anywhere else.”
An unconventional career path creating wide-scale impact
Adam Rose’s story is a model of the transformative journey students embark on when they join IE University. In high school, he knew only that he wanted to do something different and exceptional, but had no idea how to accomplish it. So when Adam started to seriously think about higher education, he applied to nearly 30 universities and was accepted into almost all of them.
Most of these institutions were based abroad and, after spending many of his formative years living in the US, Adam was ready for a new adventure. He traveled to Europe in early 2017 to spend time with his parents and visit several universities before committing to any program. And that’s how Adam ended up participating in The IExPEERience, where he fell in love with the stunning, historic campus in Segovia—solidifying his decision to become a part of the IE University community.
Out of those 30 top institutions, IE University stood out to him for a variety of reasons. Driven by his global ambitions, he felt the Dual Degree in Business Administration & International Relations was the ideal vehicle to jumpstart a career that would be international, cosmopolitan and unique. The university’s diverse student body, its youthfulness and “the drive and ambition that echoed through its halls” all added to the allure.
Adam is now in the fifth and final year of his dual degree. In that time, he has racked up an impressive catalog of achievements, building up an aspirational professional profile while creating a solid foundation for a career focused on building a better society. He rose through the ranks to become president of the IE Debate Club. Throughout his years in the club, Adam organized, moderated and even competed in various panels, several student government debates and the annual Royal Artillery Debate—feats that led to him being listed as one of the inaugural members of the IE Wall of Fame.
He was also one of the founding and Executive Committee members of IEUMUN. It has since grown to become one of the biggest charity Model United Nations conferences in Europe, and Adam now serves as both an advisory board member and a competitive legacy member for the organization. Through his positions and dedication, he competed in the Harvard WorldMUN event held in Madrid and played a vital role in the Geneva International Model United Nations (GIMUN).
But that’s not all: Adam has been a vibrant part of the student advocacy and support network at IE University. From serving as vice chair of the IE University Diversity & Inclusion Committee—where he worked with high-level university executives to craft the IE Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Procedures & Policies—to being a four-term student representative, Adam has made an indelible mark on the IE Community. He has also spent time as a peer support facilitator and student mentor, competed with the IE Chess Club and spent three years working in various roles at The Stork—IE University’s independent, student-led newspaper—and the IE International Policy Review (IPR).
Through it all, Adam is grateful that all the competitions, networking events and the general atmosphere that IE University fosters have helped him meet some of his closest friends who now span the globe. He notes that “there are few institutions on Earth that generate such a sense of global connection and allow for a true appreciation of cultures and ideas from around the world.”
In a professional sense, Adam has used his time at IE University to create long-lasting rapport with various leading companies. Through the Marketing & Consumer Insights Lab, he’s been able to work with multinationals like Heineken and Mondelēz International. More generally, Adam has been able to expand his skill set via several internships and fellowships; most notable are his stints at think tank RAIA and the United Nations Millennium Fellowship.
And while he admits his time at IE University hasn’t all been sunshine and roses, especially because he is worried about what the future might bring for the professional landscape, he reiterates that “there are experiences here that are unlike any other university” he could have attended. Adam decompresses by enjoying reading and writing, listening to country music and traveling or exploring the city and countryside with friends. He also indulges his interests in military science and volunteers for organizations working in mental health, violence reduction and trauma mediation.
For Adam, the future is bright indeed. Knowing that his strengths lie in leveraging networks, people and resources to make something genuinely valuable or useful, he looks forward to doing more partnership building, power brokering and impact work. He’s already working to develop purposeful roles for himself within the professional networks he’s established, focusing on his innate interests in finance, international security and defense. This includes working with Science Po Lille MUN (SPLIMUN) as the Under-Secretary-General of Crisis Management—the perfect stepping stone to the global career of his dreams.