A World of Opportunities

By Liz Schilling

Spurts of stale air blast through the vents of family mini-vans and SUVs as they slowly follow herds of cars driving toward campus on move-in day. In almost every car, nervous students try to avoid the awkward parent-to-kid "talk" that usually begins with, "When I was in college," or "This will be a big change..."--as if beginning college wasn't stressful enough.

The truth is, "the talk" is unavoidable and the words of wisdom are almost always worth paying attention to.   And although many students quickly lose the advice among the clutter on move-in day, others remember their parent's words throughout college and life.

Chad Boettcher (pronounced Beecher), now the director of strategic partnership and public affairs for MTV, still remembers the advice his father gave him while driving from Minnesota on move-in day in August 1992. "He said, 'You're going to be presented with so many opportunities and if for one second you think it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you're probably right.'"

Boettcher now realizes that it was his father's advice that influenced him to succeed in college – it is what helped him defeat the difficult years after graduation and it is still what guides him through his challenging job today.

"I've never subscribed to the idea of getting a job just to pay the bills, and so far, I haven't seen any of my jobs as work," said Boettcher, who graduated from Miami in '97.

Why hasn't Boettcher seen any of his jobs as work? Probably because he began his impressive college career by "stepping outside of the box" and pursuing every opportunity available in academics, organizations and outside activities.

Although busy studying for three majors – political science, botany and Spanish – the honors student also found time to earn a minor in Latin American studies.   But while studying was important, Boettcher refused to spend every minute in the library.   He quickly joined the tennis club and the College Democrats among other clubs and organizations and also found time to study abroad in Costa Rica.

Boettcher began to realize that his future after graduation depended more on what he learned outside of the classroom and less on grades. "My freshman year I was really concerned with getting perfect grades," admitted Boettcher, "In fact, once when I thought I was getting a B, I considered dropping the class, even though it was just a few weeks before the end of the semester.   Looking back, I can't even remember what class it was."

At the end of four years, Boettcher determined he wasn't finished. And his father's advice continued to encourage Boettcher throughout his fifth year at Miami.   Boettcher interned with the Associated Press and served as president of the College Democrats, which gave him the opportunity to attend the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the Republican National Convention in San Diego as well as the Inauguration in Washington, D.C.

In May '97, Boettcher graduated magna cum laude, taking with him an impressive list of experiences, activities and awards – University Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, President's Distinguished Service Award, U.S. Department of Justice Scholar Program, as well as many others.  

Boettcher's classes, organizations and his father's advice influenced him to move to Washington, D.C., after graduation. There, he continued working in politics at a consulting firm.

In the fall of '98, with his father's words echoing in his ears, Boettcher jumped on an opportunity to join Hubert H. "Skip" Humphrey's political campaign in Minnesota and then Al Gore's campaign in '99.

Campaign work meant continuously changing jobs and moving from state to state.   Although this was challenging for Boettcher, it also made him realize that "in life it is important to connect yourself to a cause that is bigger and better than you."

After Gore's campaign ended with a loss, Boettcher once again moved back to D.C. where he co-founded a political consulting firm in '01. The company provided creative communications and political research for Fortune 500 companies, major non-profit organizations, and top U.S. Senate, House and other campaigns in more than 20 states. Boettcher also created strategies for celebrities, corporations, non-profits and politicians facing issues such as the collapse of Enron, the human genome project and potential terrorist networks.

In March '02, Boettcher received a surprising phone call from MTV offering him a job on its strategic partnerships and public affairs team, which works to create and implement MTV's on- and off-air political and pro-social initiatives that address issues that young viewers are concerned about.  

Again, remembering his father's advice, Boettcher saw the offer to work with MTV as a "once-in-a lifetime" opportunity that could not be ignored.   Even though Boettcher could have been happy working in his business, he said, "It's not about getting comfortable where you are in life, it's about growing by trying new things."

Boettcher never thought working for MTV would be a public service, but after working closely with all MTV departments and creating campaigns such as the Emmy Award winning "Fight For Your Rights" and "Choose or Lose," Boettcher realized he was wrong: "MTV has taught me how to speak to young people in a way they understand, more effectively and efficiently than any other politician."

Although busy creating new political programs for MTV, Boettcher loves to read, write and work in his backyard greenhouse, located just steps away from the 90-story Trump Tower.  "I must be the only jalapeno farmer in Manhattan," said Boettcher.

The career paths Boettcher has taken since graduating from Miami seven years ago have given him unforgettable experiences all over the world – from traveling to Thailand and working with Richard Gere, or attending events such as the democratic convention.  

"I've tried to predict things in my life, but I have learned that some things you just can't predict," said Boettcher. "In 10 years, I'll be happy if I have taken advantage of all the things that I wanted to."

"I still want to be an elected official someday," said Boettcher.   "I'm getting there, but in a different way than I imagined I would."

Boettcher has proved that some advice is worth listening to, even if it is from parents.   If he hadn't taken advantage of the "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunities that came his way, he wouldn't be where he is today.   Boettcher believes that many students fail to see the opportunities in front of them and urges them to look at what can be done in a "bigger, brighter world."

*Boettcher is planning to attend the Miami University Student Foundation's Eye on Alumni event in 2006.

Read more of Liz Schilling's articles:

Shrinking the Language Barrier