Abigail Mathieson

Product Manager/Williams Sonoma Inc.

Class Year

2013

Professional Background

Stanford Graduate School of Business (MBA/MS) - 2022; Product Manager / Buyer

How has being an English graduate from Duke University help shape your professional success?

The ability to communicate - both written and verbally - is a critical skill in my field. As a product manager, you are the conduit and coordinator of information across multiple cross-functional teams. The ability to effectively communicate is essential for professional success. English majors are trained to read hundreds of pages of information, extract what is important, and regurgitate their findings in a clear and concise way. The same is true in my profession - I comb through reports, articles, data, and emails, draw out key conclusions, and communicate a set of action points to my teams. In many ways the study of English is simply the study of human communication - mastery of a precision of language that allows for clear expression. My degree has helped shape my professional success.

LinkedIn Profile:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailmathieson/

Headshot of Abigail Mathieson