From student council to corporate communications: A CMU alum’s journey of curiosity, community, and connection
25 at 25 | Zachary Peters (CMU '10)
Zachary Peters (CMU ’10) completed a BA in Political Studies after beginning his CMU journey with the Outtatown Discipleship School. His time at CMU nurtured curiosity, community, and critical reflection—values that continue to shape his work in marketing and communications.
Zachary Peters came to CMU for adventure.
In 2005, Peters joined CMU's Outtatown Discipleship School, a program that enabled students to experience travel through a mission trip while still keeping up with their studies.
"What I wanted to do post high school and so was looking for an opportunity that would allow me to travel a little bit, give back some service work opportunities, and Outtatown just was a natural fit at that time," Peters says.
Following Outtatown, Peters stayed at CMU, enrolling in 2006 and graduating in 2010 with a major in political studies.
Even with his feet firmly planted on the CMU campus, the sense of curious intrigue found on Outtatown lingered. He describes himself as someone who chose classes more for interest than for a set career path, which left room for discovery.
"I went through my undergrad really with that mindset of 'don't know yet where I'm headed or what I'm going to do,' but found that the CMU experience really allowed for that exploration and allowed me to choose my own adventure."
Community played just as big a role as the classroom. Peters never lived in residence but made a point of staying on campus late into the evenings, joining the student council, soccer, and countless cafeteria meals.
"I don't think I would have thrived the way I did at CMU at any other bigger university," he says. "For me, the community was really what made my experience what it was."
After graduation, Peters stayed at CMU as an admissions counselor, where he says he spent three years developing his interpersonal and public speaking skills–although those seem to come naturally to him.
From there, he completed a diploma in creative communications at Red River College (now Polytech) and entered a career in marketing and communications. He spent nearly eight years with True North Sports + Entertainment, later worked at The Forks, and now serves as Marketing Communications Manager at Johnson Group.
Even as he moved through different roles and workplaces, the lessons he learned at CMU continued to shape his approach to challenges and opportunities.
"To think critically about all our things in our life, whether it be faith, to not just take it blindly, but to discover what it means individually to you, what it means to your community, and also your education and so forth," he says. "I don't think it's fostered elsewhere in the same way it is at CMU in such an intentional way."
"I'm just so grateful for that in everything in my life, from parenting to work to my continued faith journey and so forth."