August Hoffman

“Gaming is where I found my people. Foster’s teaching me to build for them”

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have done over 100 Scuba Dives in my life, living aboard a dive boat for several weeks, during which I earned my rescue diver certification.

Undergraduate School and Major: Kenyon College, Psychology

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Nelnet, Social Media Specialist

What makes Seattle such a great place to earn an MBA?

Seattle offers exactly what I need to break into gaming: proximity to industry giants like Nintendo, Microsoft, and Valve, plus a thriving indie scene. But what sealed my decision was the culture. Seattle celebrates authenticity—whether that’s the programmer in flannel or the marketer with a psychology background. I’ve lived in five cities, and it’s only here that I feel equally comfortable discussing marketing metrics at a coffee shop and going to a gaming convention with classmates. That authenticity translates into Foster’s collaborative culture, where my unconventional background isn’t a liability—it’s an asset.

Aside from your location and classmates, what was the one key part of Washington Foster’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you?

Foster’s Product Marketing specialization drew me in because it’s designed for Seattle’s tech ecosystem. Coming from a psychology background, I’ve always understood what motivates people. But I lacked the frameworks to translate those insights into go-to-market strategies, pricing decisions, and product roadmaps. Foster’s curriculum, taught by practitioners from companies like Amazon, bridges that gap. So far, experiential learning experiences like the applied strategy project in the winter quarter and the case competition in the fall quarter have made it easier than ever to apply my new knowledge and showcase my skills amongst my peers.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Washington Foster?

Surprisingly, Finance became my favorite course at Foster. It was surprising because I’d never taken a finance course in my life and feared I’d drown in the numbers. But Professor Thomas Gilbert transformed it from my greatest anxiety into genuine excitement. His energy was contagious, and he has this gift for connecting abstract concepts to real decisions. I found myself volunteering answers and actually enjoying the problem sets. It reminded me that the right teacher doesn’t just convey information; they can change how you see the world.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:

In August 2023, I was hit by the third round of layoffs at my company. I was ashamed—an emotion that intensified as months of job searching yielded nothing. But I needed income, so I became a cashier at Kroger.

It was humbling to trade corporate emails for scanning barcodes. But I quickly realized that because everyone needs groceries, I encountered humanity daily. There was the elderly woman who snapped at me over expired coupons but apologized the next day, explaining she’d just lost her husband. There was the teenager trying to use his mom’s EBT card, who I helped navigate a system designed to shame. I learned to de-escalate customer conflicts, solve problems with incomplete information, and rebuild community from scratch—skills that proved invaluable when I started building study groups at Foster.

Two months later, I landed a part-time marketing role. A year after that, I enrolled at Foster. It’s unconventional, but that grocery store taught me more about resilience, empathy, and human behavior than any previous role. I’m proud I didn’t let shame prevent growth.

Describe your biggest achievement in the MBA program so far:

It may sound strange, but my biggest achievement has been learning what not to do. In the first quarter, I tried everything: five different clubs, networking events, informational interviews, study groups, tutoring, being an ambassador, student government, etc. I wanted to find my place at Foster quickly.

Most of it didn’t work out. I joined clubs that weren’t the right fit. I lost the student office I wanted to be in. I said yes to coffee chats that went nowhere. But through that trial and error, I learned something crucial: impact comes from depth, not breadth.

By the end of the quarter, I’d narrowed my focus to a Product Marketing specialization and gaming industry recruiting. I stopped trying to be everywhere and started being present where I actually belonged.

That clarity is my achievement. I came to Foster ready to throw myself at everything. I’m leaving the first quarter knowing exactly where I want to invest my energy for the next 18 months. Sometimes the biggest growth is knowing what to say no to.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far?

‘Sail-Gate’—Foster’s tradition of tailgating on a boat on Lake Washington before a Husky football game. This year’s October game was at noon, meaning we boarded at 8 AM in pouring rain with temperatures in the 40s. Any rational person would have stayed home.

Instead, 100 of us—first-years, second-years, and blue-dots (partners of Foster students)—boarded a boat on Lake Washington, rain-soaked and freezing, bonding over a game that I don’t even know the rules of.

It sounds miserable on paper. But standing there, drenched and laughing with classmates I’d met six weeks earlier, I realized this was what I came to Foster for—not just the education, but the community. These are people who show up, even when it’s hard. That’s the culture I want to build in my career.

DON’T MISS MEET THE WASHINGTON FOSTER MBA CLASS OF 2027

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