Meet Our Newest UIC Business Adviser: Aaron Henrickson

Aaron Henrickson recently joined the UIC Business family as an undergraduate academic adviser serving Management, Human Resources Management, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing majors. Aaron will be working closely with the students to help them achieve their academic goals. We caught up with him as he gets settled into his new position:

Favorite Chicago Activities/Places: 
Since I am not originally from Chicago my list of favorite places has continued to evolve with time. Starting from the South Loop, Lake View, Lincoln Square, and then to Jefferson Park.

As a former Theatre Major, I’ve spent a lot of time in Theaters, and as someone who likes to eat, I have spent a lot of time in restaurants as well – so most of my Chicago time is spent in one of those two places. My love for theater is also because of the fact that I happened to meet my wife in Rogers Park, a side project theater. Also, one of my favorite places to spend my time is a theater in Wicker Park called “The Den”. I also like visiting museums.

I also have a soft spot in my heart for Lincoln Square, my wife and I used to live very close to Damen brown line and we loved to walk up and down Lincoln Avenue, every Saturday, check out the festivals on the weekends, and shop there on Small Business Saturday, eat at the restaurants, etc. We could walk to Wrigley Field, and on really nice days we could walk all the way to Lincoln Park and then downtown along the lakefront.

Favorite Chicago Restaurants: For a food lover like me, this is a really tough question to answer. 90 Miles, Pequods Pizza, Nightwood (though it’s gone now), Xoco, Yes Thai, Honey Butter Fried Chicken.

Favorite Chicago Deep Dish: To name a few – Pepperoni, Sausage, and Giardiniera

Favorite Netflix show? 
Sadly, I am not an avid Netflix watcher but I am upset that Game of Thrones seasons 1 – 7 has ended but equally happy that I never have to watch season 8 again!

Tell us a little about your personal/professional background?
I came to Chicago to go to film school at Columbia College and found myself changing my major to Theatre Directing. I had been working as a Theatre Director and instructor in and around Chicago for the past ten years. While looking for a new next opportunity in Directing Theatre, I was fortunate to find myself an advising position. For me advising is the perfect combination of education, mentorship, and student advocacy that gets me excited to come to work every single day.

What led you to UIC?
UIC feels very much like home thanks to the incredible mix of students, staff, and faculty. The people here at UIC, have a tremendous sense of purpose, and at the same time, they are REAL people with intelligence, humor, and pathos. The students at UIC are dedicated to working for a better future and the faculty, and the staff is equally dedicated to helping them build their future. I feel a deep sense of pride to be a part of that purpose.

What are you most excited to do in your new role?
Empowering students to explore their personal, professional goals, interests and working with them to create a roadmap to achieve these goals. I am also thrilled to be working with the BA 100, BA220, BA320 course instructors! This is an innovative course and a big chance for our students to learn improv from folks who work with Second City! Can it get better than this? As someone who has spent time in the “real world”, I have been surprised as to how much my improv training has helped me prepare for my interviews.

If you could give one piece of advice to all UIC Business students, what would it be? 
Don’t be pressured to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life, instead think about what you want to do first, and then be open to where those opportunities take you. Stay curious and allow yourself some room to be surprised!

Thank you Aaron for sharing your story with us. We are thankful and excited to have you on our team. We look forward to working with you in giving the students a seamless experience at UIC Business. Schedule an appointment or email him at ahenri5@uic.edu.