Real estate and construction management grad grateful for experienced faculty

Editor's note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2021 graduates.

Chase MacDonald is a May 2021 ASU graduate who majored in finance from the W. P. Carey School of Business with minors in real estate and construction management. He received the ASU Alumni Association Medallion Scholarship all four years.

If MacDonald received $40 million to solve one problem in the world, he would utilize his background in real estate to help create affordable and sustainable housing. 

His love for real estate began after he helped his father purchase and renovate a short-sale home that had been abandoned for about five years. The project was an “aha” moment for MacDonald, as it made him realize that he wanted to combine his interests and pursue a finance major with minors in real estate and construction management.

“The project was a lot of work, so my dad and I ended up splitting up some of the duties,” he said. “I was able to focus on creating the budgets and estimates.” 

While attending a technology camp for middle and high school students, he realized that ASU was the university for him. “It was there that I was able to see firsthand what ASU is able to offer people.” 

One of the things MacDonald has loved about ASU, and particularly the finance, real estate and construction management programs, is that he was able to learn from professors who have a great amount of experience outside of academia. “The professors I have had (worked) in jobs other than at the university,” he said. “They have developed an invaluable knowledge base.”

Throughout his time as a Sun Devil, the Litchfield Park, Arizona, native has made it a priority to take advantage of many opportunities. MacDonald is a recipient of numerous scholarships, including the Dick Baxter Real Estate, DAVACO, Kiwanis of Litchfield Park and Cattaneo Family scholarships.  

He is also a member of the Medallion Scholarship Program — one of the ASU Alumni Association’s signature scholarship initiatives. The program, more than a financial award, recognizes and develops leadership, scholarship and service.

MacDonald shared that the Medallion Program greatly impacted his time at ASU. He enjoyed being able to meet new people and grow in his Sun Devil spirit through various social and service events organized by the program.  

One of his first Medallion experiences was attending a banquet before his first year at ASU that brought together incoming freshmen and graduating seniors. “At the time, I was very unsure about my future or my place at ASU,” he said. “Through attending the banquet and hearing from some of the remarkable people in the scholarship program, it reassured me that everything was going to work out.”  

Based on the successes MacDonald has had during his time as a Sun Devil, it is clear that everything did work out for him. Upon graduation, MacDonald will move to Dania Beach, Florida, to work as a real estate analyst for Chewy, Inc.