Aaron Tjarks
May 28, 2019
Aaron Tjarks (2018)
Aaron Tjarks is in his fifth year selling medical devices as a Senior Account Manager with Medtronic. Aaron and his wife Jessyca welcomed a daughter, Ruby Kay, in September 2018. They reside in Ankeny, IA with their dog Rogue. In his limited free time, Aaron enjoys Crossfit, volunteer coaching high school football, golf, travel, and playing fetch with Rogue.
What year did you graduate and what was your concentration?
May 2012 – I was a Public Communication and Business Management double major.
What extra-/co-curricular activities did you do?
I was a three-year starter for the Truman State football team. I was also a Vice President in the Sigma Phi Epsilon social fraternity and briefly had a cup of coffee on Dobson Radio and KTRM. Off campus I worked as a bartender at a couple local establishments.
Number 58 in your program, Number 1 in your heart. Aaron on the field (2009).
Did you go to grad school?
No, but I am considering it in the next year or two.
What was your first job after graduation?
I sold back office outsourcing solutions for ADP (Automatic Data Processing) working with small businesses in Kansas City. A few years later, I moved back to Des Moines and started with Medtronic in 2015 .
What work do you do/What are you doing now?
I am a Senior Account Manager with Medtronic in the Minimally Invasive Therapies Group. I help support the safe and effective use of medical devices in the operating room, launch new techniques/technologies and assist in cost-containment/savings strategies.
Aaron far right) and the rest of the Ankeny Centennial Football coaching staff (2018).
How has your Liberal Arts/COMM education helped you?
My COMM education developed a strong foundation in writing, comprehension, public speaking, and persuasion. I use various methods of written and spoken word consistently do my job.
Which class did you dislike at the time you took it, but now you’re grateful you took it?
I really didn’t have a class I disliked – The entire COMM faculty made every class impactful and fun.
What was your greatest accomplishment at Truman?
Three come to mind:
Aaron and his daughter Ruby (2018).
First, in 2009, we beat Pitt State for the first time in school history. Diane Johnson, my professor and advisor at the time, wrote me a personal note congratulating our team on the victory. It just goes to show that the faculty really cares about students — That was one of my favorite memories in my time at school.
Second, in one semester, I successfully wrote three papers on the greatest movie of all-time, The Shawshank Redemption. I’m sure by the end of that semester Dr. Smith was sick of viewing the same movie through different lenses, but I had a blast doing it!
Lastly, I developed sound time-management skills. Between balancing two majors, varsity football, an executive chair of a social fraternity, and working two jobs, I didn’t have much room for error. This has served me well in the business world as my responsibilities have shifted to work, fatherhood, family, and fitness.
Why is Truman a good place for a student to study?
Aaron and his wife Jessyca (2017).
You have an opportunity to develop in so many capacities and rub elbows with brilliant people. The campus is large enough to meet new people, but small enough that it feels tight-knit. The faculty truly cares about student well-being and success.
What would you say a COMM student should absolutely do while at Truman?
Stay in Kirksville over a summer and take a class. You’ll make new friends and it will push you out of your comfort zone. My summers in Kirksville were so much fun and unlike any other time of the school year. Plus, the campus is gorgeous in the summer.
What advice would you give someone who wants to go into the same line of work as you?
Build your network. Get to know people you wouldn’t normally talk to and broaden your worldview. Getting advice from others who have experience is priceless, and they can help you navigate the right moves after graduation.
What do you miss most about campus/Kirksville?
I miss being able to walk anywhere, seeing familiar faces, TP’s Office, the Kirksville night life and living with five of my best friends. It’s a truly unique community that is welcoming, kind, and fun.
What tag line would you create for the COMM department at Truman?
“In Don Krause, We Trust”
If you could come back to Truman and teach a class for a semester, what would be its title and what would it be about?
Communicating Professionally Like a Scarecrow: How to be Outstanding in your field.
What did we not ask that you think is important for people to know?
To quote the New Radicals 1998 smash hit, “You Get What You Give,” there’s so much Truman and the COMM department have to offer — Put your heart into it and you can go anywhere.
Aaron and the men of Sigma Phi Epsilon at their annual philanthropic “Vince Run” event (2010).