A View to the Future

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Posted on August 29, 2024

Thomas Becnel

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As a junior at the University of South Alabama, Gabriel Kucala remembers working on his resume and preparing for his interview as a summer intern in the finance department at Airbus.

“I focused on the company and learning everything a finance intern might be expected to do,” he said. “It was one of the first interviews I had where I came out thinking it went well.”

Kucala landed the internship and started working at Airbus. He had no experience with Tableau Software, but began preparing dashboard displays of business information. That became his niche.

“You’re taking data, cleaning it up and visualizing it to tell a story,” he said. “I ended up building the dashboard display they’re still using today.”

Kucala’s internship was extended, twice, and he told his supervisor he was interested in a career at Airbus.

“I was upfront with her,” he said. “She was very supportive. She said to just keep doing what I was doing. They couldn’t promise me anything, and I had the same opportunity as anyone else, so I just kept working.”

After graduating in May, Kucala began his full-time job a few weeks later.

“No break,” he said, laughing. “I enjoy working. I was always taught that hard work is the best way to get things done, without worrying what anyone else is doing.”

Kucala grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, and loved life along the Gulf Coast. He still enjoys fishing and going to the beach. After graduating from high school, he decided to move west and attend South.

He started out with a major in political science and plans to attend law school. His mother is a paralegal. He began working 30 hours a week for a Mobile law firm.

Soon he changed his mind, though, and transferred to the Mitchell College of Business.

“The cool thing about MCOB is that the first two years you’re taking all the business classes,” he said. “You’re exposed to everything. And I liked finance the most.”

Like so many business students, he enjoyed working for the Jaguar Investment Fund, which controls a $2 million portfolio of investments. Business analytics courses helped prepare him for his internship at Airbus. It was intimidating, at first, to prepare reports that were seen by all levels of management at a big corporation.

Having little margin for error kept him on his toes.

“Toward the end of my internship, I was taking on a little more responsibility,” he said. “I was getting prepared for managing headcount reports and operating budget, which is what I’m doing now.”

Kucala works in the Airbus finance office on the 26th floor of the RSA Building in downtown Mobile. Wall-to-wall windows offer plenty to see when he looks up from his keyboard.

“We have great views up there,” he said. “All of Mobile. All of the bay. It’s awesome.”

There are plenty of restaurants downtown, but he tries to pack a lunch and save money. 

His position is a hybrid job, so on Mondays and Fridays he works from home in Fairhope, Alabama. He gets a break from rush-hour traffic, though his work routine doesn’t change.

“I start my day at 7 a.m.,” he said. “I try to stick to the same schedule, just to keep the normal flow going.”

Kucala has just begun his finance career, but he’s happy with where he’s at and where he’s headed.

“My goal going to college was to come out with a job,” he said. “I wanted to work for a big company where I could gain experience. And that’s what I did.”

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