When Justice Collins first came to the College, she envisioned a career in medicine. Then, a marketing concepts course caught her attention. She was fascinated by the topic and had always enjoyed talking with others to get to know them. It didn't take her long to realize that this trait can be a great asset for marketing, and she jumped right in.
"I know I want to be in a role where I can help people," she says, "and I've always been a strategic thinker, so that class definitely set the hook. The professor really helped me embrace this discipline and I found that the work we did actually came naturally to me. In addition, a lot of the classes in this major genuinely interest me, such as Consumer Behavior and Marketing and Society."
Collins approached one professor about finding an internship that could broaden her experience in this field, and that led to a paid role with Fishbait Solutions – a small sportsmarketing firm.
"I got involved in a project the company was conducting as part of the ESPN Tailgate Tour. This was great experience because I had full access to the people in senior management – the CEO and the CFO – and they patiently answered my questions and let me attend upper-level meetings. They even flew me to one of the football games so that I could observe the brand of event marketing they were doing."
Based on her performance, the company offered Collins a full-time job after she graduates, an option she's still considering. In the meantime, she plans to continue focusing on her studies and intends to accumulate some valuable experience with market research through another professor.
"I'm coming to understand the many underpinnings of marketing," she says, "such as how important psychology is and the role that research plays. To effectively position products or services, you have to truly understand the market as well as consumers' motivations, and I find all of that fascinating. And it's great that the professors in this program are so supportive and so well connected in the field. That's been a been a huge advantage for me."