Hannah Cundey, CatholicU '21, is an Marketing major from Augusta, GA. She accepted a job as aSales Development Representative with memoryBlue. Below, Hannah shares her experiences in the Busch School and at Catholic University:
Briefly describe your new job opportunity.
"In my role at memoryBlue, I will be given the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of high technology selling. memoryBlue is a company that provides their employees with a young and competitive atmosphere that sets you up for success. The reason I was so drawn to memoryBlue is due to the immense amount of training that they give their SDRs in order to equip them for the business world. I also was impressed with the fact that every individual that I encountered through memoryBlue was so positive and encouraging."
How did your Busch School and Catholic University education help you find this career path?
"The Busch School helped me find this career path in a number of ways. The first is through the sales program, specifically Professor Weber's class. Although intimidating at first, Professor Weber expects the best from his students every single day, encouraging you to be prepared and not be afraid to fail. Through role play, we are able to act out our sales scenarios during our class time and learn from each other through giving constructive feedback on how the role play could have gone better. The Busch School Career Development team has also made a large impact on my career path, specifically Mary Unverferth and Brett LaPrad. When the pandemic hit in the spring 2020 semester, I unfortunately lost my internship that was set for the summer. When they were made aware of this, Mary and Brett immediately emailed me to set up a time to speak with them about what my next steps were and wanted to know how they could help me. Through numerous conversations with them, I was able to see that I had an overall yearning to find a company with intense training that would leave me with skills that would ultimately transfer to any career, and that is what I found with memoryBlue.
My overall education at Catholic U has given me skills and life lessons that I am excited to take into my post-graduate job. When I came to Catholic I had no idea what I wanted to study, and I had registered as an exploratory student in the School of Arts and Sciences. Coming from a small town, I knew that moving to a big city would open the door to many new possibilities, but I knew that I still wanted the small campus feel, and Catholic gave me both. In my first year, I was able to take a lot of different classes that really pushed me out of my comfort zone and showed me what things I may be interested in. My Catholic faith also always stood at the core of my education, which is something that I hope to also to transfer into my career."
What activities were you involved in during undergrad?
"During my undergraduate experience, I have been heavily involved with Program Board (PB), our student led on-campus event planning organization where we host close to 50 annual events to engage the student body. This year, I have had the honor of serving as the President of Program Board. Through PB, I have met some of my closest friends and have learned not only about planning and marketing events that reach the entire student body, but also how one friendly interaction or a simple smile can really turn someone's day around. In my executive role I have also been able to learn how to effectively bring together and lead my peers as well as connect with other student organizations in a positive light.
I have also been involved with the Office of Campus Ministry in serving as a leader for women's retreat both my junior and senior years. In this role, I was given the opportunity to connect with women from all over Catholic U in matters of faith and look to find ways to serve and display God's light in every day acts.
Lastly, I have also been involved with a couple of student experience roles at the Busch School of Business. I have served as a Busch mentor where I help incoming students learn more about the business school as well as help them become more accustomed to college life. I have truly felt at home in this role in that I have been able to help those students who were just like me, not really knowing what they want to do upon coming to college. Whether it be encouraging them to take a sports marketing class, take accounting early, or just grabbing a coffee to talk about life, this role has helped me connect with so many individuals in such a positive light. I also have served as the Recruitment and Development Intern for the Summer Business Institute with the Busch School. In this role, I learned so much about marketing communications and how a business operates. I was also able to help lead and train 30 of my college peers who served as counselors for the program. It was so rewarding in the end to see how we impacted close to 130 high school students from all across the United States, showing them that business should always be used as a force for good."
What were some highlights of your time at Catholic University?
"One of my highlights of my time at Catholic University is when I was given the opportunity to be the lead programmer for Capital Fest 2019 featuring Jesse McCartney. While this event was the largest that I have/ will ever pull off, it was so amazing to be behind the scenes every step of the way in the planning process. The event took close to 5 months to plan, and all the struggles and contracts were so worth it when close to 1,500 Catholic U students came to enjoy the outdoor concert. All throughout the planning process, I was made even more aware of how amazing the people on Program Board are and how each and every individual involved in the process had my back every step of the way.
Another highlight would also have to be my brief study abroad experience in Barcelona, Spain during the Spring 2020 semester. Although my time was cut short due to the pandemic, I honestly can still say I had an amazing time and left with an even greater appreciation for my decision to attend Catholic U. In my two months abroad, I was able to visit multiple countries, develop my Spanish language comprehension further, as well as make a close friend with my Scottish roommate Beth, who I still talk to everyday. Although it was not the experience I was intending, Catholic U faculty and staff worked tirelessly to make sure I got home safely and that I would still receive the credits that I needed. Even though the process was very bumpy at times, I never felt alone in the process, Catholic figured out a way to get me back and still accomplish my academic goals. Another highlight would also be Wednesday night adorations in Caldwell chapel on campus. These late night adorations became a staple of my schedule and I look forward to going to them every week. Whether I had a big test or paper due the next day, I always found the time to go and give an hour to give myself a sort of reset in the middle of the week. It was through adoration that I also came to know how important it is to surround yourself with friends of your faith in order to get you through those difficult days and weeks of college."
What advice do you have for students during their job search?
"Be open minded! When I initially declared my marketing major, I had no idea that it would lead me to pursue a job in sales. Pay attention to the little things you enjoy whether that be things that you do with your friends or the organizations that you are involved with. These attributes can also be important when you are in your search. But, the largest piece of advice I can give is to use your career counselors, faculty advisors, and professors as much as you can! The career development team at the Busch School of Business is phenomenal and will be with you every step of the way, whether it be through resume updates or even just a time to talk about what you are interested in. Remember that they are called career counselors for a reason and they WANT to help you!"