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I’m excited about the prospect of making a difference in the lives of others by going to work in the field of business. 

When I began looking at colleges, my aunt, who happens to be an alumna, suggested ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´. So, I took a tour, and I knew right away this was it for me.

Initially, I wanted to study medical science, but my first business class—microeconomics with Professor Karen Carlson—changed my mind. Listening to her lecture about business systems and necessary reform for sustainable production caught my interest. 

Growing up in West Springfield, MA, The Big E has always been a part of my life. At the suggestion of Dora Lewis (career coach, Sullivan Career and Life Planning Center [SCLP]), I used my network to set up a marketing internship at the Eastern States Exposition. Dora helped me build my resume, and the mock interviews in my WEL 310 class improved my presentation skills.

From day to day, my responsibilities and projects change, which keeps me learning and having fun. I’ve become a better communicator through different mediums as I’ve worked on writing press releases, developing content for our daily internal newsletter, and working in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. I’ve learned a lot about lighting and framing while taking photos of food at the vendor stands and photographing competitions in the New England Center, like our birthday hat decorating contest. Through this internship, I also had the opportunity to collaborate with the Rotary Club of West Springfield on advertising and marketing efforts for West Side's Taste of the Valley.

This is a particularly special year at the Eastern States Exposition: it’s the 100^th Anniversary of ! I helped plan the 100 Days to The Big E party that featured the mayor as the keynote speaker, and regularly went to Stearns Square for promotion during the Masters of Music competition to build my public relations and interpersonal skills. I even researched 100 facts about the fair and set up all of the scheduling for FestApp, the downloadable Big E app, useful for planning a visit to the fair. And it’s been a banner year with over 86,000 people on opening day, more than 116,000 the day after, and record-breaking totals each day since. I’m proud to be part of the team that worked on marketing the event this year—our hard work certainly paid off.

When the fair ends on October 2, I’ll be back to focusing on my classwork (I’m in the honors program), and in addition, I’m the vice president of the Women in Business Club at ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´. This year, we’re working on having a stronger presence on campus and are planning to host a “shark tank.” Right now, we’re planning fundraisers so we can offer the winner a cash prize.

With the guidance of Laurie Cirillo (executive director, SCLP), I’m exploring future internship possibilities. It’s important to me that wherever I land, I’ll be helping people have improved quality of life and achieve their dreams. The betterment of my community is what’s most important to me, and I can’t wait to see where that value takes me next.