Learning from the pros: Harbert students experience retail in Big Apple

An exceptional student experience is at the heart of a Distinctly Harbert education and it gives Auburn business majors an edge in jump starting their careers. Recently, nine Harbert students with an interest in pursuing careers in the retail industry participated in that sector’s largest signature event in New York City, the NRF Foundation Student Program.

Career prep outside the classroom

The marketing and supply chain management students gained valuable industry insights from some of the world’s biggest retailers and brands—UNIQLO, Walmart, Pandora, Coach and Zara, to name a few—while networking with other students with similar career interests.

Olivia Saunders, a senior double majoring in supply chain management and finance, appreciated hearing firsthand from industry executives about the current retail market and where it’s headed. She attended sessions on AI, technology and supply chain solutions

“This provided real-time, practical insights that you don’t always get in the classroom,” said Saunders, who attended her third NRF conference. “These sessions helped me better understand how companies are responding to market changes and fuels my interest in pursuing a career in retail after graduation.”

Saunders also appreciated connecting with like-minded undergraduates from universities nationwide.

“It was valuable to hear how other students are preparing for similar career paths and to build relationships that could last beyond the conference,” she said. “Experiences like this help students grow both professionally and personally.”

Marketing senior Giselle Lopez, who received a competitive NRF Foundation Bright Futures Scholarship to attend the conference, benefitted from industry talks and mentoring opportunities.

One speaker that resonated with Lopez was John Jay, president of global creative with Fast Retailing Co. Like him, Lopez was the first member of her family to attend college.

It was inspiring to see how someone who wasn’t familiar with the college lifestyle graduate and have such a successful career, she said.

In all, she described the mentoring experience as “reassuring,” with many industry professionals describing their career journeys.

“A lot of them said [their careers] never went as expected, but they’re glad how they turned out,” she said. “Going into the business world is kind of scary but knowing that things will work out was helpful.”

 

Taking advantage of Harbert-provided opportunities

Lopez encourages her fellow Harbert students to take advantage of opportunities to interact with industry professionals. She might never have considered a retail-focused career had it not been for her meeting an inspiring Auburn alumna at a Harbert College Women in Business student organization event in Atlanta about a year ago.   

The alumna told Lopez how her career journey started at NRF, which motivated Lopez to learn more about the retail industry and its showcase student conference.

Saunders concurs, having attended multiple other conferences, including the Reverse Logistics Association and Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals meetings thanks to support from the Department of Supply Chain Management in Harbert College.

“I’m so grateful for the support and exposure these conferences have given me,” said Saunders, who has also completed two internships in retail production and retail-adjacent operations finance.

NRF Foundation University Challenge competition

Thanks to financial support from Harbert College, a team of four Auburn marketing students are set to compete in the annual NRF Foundation University Challenge, a competition where student teams apply their classroom knowledge in a real-world case featuring a leading brand. Three finalist teams will be selected to pitch their campaigns to a panel of executive retail judges next January in New York for $70,000 in tuition scholarship prize money.

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Learn more about a Distinctly Harbert education.