Somebody's Knockin', Would You Look at Her!
Providing a venue for students to talk with industry leaders about their career fields is important, and we really are talking about industry leaders. This year’s 3rd Annual Shades of Green (SOG) industrial participants were none other than General Motors, Valvoline, Steelcase, and Toyota, to drop just a few names. Two Georgia College (GC) students, Angel Watkins and Emily Scarboro, took full advantage of the event as an opportunity to stand out to these firms. Both women made such a great impression on GM’s representatives that the company gave them both a career opportunity of a lifetime.
It has been said that the trouble with opportunity is that it always comes disguised as hard work. In today’s economy, many college seniors and recent graduates are getting a healthy dose of the hard work associated with job hunting. For every job, it seems like there must be 50 applicants all equally qualified. “Many times, opportunity is often missed because we are broadcasting when we should be tuning in,” said JaLynn Hudnall of Ravenwood Forest, a founding member of SOG. Angel and Emily were listening.
Shades of Green provided GC students with educational resources on the importance of sustainability as well as providing them with networking opportunities with industry executives, such as Araba Dowell, General Motor’s Southeast Regional Manager of Communications. So, how did these two students hear opportunity knocking? Angel completed an independent study with Dr. Doreen Sams, a founding member of SOG, working alongside Master’s students to construct the marketing plan for the event; Emily served as the event’s student Chair of the Student Volunteers.
Over the course of their time at GC, both Angel and Emily took the opportunity that Ms. Dowell’s spoke about at the event. “Get to know your professors and advisors on a personal level, let them know your goals, they really are there to help you.” By participating in Shades of Green’s Sustainable Transportation event allowed the two women to demonstrate their hard work and their genuine interest in sustainability to GM representatives, as well as their commitment to a successful SOG event.
General Motors was a major sponsor of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Conference 2011 Career Development Exhibition. The event provided an excellent opportunity for students interested or currently pursuing careers in public relations or marketing to see what resources were available to them. At the same time, the event provided a unique opportunity for companies to see the next generation of Marketing and PR graduates. Angel and Emily, both senior Marketing students, were chosen to participate in the conference. General Motors decided they wanted to get to know the women a little bit better so the company provided them with a fully fueled 2011 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid to drive to Orlando, free passes to the PRSSA Conference, a hotel room at the Renaissance Hotel at Sea World, and food and expense money for the trip. The conference had many sessions that were beneficial to their academic careers.
The conference also gave them career networking opportunities that otherwise could never have happened. “Ms. Dowell arranged for us to have dinner every night with various GM professionals. It was great, having an opportunity to actually get face-to-face with these folks it was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Angel. “I learned so much and have formed relationships with the corporate automotive-tech PR manager Jennie Ecclestone and the Miami GM PR agent Stephanie Camargo. I would never have had this opportunity if it weren’t for SOG and Araba Dowell.”
“Opportunities are never lost; someone will take the one you miss,” said Emily. “I have worked hard throughout my college career and I know if I can just get five minutes with a decision maker they will see I would be a valuable team member. Milton Berle said ‘If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door,’ thanks to Ms. Dowell, our carpentry skills are getting better every day.”
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Shades of Green Founding Board: JaLynn Hudnall, Gerri McCord, & Doreen Sams. Most Georgians are unaware that U.S. News & World Report ranked the J. Whitney Bunting College of Business #1, and it ranked #2 for undergraduate business programs among all Liberal Arts Colleges; CEO Magazine named The Georgia WebMBA a Tier 1 MBA; Finally, The Princeton Review named Georgia College “A Best in the Southeast,” placing them 1 of only three Georgia schools on the list (Georgia College, Georgia Tech, and UGA).
