NRF Foundation Retail Careers Blog » University of Michigan http://blog.nrffoundation.com A Virtual Community of Retailers, Educators, Students, and Business Partners Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:28:42 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Junior at University of Michigan Hopes to Become a Buyer For a Major Department Store http://blog.nrffoundation.com/2010/02/09/junior-at-university-of-michigan-hopes-to-become-a-buyer-for-a-major-department-store/ http://blog.nrffoundation.com/2010/02/09/junior-at-university-of-michigan-hopes-to-become-a-buyer-for-a-major-department-store/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:51:33 +0000 MollyMcKenna http://blog.nrffoundation.com/?p=777 Continuing with NRF Foundation’s Collegiate Blogging series about the BIG Show, Molly McKenna, a junior at the University of Michigan describes her experience in the following profile.

Name: Molly McKenna

College/University: University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business

Graduation Year: 2011

Degree: Bachelors of Business Administration

Why did you attend NRF’s BIG Show?

I learned about NRF’s BIG Show through competing in the NRF Intercollegiate Retail Challenge.  As a student interested in pursuing a career in retail, I knew attending the conference would be a great opportunity to learn about career paths in the industry and to talk with current retail professionals.

What was your favorite Super Session and why?

My travel schedule prevented me from attending a Super Session, but I greatly enjoyed “The Power of Retail Design” breakout session.  The panelists’ creativity in overcoming diverse challenges in store design and visual merchandising was inspiring.

What was the most exciting thing you saw or learned?

I enjoyed the Intercollegiate Retail Challenge team presentation during the “Where In the World Is Tomorrow’s Retail Talent” session?  It was interesting to see another team’s take on the challenges presented in the prompt.

What other fun things did you do while in New York City?

Although my trip was short, I had the opportunity to visit family living in the area.

What’s your dream retail job?

I hope to someday work as a buyer for a major department store.

Check out other student profiles from Dartmouth, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Arizona.

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Congratulations to Global Furnishings, winners of the third annual Intercollegiate Retail Challenge hosted by NRF Foundation and American Express.  During this year’s challenge, students evaluated the risks and rewards of expanding operations of a well established, modestly-priced furniture store into China in order to test how the company’s brand and product line would be received.

As part of their prize, the winners will head to NYC next weekend to deliver their presentation to attendees at NRF’s Big Show! The team was led by Melinda Burke of the Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing at the University of Arizona and is made up of students representing six universities as follows:

  • Gentry Adams, Senior, University of Florida
  • Kira Martin, Senior, Florida State University
  • Anna Rhodes, Georgia Southern University
  • Elena Brick, Senior, University of Wisconsin
  • Aysha Majeed, University of Michigan
  • Natalie Bendroff, University of Arizona

All of the student teams were able to demonstrate leadership and teamwork by working across multiple time zones and under tight deadlines to develop their presentations.  Many thanks to the judges and mentors for their support during this valuable activity as the students were able to expand their knowledge about retail careers through your participation.

In an exciting new addition to the program, American Express and NRF Foundation welcomed Sponsoring Retail Partners to this year’s challenge. JCPenney, Macy’s, Sears Holding Corporation, Toys “R” Us and NRF division, Shop.org, provided a combination of judges, mentors and generous scholarships to the six winning students. The companies’ enthusiasm for this project is very rewarding and greatly appreciated.

The aspire2retail Intercollegiate Retail Challenge helps build awareness of diverse career paths in retail by engaging university students in a competitive, collaborative role play with support from executive retail mentors to implement a multi-tiered business strategy.

For more information on this year’s challenge scenario, participating universities, and the retail mentors and judges, visit our Student Challenge webpage.

Congratulations to all!

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