Hi, I’m Maddie! 👋
I’m a first-generation college student who just graduated in May of 2022 from Arizona State University. I officially obtained my Bachelor’s in Marketing along with my certificates in International Business, Applied Data Analytics, and Cross-Sector Leadership. I’ve had an interest in marketing since high school, where I competed in marketing competitions through Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA); however, I wanted to expand my marketing knowledge globally. From there, I added my International Business Certificate to accompany my marketing degree and expand my global marketing knowledge.
When I first attended college, I was nervous and honestly terrified. I was hesitant on making friends and feared that my peers knew more about what they were doing, as I could not rely on my parents for guidance since they never attended college. My parents signed me up for a program at ASU’s orientation called the Barrett Mentoring Program which was a mentor/mentee buddy system through the honors college I am a part of. Through this program, I was paired up with a mentor, Kaleigh, who ended up helping me navigate my first year of college. We actually ended up becoming best friends. Fast forward 4 years later, she is still a huge part of my life. In addition to this program, I was a part of the McCord Mentee Program through the McCord Scholarship. This program is for first-generation students like myself to have junior or senior mentors to guide us through our first year of college and the program. Both of my mentors in BMP and McCord encouraged me to get involved, add certificates, become a leader, and travel the world. I was so excited to get started that I immediately found ways to get involved by joining clubs such as the American Marketing Association, Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity, and more.
Through each of these programs, I continued to meet amazing students along my journey in college. Each student I met had their own stories and experiences to share in which I was able to learn from. By speaking with other students, I discovered ways to travel, attend conferences, and make the most of my collegiate career personally and professionally. I even took up leadership positions!
Here’s a breakdown of each year and the positions I held/activities I partook in:
Freshman Year 📚
American Marketing Association: Member → VP of Administration
Programming & Activities Board: Member
Barrett Mentoring Program: Mentee
McCord Scholars Program: Mentee
Summer Study Abroad: Sichuan, China
Next Generation Service Corps: Member
Spring-Summer Internship
Sophomore Year 📈
American Marketing Association: VP of Partnerships
Alpha Kappa Psi: Pledge Picnic Co-Chair → Sponsorships Chair
WPC 101 Facilitator
Camp Carey Facilitator
Next Generation Service Corps: Member
Summer Internship & On-Campus Research Job
Junior Year ✈️
Study Abroad Exchange in Fall 2020: Manchester, England
Alpha Kappa Psi: Director of Professionalism
American Marketing Association: Director of Resources
Next Generation Service Corps: Member
Summer Internship & Part-Time Job
Senior Year 🎓
Alpha Kappa Psi: Member
American Marketing Association: Executive Vice President
McCord Scholars Program: Scholar/Mentor
Next Generation Service Corps: Member
On-Campus Student Assistant Job
Honors Thesis - Defense & Completion
As you can see from my involvement above, some organizations I stayed in for four years and some I tried out for one year/one semester. They were all different activities that I wanted to be involved with because I learned about these opportunities from other students. Each semester on average, I had a job, classes, and involvement in at least 1 or 2 organizations at a time. This was just enough for me to continue to stay involved as a student and enhance my learning from a variety of different experiences.
Looking back on this list of my experiences, the Maddie before attending college would have never thought she would study abroad, pursue internships since freshman year, and be involved in a variety of organizations. I honestly wish I gave myself more time to relax back then! I was so stressed about fitting in, getting involved, and meeting new people that I would forget to just be me. As cliche as it sounds, authenticity was what drove my success in college and it’s something I wish I embraced sooner! To be honest, high school wasn’t my best moment. I really struggled trying to find the right balance and friend groups to the point where this fear followed me into my freshman year of college. Luckily, I had an incredible first-year roommate who supported me no matter what and helped me embrace the Maddie I now know today! Once I started being more myself and doing things that I wanted to do, the right people came my way! It is truly the best feeling when you are yourself, doing things you love, with the people you love. Embracing this factor really helped me love college!
Don’t forget to relax, breathe, and just be you - because what’s meant for you will come to you when you’re focusing on being yourself. (Trust me, it was a weird lesson to learn - but so worthwhile!). Bonus: please please please don’t try to fit the “mold” of any friend group, organization, or job description! Create your own descriptions based on who you are, and find what matches YOUR description. I made a “job board” which helped me list my values and what I enjoy doing. This helped me find the right organizations to be involved in and which job opportunities to take up!
Once I was able to find a job that matched ME (versus the other way around), I decided to make a big decision - move across the country for my new career. I’m pleased to announce that after my entire college experience and the lessons I learned, I am moving to Boston to pursue a career as a Tour Consultant at EF Education First. I really REALLY hope you find organizations, friends, and a career that makes you smile as you write a reflection such as this one, like I am right now. I wish you all the best of luck and hope my story reminds you that you will succeed in anything you do. 🎉
💬 If you have any questions or would like to chat more, feel free to contact me using any of the following:
Email: mfurnas8052@gmail.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/madison-furnas
IG: @maddiefurnas
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