New, intimidating experiences are nothing for Maura Spellman, a junior Real Estate major here on campus.
In her brief time here at Temple, Spellman has managed to become President of the Professional Sales Organization (PSO), Assistant Director of Leasing Operations for a local real estate agency, and a committee member for a meaningful golf tournament — all the while maintaining a position as a successful real estate agent.
And yes, she’s only 21 years old.
“I was super bubbly in high school. I was senior class president, captain of the field hockey and lacrosse teams, senior representative for community service– I was just heavily involved. When I came in [to Temple] my freshman year I said to myself, ‘You have to continue this. You can’t just stop being involved. What are you going to do?’” Spellman said. “I was really intimidated and I kind of became more introverted which was so unusual. I went to the student professional organization fair and at this fair there were about twenty different student professional organizations looking to recruit. One that stuck out to me was PSO [Professional Sales Organization]. I went up to them and I was socializing with them and they said ‘Hey, just come check out our next meeting. We don’t have many women within the organization, but you seem like you’d be a really good fit.’”
Spellman took a chance on the opportunity and attended her first meeting, which would eventually lead to years of opportunity for her.
“I went, and I showed up and the person that I was talking to at the table, Brandon, remembered my name. It was something as simple as that where I was like, ‘I feel like I belong here,’” Spellman said. “It was a small group, but there was a ton of room to grow and I saw that that was an advantage.”
In fact, Spellman saw many opportunities in areas that many others would shy away from. The organization, when she began, had very little women involved. As she looks to enter into a different field of real estate post-graduation, there’s even less women involved.
“Looking at the fact that there aren’t many women in the industry, that was just something that really motivated me and could set me apart,” Spellman said. “I don’t think it’s scary at all. I think it’s so motivating. I’ve been in male-dominated environments a large portion of my upbringing. I was the co-manager of a team of seven male interns that were the same age as me and we still were able to have a respectful relationship, we still had fun, and we still got our work done at the end of the day. What it means? Times are changing. Especially, with everything that’s going on now. I think it’s exciting if anything.”
While business can be simply business for some, Spellman makes sure to include a piece of her heart in her work. She spoke lovingly about her relationship with her grandmother, and how it shaped her into the strong, motivated person she is today.
“My Nan is one of my biggest role models. She was born in Ireland, and she moved over here when she was 16 years old without finishing any high school and not knowing anyone really and just came over to stay with some family and work for a better life. She established herself here, made a living, had eight kids, and is just one of the toughest cookies you’d ever meet. She’s just so encouraging and everything that she’s been through is so inspirational and it’s really taught me to appreciate where I’ve come from,” Spellman said.
In fact, Spellman had the opportunity to connect with her grandmother even more when she moved to Ireland at a young age.
“I had the chance to live in Ireland for four years when my mom’s company relocated us, and I really got to connect with my Nan on a deeper level in regards to the culture there, and what the people are like,” Spellman said. “The financials aren’t where it’s at. It’s the simplistic stuff in life…who you have around you and what you can enjoy, and that’s what you work for.”
Spellman is looking forward to interning as an analyst on the development side of real estate this summer. She hopes to get her foot in the door with commercial brokerage post-graduation.
You can find more information about Temple’s Professional Sales Organization at http://www.temple-pso.com/.
For real estate and other inquiries, you can contact Maura Spellman at maura@govbergrealty.com .