This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Vanderbilt chapter.
Name: Leah Carlisle
Campus Involvement: Member of Vandy’s Credit Karma team, Vanderbilt Programming Board – Homecoming Committee Co-chair, Senior Class Fund Committee Member, Alpha Delta Pi, Hillel – Senior Initiative
Career Aspirations: I want to go into marketing/advertising
1) What is your role with Credit Karma on campus and what does that entail?
I, along with four other students (Sarah McClenahan, Samantha Orland, Emily Heald, and Luis Villeda) and Professor Art Johnsen, am part of a team representing Vanderbilt in a national marketing competition. The competition this year is to spread awareness of the Credit Karma service on Vanderbilt’s campus and the surrounding area and to drive sign-ups. It has entailed strategy and implementation/execution of our marketing plan, from having a booth at a Nashville young professionals networking event to social media engagement.
2) Why should Vanderbilt students know about Credit Karma?
Good credit is vital for the future. You’ll need it for things like renting an apartment, checks by employers, and taking out loans for other large purchases. While it may not seem like a priority yet, it is necessary to start building it now. Otherwise, you may not have it yet when you really need it. Credit Karma makes it easy to check your scores and provides advice about the soundness of financial decisions in terms of how they will impact your credit score. Additionally, Credit Karma provides other financial tools that are entirely free and useful for college students.
3) What has been your favorite moment/memory at Vanderbilt thus far?
It’s pretty impossible to pick just one, but I’ll say Homecoming this year! Having had a much larger role in the planning as a cochair, it was an incredibly rewarding experience to see our endless hours of work pay off, and the events were all a blast.
4) What will you miss the most about Vanderbilt after you graduate?
The people, definitely. It’s been wonderful to be constantly surrounded by so many people that I’ve gotten to know over the years, and I’ll really miss that.
5) What have you learned through your experience, either with Credit Karma or some other organziation, that will help you in the real world?
I’ve learned a lot about teamwork through this experience as well as others at Vanderbilt. Working on something as a team can make it possible to do much more than you can do alone, but it is also important to make sure everyone on the team is invested, excited, and contributing. Otherwise, progress is slow and the group may be ineffective.