Shannon Mullins is a sophomore at Emerson studying media and marketing communications. There is no doubt that Shannon has a way with communication, making connections and making people smile. Her great people skills have led her to discover a great interest in retail, marketing and business management. Shannon is also a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi, the strong support of the sorority only boosting her already incredible talents with people and marketing. When looking for an example of a strong, confident leader, look to Shannon Mullins.
Her Campus at Emerson: What about marketing and business management are you most passionate about?
Shannon Mullins: I love collaborative thinking and working with other people. You get to meet so many different types of people which really helps when you’re trying to promote a product. I love learning about what makes people want to buy something and, essentially, what makes them happy.
HCE: What is something significant you’ve learned from working in retail?
SM: You can’t please everyone. I’m the type of person where I want everyone to like me and to be happy, but there are just some people who aren’t like that and, no matter how hard you try, they aren’t going to like you. That’s hard to accept, but you have to. As long as you’re doing a good job, that’s enough. I’ve also learned, personally, how important it is to be able to communicate with people in order to succeed in the real world. You’re not going to be handed everything in life, so you need to be able to talk to a wide range of people if you want to get anywhere. It pushes you to become more outgoing, independent and intelligent.
HCE: Why are business management and retail important to you?
SM: Business management and retail are important to me because they open up a lot of doors to learn about customer service and how to be a good communicator. It helps you learn how to communicate a message meaningful to provoke thought or change and allows you to market the product you’re working with. It has taught me a lot about myself, who I am as a person and has lead me to realize what I want to do once I graduate from Emerson.
HCE: What do you want to do once you graduate?
SM: I have a lot of different things I’m interested in, but i think when I first graduate I want to work with either an advertising or marketing firm. Specifically retail marketing, like as a head office type of person instead of on the floor as a sales person.
HCE: What is Fresh Prints?
SM: It is a custom apparel company with different campus managers spread throughout the country. We create designs for all articles of clothing like for greek life, clubs, and any other college organizations you may be in. It’s a rapidly growing company in tons of colleges.
HCE: How did you get involved with Fresh Prints?
SM: I got involved with them through a connection in my sorority, Alpha Epsilon Phi. Someone posted about Fresh Prints wanting to expand to Emerson and someone I knew in the sorority encouraged me to apply and I figured, why not just give it a shot, it can’t hurt to apply.
HCE: What do you do for the company?
SM: I am a campus manager for fresh prints, specifically for Emerson. So I reach out to different organizations, sororities, frats and the many clubs Emerson has, asking if they’re ordering any apparel for the club or just for events in general. Then I work with them to get the design they want and go through the designing process with them. Whatever they want, I make sure it happens. It’s all about good customer service.
HCE: What is some advice you would give to people who want to get involved in something like Fresh Prints or retail?
SM: I would say there is always an opportunity to learn something new. Even if you don’t feel confident enough, or like you have enough experience, it doesn’t hurt to just try. When I first started in retail, it was brand new to me and I was super nervous, but I’ve learned a lot and I continue to learn a lot both through my retail job and through Fresh Prints. It really doesn’t hurt to try. If you get it, you get to learn a lot and if you don’t get it, you’ll learn from that too.
HCE: How have Emerson’s program set you up for success in your business and retail endeavors?
SM: Emerson is very career oriented and sets you up to really figure out and explore what you want to do. I came here with an entirely different career focus, but the classes I was taking steered me towards where I am now. It’s also really easy to take up a minor at Emerson, or two in my case, which are marketing communications and business studies. At Emerson, they strongly encourage you to take on a minor. I also just think being in Boston for college has been super helpful to me while figuring out what I want to do career-wise. There are just so many opportunities on and off campus to figure it all out. Also, the advisors and professors are incredible with setting you up for internships and helping you figure out which classes to take.