Balancing Work and School: Niah Curry '18 BSBA (Marketing)

University of Arizona senior Niah Curry '18 BSBA (Marketing) came to Tucson from Rancho Cucamonga, California. She is the manager of the UA men's tennis team and a front desk receptionist for Eller Undergraduate Programs. Recently she posted a video resume on LinkedIn that resulted in more than 300,000 views, an array of comments, including from LinkedIn's CEO and several job interviews with Fortune 500 companies.

Why did you choose Eller?

The Eller College of Management was a perfect fit for me because it allowed me to grow and mature into the business woman I am today. I truly believe that Eller is one of the strongest undergraduate programs at the University of Arizona. The fact that Eller has its own advisors allows each and every student to create their own personal career or academic paths. I entered Eller as a marketing major.

Marketing caught my interest because I love the idea of branding, especially personal branding. Eller turned out to be a great undergraduate career move because it provided knowledge outside of the classroom and developed my idea of collaboration.

What professional experience have you had so far?

During my junior year, I balanced three part-time jobs: student worker for Eller, athletic recruiting intern for the UA football team and an athletic team manager for the UA men's tennis team. These roles have allowed me to gain cross-functional skills, be disciplined and thrive in fast-paced environments.

This summer, I was a public relations associate intern for American Honda Motor Company in California, where I provided customer outreach, processed data through the Salesforce customer relations management software tool and compiled marketing recommendations research for different market segments. The internship taught me how to be a leader and when to be a listener.  

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

The biggest challenge I have had has been balancing multiple part-time jobs and handling a full academic schedule. While challenging, the schedule increased my time-management skills, allowing me to execute different tasks and set goals for the future. In the end, I am glad I took on these challenges because I believe adversity builds character.

How do you overcome challenges?

I believe if you change your mindset, you change your life. I welcome adversity in my life because I know these events will make me stronger in the end. Members of the undergraduate programs staff, like Academic Advisor Cassandra Ott, Career Coach Tremain Ravenell and Associate Director for Professional Development Jeff Welter, also assisted in my career and academic development. I would like to give them special thanks. In addition, I have made personal sacrifices so I can accomplish my long-term goals.

You recently put together a video resume. Why did you decide to do that and how did it turn out?

I made a video resume to be different from everyone else. I am convinced that the old-fashion paper resume is not as exciting anymore. If I was a recruiter, I would want to see an exciting, new and dynamic approach to resume writing and viewing. By taking a different approach, I hoped to stand out to employers because they would be able to put a name with a face. After posting my video resume on LinkedIn, I received more than 300,000 views and 7,000 likes. The CEO of LinkedIn commented on my video and LinkedIn reached out to me with media opportunities and possible employment. The video resume also helped me obtain interviews with top Fortune 500 companies.    

What are your plans after graduation?