Newsroom > Graduate Stories > Georgia Southern business student finds team, career during time in Statesboro

Georgia Southern business student finds team, career during time in Statesboro

May 15, 2020

Recent Georgia Southern graduate Maddie Keen toured AT&T Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play during a trip to Dallas with the Georgia Southern Sales Competition Team. Keen will move to Dallas to start her career with AT&T in August.

Before coming to the Georgia Southern University Statesboro Campus, Maddie Keen had never been part of a team. Now, after graduating in May with a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing with an emphasis in sales, Keen credits the Georgia Southern Sales Competition Team with changing her life. In August, Keen will join a new team at AT&T in Dallas, Texas, where she will work in business-to-business sales.

“When I look back at my time in college, I think that my experience with the sales competition team impacted me the most,” Keen said. “I didn’t know that I wanted to go into sales until I was asked to join.”

Keen said one competition in particular with the sales team set her course in college and for her career. The competition was hosted by AT&T, and the team was flown to Dallas, where they toured the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium.

“It was an eye-opening experience, and we were able to network with schools all around the country,” Keen said. “It was then that I scored an internship with AT&T, which eventually turned into a full-time offer. That competition changed my life.”

In addition to the sales team, Keen was a member of the professional fraternity for marketing and sales, Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE), where she held multiple executive board positions. She attributes her time with PSE for making her a better candidate for employment.

“PSE has helped me for my future career not only by giving me a large network, but PSE also taught me how to be a leader,” Keen said. “PSE taught me how to handle conflicts and how to manage my time better. This organization has also helped me learn how to build a résumé and how to have a successful job interview.”

As she gets ready to move to Dallas and start her career this summer, Keen has a few tips for current students.

“Get involved on campus and meet as many people as you can because when you have a large network, you are going to have many opportunities,” she said. “Make a LinkedIn account and keep it updated. Lastly, no matter how hard and stressful school gets, always stay positive and be grateful.”