Senior Profile: Erin Messier

Major/Minor: ​BBA Management (HR Concentration) and a Minor in Education

​What do you have planned post-graduation & what long-term goals have you set for yourself? ​After graduation, I will be starting as an Allocation Analyst at TJX on the merchandising career path to becoming a buyer. My career goal is to become a buyer, to travel the world, and, in the end, to love my job!

​What was your path to finding your position at TJX? And how has the Chase Career Center helped you? I was able to take on and complete two internships at TJX after my sophomore and junior years. I secured these internships through the help of the Chase Career Center, the courses they offered, and their Career Fair.

Several upper-level Women in Business Club students, who were role models to me, recommended I attend the Career Fair as a freshman to get comfortable with, and gain the experience of, talking with recruiters. Looking back, I am so grateful for their suggestion as it allowed me to make those connections early-on with the recruiters at top companies, including TJX. I stayed in contact with a TJX recruiter, Laurie Lynch, and she was able to set up an Externship Day my freshman year, so I could gain exposure in 'A day in the life of a buyer' and I was also able to take part in a planning and allocation team during winter break. When I returned to the Career Fair my sophomore year, it allowed me to talk about these experiences with Laurie and the other recruiters. And from that, I created a connection that propelled me further into the recruiting and interviewing process.

Thankfully, with the help of Chase Career Center staff, I was given the resources and the help necessary to build an impressive cover letter and resume. With all of these resources combined, it allowed me to stand out to the TJX recruiters, and I was selected for an internship that led to a second one the following summer, and later on a job offer to become an Allocation Analyst before my senior year even started! I am so grateful for the help and resources the Chase Career Center offers Isenberg students like myself.

​How has Isenberg helped shape your years as an undergraduate, in ways that will benefit you professionally? Isenberg has prepared me for this position and my future career path through the myriad of classes I have taken; learning real world skills via student club involvement; and the many experiential learning opportunities that exist.

As a freshman, I was on the Executive Board of Protect Our Breasts, the breast cancer prevention organization founded here in Isenberg. There I gained the important skills of running a small business, and learning how to manage professional relationships with industry leaders.

A year later, I got involved with the Women of Isenberg Conference. As the Marketing Chair for the 2017 WOI Conference, I was able to build on my management skills as a student, as well as learn interesting marketing skills. By the following year, I had earned my position as the President of the 2018 Women of Isenberg Conference where I learned how to effectively run meetings, continue to improve my time management skills, and develop and maintain professional communications with sponsors, administrators, and alumni. Through my experiences as President of the WOI Conference, I now have invaluable skills that I can use daily at TJX.

​How do you see yourself giving back to the Isenberg community? Isenberg holds a very special place in my heart and has allowed me to grow personally and professionally in so many ways. I definitely plan to stay in touch by attending local alumni events and by returning to campus to speak to classes. And I believe in giving back by mentoring younger Isenberg students, just as I was mentored by the older leaders of Women in Business. These experiences can create powerful connections and I count myself fortunate to have kept in touch with those generous student leaders who helped me out.

​What has most connected you to Isenberg that you will miss? I will miss the community of Isenberg because of the incredible faculty, staff, and Deans who truly care about students and who help those students succeed starting on 'day one'. What has made Isenberg stand out to me is that, as an undergraduate student, I have formed relationships with EVERY Dean. My friends at other colleges don't even know their Deans. I have gained so many fantastic mentors throughout my time in Isenberg and I think I will miss them the most. It's pretty incredible that there are always people 'higher-up' who are so willing to mentor those who are up-and-coming.

​Is there any advice you would like to share with current Isenberg students so they can take full advantage of their undergraduate years? If I could sum up my Isenberg experience in a few words it would be: 'Isenberg has provided me with amazing learning experiences and countless opportunities for empowerment.'

As I reflect back, I remember as a freshman on the National Executive Board of Protect Our Breasts with five seniors, Cynthia Barstow and two juniors, I would literally start to cry every time I spoke my opinion in our meetings of nine women. It's just amazing to think that in the course of my years here, I have spoken: in front of almost 500 attendees at the WOI Conference; at all of the Isenberg Open Houses; and now as Senior Student Speaker at Isenberg Senior Celebration in the Mullins Center in front of over 6,000 people! Isenberg has provided me with the resources to grow my knowledge and confidence in public speaking. And for that, among so many other learned skills, I am so grateful for my experience attending Isenberg.