Marriott School Hosts ‘Major Shopping’ Event for Female Students

PROVO, Utah – Apr 04, 2013 – Women across campus gathered at the Tanner Building hunting for the perfect major at the 2013 Major Shopping event.

Co-hosted by the Marriott School of Management and the undergraduate Women in Business club, the second-annual event was created to match female freshmen and sophomores with degree programs offered at the school.

More than 400 people attended the March 19 gathering where women were introduced to major options, interacted with professors and upper-class students, and learned about internships, study abroad programs and other business-oriented opportunities.

 “We want women to know that business careers can be very flexible,” says Tina Ashby, Marriott School women’s initiatives and mentoring manager. “If women bring their passions here, we can teach them business skills to help their dreams become a reality.”

The main highlight of the evening was keynote speaker Sharlene Wells Hawkes, a former Miss America and chief marketing officer for StoryRock. She spoke about the numerous opportunities she’s had because of her MBA and encouraged the attendees to pursue a business-focused education.  

“When you have a degree, especially a business degree, you have options,” Hawkes said. “Business is all about connecting the dots between ideas and people, and you have the energy and skills to connect those dots.”

To get a taste of the Marriott School, attendees were divided into groups and met with faculty from nine of the school’s disciplines. Women walked away from the presentations with skills such as negotiating and planning. New to this year’s event was the chance for students to visit booths from the centers in the Marriott School — the Whitmore Global Management Center, the Ballard Center for Economic Self-Reliance and the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.

Once students’ eyes were opened to what the business school offers, they often want to know more. Last year one-third of attendees not already business majors signed up for prerequisite business classes.

Sarah Kruitbosch, a junior from Layton, Utah, attended last year’s event as a pre-music major. As she talked with professors and students, she quickly became excited about the business school. Now a year later, she is a marketing student immersing herself in her new major.

“A lot of stereotypes were shattered that day, and I realized this is the perfect place for me,” Kruitbosch says. “I’ve jumped in with both feet and nothing has ever been more rewarding. I’m becoming my best self.”

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems, and entrepreneurship. The school’s mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School’s graduate and undergraduate programs.