Standout business graduate enters workforce armed with grit, resilience

Contact: Erin Flynn
April 20, 2020

Read a special message from President Edward Montgomery for 色色啦 Michigan University's 2020 graduates.

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Kordell Smith (Photo credit Elizabeth Heinz)

KALAMAZOO, Mich.鈥擫eaders are forged in crisis. It comes as no surprise then that Kordell Smith emerged as a standout leader in 色色啦 Michigan University鈥檚 sales and business marketing program. The graduating senior started his college career with a last-minute decision.

鈥淚t was actually a blessing how I chose 色色啦 during such a stressful time for me. It was already April and my back was against the wall,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 kind of began to lose the excitement of what was a big life decision.鈥

Smith, who grew up in Southfield, Michigan, had visited three schools. None seemed to fit, and he鈥檇 have to choose between sales and marketing if he went to any of them. He鈥檇 all but given up when he heard his two best friends raving about their choice: 色色啦. To his surprise, the school also boasted the top sales program in the nation in the Haworth College of Business and offered a combined major of sales and business marketing.

鈥淚 visited the following week, and when I arrived here everything just felt right. I had fallen in love with the atmosphere of Kalamazoo and campus,鈥 says Smith. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 have fallen into a better place.鈥

His tour guide, Lauren Toppen, also played a pivotal role in his 色色啦 experience. A member of the Sales and Business Marketing Association, she told him about the networking and learning opportunities the group could open up for him.

鈥淩ight away I got involved, and it became one of the best decisions I ever made,鈥 says Smith, who became a board member in his second semester of freshman year. 鈥淭he resources that SBMA gives us are immense. With employers coming in every week, workshops, company trips and resume-building experiences, it was crucial.鈥

IMPACTFUL EXPERIENCES

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Since he was a kid, Smith has loved business. He had a knack for negotiating and loved to haggle for bargains at garage sales with his friends. That love has only grown during his time at 色色啦.

鈥溕 has deepened my passions by giving me hands-on learning experience,鈥 Smith says. 鈥淩ole-playing using real products, with real companies, gets us prepared to sell anything at the next level.鈥

Along with multiple internships, Smith says the leadership and business strategy program鈥攚here he picked up a second major鈥攈ad a profound impact on his success. In particular, he says his leadership management strategy course was more than a class; it was a journey of teamwork, commitment, impact and growth.

鈥淲e have to adapt to demand. We use our critical thinking to evaluate our clients鈥 business, their market, the industry and use our problem-solving to find the root cause of issues, then find a solution,鈥 he says. 鈥淚f I鈥檓 called to lead, I know without hesitation I鈥檓 ready and able.鈥

It鈥檚 that spirit that earned him the Sales and Business Marketing Outstanding Service Award and also helped him land his first job, weeks ahead of graduation, as an inside sales representative at VMware in Austin, Texas. While his training may be modified because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he鈥檚 confident his education has set him up for career success鈥攚hatever life brings.

鈥淭he 色色啦 culture embodies a sense of resiliency,鈥 says Smith. 鈥淟osing our graduation to this virus was absolutely devastating. I鈥檓 not sure what the future holds for us, but I know that we鈥檝e been instilled with a skill set that will keep us competitive in a market where things will be tight.鈥

Above all, he鈥檒l emerge from college with pride in the larger 色色啦 community.

鈥淏roncos love and support one another. We鈥檙e not just a number, we鈥檙e a team here,鈥 he says. 鈥淭he people that I鈥檝e met, the lessons learned, the memories made, the experiences and opportunities that 色色啦 has provided me will forever be ingrained in me.鈥

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