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

May 15, 2020

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.”