The Right Fit

photo by Megan Bean

By Emily Daniels

As the People’s University, Mississippi State holds something for every student. Cheyenne Conkin started here as a shy undergraduate, but becoming involved in the College of Business led her to discover a passion for helping others find their places. Now an MBA student and an international business grad with marketing and French degrees, she plans to become a college recruiter. Dividends’ Emily Daniels caught up with her for a chat.

Where you are from, and what made you want to come to Mississippi State?

I am from Huntsville, AL, but I moved there when I was 11 years old, so I really had no allegiance to Alabama or Auburn. I wanted to tour Mississippi State because no one else from my high school was coming here. I wanted to meet all new people, do all new things, have a new experience. So I came to tour without ever having been here before. Once I stepped on campus, I was like, “Yep, this is it. This is where I’m supposed to be.” It was the only application that I finished for colleges.

Did you know you wanted to study international business before you came?

I actually didn’t know what the end goal was. I had taken French classes in high school and really loved them but realized that French probably wasn’t going to be my career. So, when I saw that I could do business with French and combine two things that I love and will work for me in the future, I chose to do international business.

Tell me about your activities on campus. You’ve been involved in a lot, especially within the College of Business.

The first thing I got involved with heavily was College of Business Ambassadors. I started in the spring semester of my sophomore year, and I was super shy. I would go to meetings and not talk to anyone, not volunteer for anything I didn’t need to volunteer for. But that’s where I met Shelby Baldwin, who was President of Undergraduate Women in Business (UWiB) at the time. She told me, “I think this organization can be really good for you.” After only being in UWiB for a semester, I was selected as Vice President of Programming. I was in charge of planning events, working with social media, promoting anything we did on campus and planning our annual trip to Harvard for the Intercollegiate Business Convention.

Does everybody attend that, or is it a select group of people from UWiB?

We have an application process. [On the application] we basically ask, “What would this opportunity mean for you? What will you do with the skills that you’ll learn from this?” I think last year, there were 15 girls who went. Some got scholarships for flights, and for all of them, [UWiB] paid for the hotel. A lot of fundraising goes into it.

Did you hear any advice from anyone at the conference that stood out in your mind?

The thing that stood out the most to me was the final speaker – Diane Von Furstenberg, the creator of the wrap dress. She told us about her journey. At the end she said, “I want everyone here to know

that no matter where you come from, no matter what background you’re from, don’t ever stop. Don’t ever stop because things get hard. Don’t ever stop because there are obstacles in the way. Don’t ever stop because someone tells you you need to. If you want something, just keep going.”

Getting back to the College of Business…. What made you get involved with Kelsey Waters, the Assistant Recruiting Director?

I realized that I really loved talking with students. It got to the point where I was signing up to be the Ambassador for every single campus visit because I wanted to meet with as many students as I could. When I found out that Kelsey [who is also the Ambassadors’ advisor] offered an internship, I was like, “Sign me up!” It was the best summer ever – right before school got out, I got the internship, then I went to France, then I got to come back and start my internship!

Where did you go in France?

I was in Tours, about two hours south of Paris. They call it the Heart of France because it’s dead center. [My friend and fellow business student] Riley Vergara-Cruz and I were there for about two months, and before our actual program started, we also went to Barcelona and Rome.

As an international business undergraduate, Conkin studied for two months last year in France.

Photo courtesy of Cheyenne Conkin

When you returned to your internship, what responsibilities did Kelsey give you?

I meet with a lot of families and share my experience and how the College of Business has helped me and how I think I see the students fitting into the College. It is about academics, but I think it’s also about finding your fit outside of academics. UWiB and Ambassadors were huge for me in finding my place in the College of Business. One of the main things I do is help students figure out what their place is going to be. I also create PowerPoint presentations for Kelsey, design postcards and help create a lot of brochures and promotional pieces for recruitment.

So, how long have you served as her intern?

This is my second year. Now I’m technically a graduate assistant, but basically it’s the same.

Do you want to be a recruiter when you get done with school, or do you have other plans in mind?

Being a recruiter is definitely the main goal, and I think that’s because of the direct relationships with students…and that doesn’t stop after they’ve been admitted. Students who are maybe two years into their programs still come and see Kelsey all the time. Kelsey is that first face they knew from Mississippi State. Like I was saying before, college is about more than academics. If I had solely focused on my academics, I wouldn’t be in the position I am today. I don’t think I’d be in grad school or doing this job for the College of Business. So I want to help other students find those moments for themselves and figure out who they want to be when they graduate.

How do you think the MBA that you’re pursuing is going to help you once you’re done?

It’ll mostly help me with knowing the business side of things because my undergrad was in marketing and French, and those are very select fields. I want to be a little more well-rounded in all [areas]. And I want to go into higher education, but if 20 years down the line I wake up feeling differently, I want to have it in my back pocket so I can make a 180° and still be prepared.

Is there anything you wish you could have done differently?

I always tell students that I wish I’d gotten involved sooner. I waited until the end of my sophomore year, and I feel like I missed so many opportunities. That’s why when I meet with students now I tell them, “As soon as you get on campus, you want to find your fit. You want to find your thing.”

What made you want to get involved in that first organization – Ambassadors?

Well, it was mostly because of Riley [who was a member]. I think she knew I was struggling to find my fit. She said, “It doesn’t have to be that much, if you don’t want it to be.” It really is dependent on you and what your schedule is and what you want to get out of it.

Once you graduate with your MBA, do you have plans in mind?

I’ve been thinking about moving to Texas – the Dallas-Fort Worth area. I really don’t know. At some point, I hope to get a master’s or a doctorate in student affairs. I am hoping to be at a university that would allow me to do that with them.

Do you think you’ll be using your marketing or French alongside a recruiting position?

I’ll be using my marketing background a lot. That’s why Kelsey and I have focused on it so much in my internship – because we know it’s going to be such a valuable skill when I go off and get a job. With my French, I’ll use the experiences I’ve had, like my study abroad and the experience of being in two colleges at the same time. But I don’t think I’ll be speaking French much.

Did your parents think you were crazy when you told them you were going to go to school out of state?

Yeah, my dad really wanted me to go to Auburn. Both of my sisters went to in-state schools. I think my parents mostly just wanted me to not be so far away.

It’s really not that far.

All they heard was that I wanted to go out of state and move four hours away, and they knew nothing about the school. But they had the same feeling [as me] after we came to campus: “This is it. This is for sure where I’m going to be for the next four years.”

Editor’s update: Just before press time, Conkin accepted a position as an Academic Recruiter for the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas-Arlington.