As a member of the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics’ Class of 2020, Emily Williamson from Sewell, New Jersey has not had the typical final semester or commencement at UD due to the coronavirus outbreak. She, and her entire class, have shown incredible resilience, maturity and spirit while adjusting to the many unexpected changes that they have encountered.
Williamson was nominated for this series by UD associate professor of marketing and Honors advisor Julia Bayuk, who said, “Emily is someone with infinite energy and enthusiasm. She always goes above and beyond, whether that means mentoring others through her business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi, or with being a TA and peer mentor for BUAD 110 and freshmen students. She works hard in all of her classes, constantly wanting to grow personally and professionally.“
In this profile, Williamson, a marketing and operations management double major, shared her favorite UD memories, how she has changed during her time at UD and her plans following graduation.
Q: How do you think you have changed from your first semester at UD to now?
Williamson: Over the past four years, I have grown much more confident in myself as a whole and I credit this to the leadership positions I was able to hold during my time at UD. As a rising sophomore, I was able to represent the University as 1 of 20 Orientation Leaders. This experience taught me how to lead large groups of students and parents and how to efficiently and effectively deliver important information. It also taught me how to incorporate my own style and personality into my leadership role. I was able to continue to fine tune my leadership style during my time as a teaching assistant for the Introduction to Business Course, as an instructional assistant for the ELI Introduction to Business Course and as an Alpha Kappa Psi chapter representative for UDance. Because of these experiences, I feel confident and ready for the real world!
Q: What is your favorite place at UD?
Williamson: It’s a tie between the Newark Reservoir and the Delaware trails! You can’t deny the magic of watching the sun set over all of Newark or the joy that comes from exploring the nature around UD’s campus. I often enjoyed going to these places to escape from the stressors of school and life.
Q: What is the most memorable course that you took at Lerner?
Williamson: My most memorable course was Honors Strategic Management with Professor Sharon Watson. This class covered all aspects of the business, focusing on the decisions managers would need to make to ensure success for the firm. The course was based on recent case studies from popular companies, making it both relevant and incredibly interesting! This course also allowed me to work with students in majors other than my own, and we were able to utilize our particular and unique skill sets to come up with creative and practical management decisions for our final project. I genuinely feel that I will continue to use the toolbox we filled in this class in the real world.
Q: What was your favorite signature UD experience?
Williamson: I really enjoyed the intramural sports program. This served as a great way for me to stay active, challenge myself physically, go outside of my comfort zone (for instance, playing full-field soccer in November despite not playing for 10+ years), meet new people and try new things!
Q: What does being a “Lifelong Lerner” mean to you?
Williamson: Being a Lifelong Lerner means giving back to the community that gave so much to me. Whether it be serving as a mentor when I gain my 10 years of experience in the workplace, coming back to career fairs to recruit fellow Blue Hens or continuing to be an active alum of Alpha Kappa Psi.
Q: What are your plans following graduation?
Williamson: I will be working with PepsiCo as a sales manager in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!