彩民宝典

Management Intern, C3 Management听

As far as pity parties go, the one Emma Kochenderfer threw for herself around Thanksgiving break of her first year at Leeds was pretty epic.听

By her own admission, Emma was disappointed that she wasn鈥檛 attending an Ivy League school or a prestigious international university, and as a result, her first few months at Leeds were more solitary than she鈥檇 pictured college life.

鈥淔inally, I just kind of told myself that sitting in my dorm room moping was only making things worse,鈥� Emma said. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥楲et me give this a chance, let me find one thing to join that I鈥檒l like.鈥欌��

That one thing鈥擫eeds Ambassadors鈥攈elped open countless doors for Emma. As she prepares to graduate, her list of extracurricular activities鈥擯eer2Peer mentor, Women's Empowerment Initiative, Ralphie鈥檚 Closet, Alpha Kappa Psi, Kobu Foundation, study abroad in Dublin, plus part-time work and multiple internships鈥攃ould fill its own r茅sum茅.

鈥榃here I鈥檓 supposed to be鈥�

鈥淚 have really found my community at Leeds,鈥� Emma said. 鈥淓ven if I wasn鈥檛 necessarily excited to be here at first, this is where I鈥檓 supposed to be.鈥澨�

One of the most visible responsibilities of a Leeds Ambassador is leading tours of the Koelbel and Rustandy buildings for prospective students and their families. Her mom actually encouraged her to apply, as Emma already was leading tours for Celestial Seasonings across town. Unlike the tea factory, a Leeds tour means connecting with different audiences who want different things鈥攆or parents, to be reassured the school is safe and a good investment; for students, that it鈥檚 a community they鈥檒l want to call home while preparing them for the future.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 made me better able to connect with people on different levels,鈥� she said. 鈥淥n a tour, you have to be able to quickly find out where you have similarities with people, and use that to build a relationship with them. My networking skills have grown so much, and I feel I owe a lot of that to my work with Ambassadors.鈥澨�

In tune with her future听

Emma chose a fairly nontraditional course of study. When she tells people she鈥檚 studying talent management, she鈥檚 not talking about human resources. Rather, she鈥檚 pairing that with a minor in music to one day manage a different kind of talent鈥攁rtists. She鈥檚 an avid concert-goer who sings and has played both piano and violin; after graduation, she鈥檒l be relocating to New York in hopes of one day managing up-and-comers and helping them make it big time. Among her internship experiences was an incredible opportunity with C3 Management鈥檚 Denver team, which gave her opportunities to help with album releases and assist backstage at venues like Red Rocks and Mission Ballroom. 听

鈥淧icking my degree was hard, but I鈥檝e been able to take classes in negotiation, leadership and DEI, and the concepts I鈥檝e learned I know I鈥檒l be able to use in the future,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he classes in my music minor have been some of my favorites at CU鈥攖hey鈥檝e really helped develop me creatively, which is a good match for the more practical business courses.鈥�

Now that she鈥檚听graduated, Emma is preparing for a relocation to New York to search for a way to use what she鈥檚 learned to build a career in the industry. She feels eager to take on the city thanks to the support she鈥檚 received from her mentors, who she says gave her insights and connections that have her ready to go.

It鈥檚 something she鈥檚 tried to give to her mentees at Leeds, and Emma said she hopes to continue to be a mentor to others as she moves through her career.听

鈥淲e have students who rush Alpha Kappa Psi who are interested in the music industry, and they always come up to me to learn more about it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 love being a resource for others, because that person didn鈥檛 exist when I was in my first year. The industry is full of people who want to help you鈥攜ou just have to know how to get connected with them.鈥�

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