Kylie Bick
Kylie Bick’s passion for skateboarding and desire to learn in a diverse environment influenced her decision to attend Georgia State University. However, it was the Department of Marketing in the J. Mack Robinson College of Business that led her to choose to stay. Below, Kylie shares her insights on how the Robinson College provided her with numerous opportunities, and her advice for those who are considering attending.
Interview by Jordan Ferguson
Who is Kylie Bick? Tell us about yourself.
I am a senior here at Georgia State University studying marketing and sales. I am super involved with the BCM here on campus, which is Baptist Collegiate Ministries, a Christian organization here for students. That’s been most of my college community, which has been absolutely amazing. I’ve made some lifelong friends that I know are going to stick with me in the long run, which is something I was really looking for in college.
I’m also part of the Robinson Ambassador Program. Networking and Georgia State, and business college as a whole, are super important to me — something I have a lot of passion for because Robinson has helped me so much in my professional career, to the point where I just want everyone who’s in the business college to have the same opportunities and drive that I found through the college. So, I’m thankful to Georgia State for that.
I’m also a VP of the sales fraternity, which is Pi Sigma Epsilon. Once again, it’s a networking opportunity that one of my professors started back up again. I’ve just had such a great relationship with a lot of my sales and marketing professors. I feel like they’re some of the best here at Georgia State.
Funny story, I came for completely different reasons than why stayed. I skateboarded during high school and was really big into that scene. I wanted to come to Georgia State for the diversity and the skateboarding scene because that’s kind of what I grew up in, at Brooklyn Skate Park. My high school was mostly just people who all looked the same and I really enjoyed the skate park, because I could meet people of all different backgrounds, different races and different ages. So I really wanted that in a college and Georgia State was obviously the best pick for that.
Tell me a little bit more about the opportunities that you’ve had here.
I think the Robinson College is the perfect networking and marketing opportunity. Through my classes, I’ve gotten opportunities to join the sales fraternity, and it’s really cool to be part of the pioneer stage of getting members and stuff. Through that, I’ve gotten to network a lot with different kinds of businesses like UKG and Uline.
I’ve also had the opportunity to try to get into the State Farm sales competition through professor CP (Christiane Palpant). I’ve gotten to speak to people from Printpack and LexisNexis. Through professor CP’s class, which was key account management, we got to go to The Ritz-Carlton. I don’t think any other college students can say that they’re going to The Ritz during their class period, and we walked there.
How is Georgia State setting you up for your future endeavors when you graduate in May?
I think Georgia State has done a great job. I just had a retreat for the ambassador program with the Robinson College. One of the main things that was brought to my attention, and just a realization, was how unique our school is. You can get out of your accounting class in Aderhold, and walk down to Rosa’s and get a slice of pizza. While you’re in line, you could run into all these other people who are at their regular business jobs, strike up a conversation, and say that you’re looking for an internship. They might be the person you’re supposed to talk to, and you won’t find those people (CEOs or recruiters) at your local pizza place in Athens. You’re going to find them in downtown Atlanta. I think just the location of Georgia State has really helped me know what life might be like after college.
One thing I'm struggling with right now is figuring out which way I want to go, because there are so many opportunities and I think that’s because I’m at Georgia State.
If you could talk to the incoming first-year class or students who are looking at Georgia State, what is one thing you would want them to know about the university?
We have one of the best business colleges in the nation. I single-handedly will back up that statement.
One thing I love about Georgia State is that it gives everyone an opportunity. Here at Georgia State, we see the potential in every single student. Maybe you didn’t get those study sessions because you couldn’t afford them, but Georgia State doesn’t care. You can go from a B-minus or C student in high school to graduating with a full degree because Georgia State gives us that opportunity. Georgia State is not the school for the people who couldn’t get into UGA, Georgia State is a school for everyone.
