The University of South Carolina Aiken holds an irreplaceable spot in Emma Murray’s heart. This week the graduating senior will be walking across the USCA’s Convocation Center stage with a degree in Business Marketing.
A lifelong Aiken resident, Murray decided to pursue her studies at USCA after taking a few courses at Aiken Technical College in 2021. “I was drawn to USCA because of the small class sizes,” she said. “I felt more like a person here rather than a number. Most of my professors knew my name, even some of the librarians knew me. The sense of community is just amazing, that’s the main reason for coming here.”
Murray genuinely acknowledges USCA's role in providing her numerous paths to success. She particularly cherishes her first study abroad trip to Italy, made possible by a scholarship. “It was a very cool experience, I learned so much,” she said. “While I was over there, I took a creative advertisement course, and I learned various international business skills,” Murray added that the experience abroad was so influential that it even convinced her to choose a non-traditional route after graduation and travel abroad to Spain for a month before job hunting.
Outside of the classroom, Murray was involved in extracurricular activities on campus organizations such as the Council for Business Students (CBS) and Enactus, which focused on entrepreneurial projects to assist small businesses within the Aiken community. “It was a very cool experience to use what I learned in the classroom and apply it to the real world.”
For Murray, the genuine connection with like-minded business pursuers at the School of Business will be greatly missed. Her success as a business professional is largely attributed to USCA Professor John Engel, and Brent Hoover a former USCA professor, who fueled her passion and growth while taking their classes.
Driven by a passion for healthcare advancement, Murray says her long-term ambition is to enter the medical device sales field. “I am a Type 1 diabetic and I wear medical devices and I’ve seen how life-changing these devices can be for people,” she said. “I want to be a sales representative for medical devices and help diabetics get the help they need.”
“Your career starts while you’re in college,” Murray said as she advised incoming students interested in pursuing business degrees. “By your junior year, you need to be involved in organizations, networking, and working on getting an internship.”
Murray currently interns at Bridgestone as an administrative assistant. Her duties include working with human resources and the head business assistant at the company.
Murray is one of six graduating seniors, from the university selected as exceptional students ahead of May commencement. Graduates are set to walk across the stage on Wednesday, May, in the Convocation Center at 6 p.m.
For more information, contact Angela Saxon - angela.saxon@usca.edu