Hi, my name is Lauren Handy. Going beyond my elevator pitch this is me.

I have had a job since I was fourteen, starting as a sales associate at various farmers markets in San Diego, CA (where I proudly get to say I am born and raised) for a vegan cookie company, Maya’s Cookies. From a young age I learned how to work in a fast-paced environment, gained a great deal of independence because I was often running the booth alone, as well as sales experience as consistently being the top sales associate for the company. This is what makes me unique, I am one of the hardest workers you will meet and I am dedicated to not only achieving the goals of my managers/companies that I work for, but I strive to exceed. I want to excel at everything that I do and am willing to put in the work in order to do so, making me resilient and driven.

Having an entrepreneur as a father I learned to be a risk taker and go after my goals despite what others think. In high school I fell in love with yoga and decided to take a gap year to become a certified 200hr yoga instructor. This is a decision that I am extremely proud of myself for making because it was the first choice I made on my own, without caring what other people thought. This inspired me to continue to push myself out of my comfort zone and live dynamically. I was inspired to branch out of Southern California and move across the country for college. I ended up at The University of Tampa because, as much as I love trying new things I was not willing to try anything below 50 degrees.

Coming from a business family I knew I wanted to go to business school and chose to focus on marketing because of my love for writing, creativity, and curiosity. I love marketing because as a consumer I like to know a company’s backstory-how they started, their mission, and their vision. I wanted to learn how to communicate those aspects of a company to consumers and help companies set themselves apart from the competition. I definitely made the right choice because I genuinely love my major and learning as much about marketing as possible, both inside and outside the classroom.

As a Social Media Manager for Never Alone UT, a club on campus that promotes friendship and inclusion by hosting both on and off-campus events weekly, I am constantly designing digital flyers to share on our Instagram and help create and promote a welcoming brand. Having a passion for what the club stands for I started #mentalhealthmondays posts that promote positivity to encourage our community to take care of their mental health and understand that they truly are never alone. Being part of this organization has not only given me marketing experience but has allowed me to expand my network by creating valuable relationships with other students and organizations on campus.