Toufic Eid: Big Win in the Big Easy

 Toufic Eid (Class of 2017) completed his BS with a major in Business and concentrations in Management and Marketing. He is currently enrolled in the Master's of Science in Business Management at the College of Staten Island.

Toufic Eid posting with his team's award

One of my most memorable moments in my college years would have to be when I competed in the International American Marketing Association Case Competition, where chapters develop a full marketing plan for the upcoming year for a sponsor. At first, when entering the competition, I was unsure of our potential. However, after watching the team blossom in their strongest areas, I now see the potential and strong attitude we dolphins hold. With the strong encouragement from the loving and caring staff as well as the motivation provided by professor Dan Zhang, my team was able to lose our insecurity and build confidence within the real-business world. I can say that I now truly understand the hard work and energy it takes to become a marketer.

         From the extensive rehearsal hours to the sleepless nights, my team placed 3rd in the competition out of 250 competing universities. I know for a fact that just because we looked like the smallest team there, we still walked in with our fins held high as we stood in front of the eBay executives. I guess it is true to say that people really do "fear the fin!" This experience has strengthened my passion for business. I took it all in: traveling to New Orleans, networking with other students from other universities, observing different cultures, and of course the amazing food. How could anyone not love beignets, gumbo, and grits? This travel experience was life-changing; I learned a lot, from the fine points of business dress, how to socialize in a professional setting, and developing my public speaking abilities. This was one of the most memorable moments of my college life.

CSI takes third place in an international marketing competition

However, this entire trip would not have been possible without the crew working behind the curtains. With the help of the dean Susan Holak and staff members like Debbie Laura, we were able to travel to the conference that was held in the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. The school of business has been a tremendous contributor to the whole team and has helped us attend the event. I could not have been more appreciative and thankful for all the school of business does and provides. For that I am proud to be a CSI-School of Business, undergraduate, an helping set the standard for future teams.

I hope to continue the success for the school of business by encouraging more leaders and outstanding students to join future teams to compete. We learned the value of practicing in front of unfamiliar faces and of playing to our strengths. After watching the winning team, it was noticeable to see the time and effort it took to design the slides. For future teams, I recommend picking a design major undergraduate to spice up the full package. I wouldn't be discouraged if you felt you didn't have the resources to compete; for instance, the heat maps I generated were completed from scratch using no programmed software. Lastly, I would like to remind the future team that they are capable of anything just like any other teams and students from other universities. We are dolphins--Fear the Fin!