Pi Sigma Epsilon wins big at National Collegiate Sales Competiton
Central Michigan University seniors Taylor Miller and Ashley Fennell won big honors for Pi Sigma Epsilon in late March at the National Collegiate Sales Competition in Atlanta.
Miller of Union City, competed for the first time and placed in the top 50 along with Fennell, who placed fifth in the nation. CMU as a university placed sixth in the U.S.
"It was exhilarating and it was a blessing to be there," said Fennell, a native of Washington, Mich. "I couldn't have done (it) without the grace of God and saying our prayers."
Seventy universities and 140 students competed in the National Collegiate Sales Competition, the largest sales competition for the fraternity. Some of the universities in attendance included the University of Michigan, Florida State University and Texas State University.
The competition involves fraternities completing a role-play scenario that is filmed and critiqued by judges. There are five rounds and students get eliminated each round.
The two women were selected by their adviser, Ken Cherry, to attend the competition. The duo started to prepare in December and spent hours each week practicing role-play.
"I easily practiced about 15 hours a week before the competition," Miller said. "I just wanted to make sure I was prepared since I had no idea what I was getting myself into."
She said experiencing her first competition was amazing after making it to the first round and then progressing to the semi-finals. She did not advance to the next round, but still feels happy about placing in the top 50.
Fennell said getting fifth in the competition is the biggest highlight of her college career.
This is the first time CMU has competed in the competition after being on the wait-list for two years. However, because the fraternity did well, it will automatically get a bid next year.
