Charmain Wilson, recent graduate of the Business and Technology Management master’s program spoke with the Stevenson University Online about her personal journey through the program, as well as the next steps in her life.
Charmain has always lived in the Owings Mills area, graduating from Owings Mills High School before pursuing her college education. Prior to enrolling at Stevenson, she says that she, “experimented with various Community College of Baltimore County classes,” as an entry point in her college career. She continued to search for colleges and universities around the Owings Mills area, and soon discovered Stevenson. Charmain initially earned her bachelor’s in Business Administration in 2015 and subsequently went on to earn her masters in Business and Technology Management in May 2017. Throughout Charmain’s college experience, she immersed herself in programs relating to business, a field she has always been interested in.
Charmain has a keen love for business, a passion which precedes her college years. While pursuing her master’s in Business and Technology Management, she chose the Innovative Leadership track, to provide her with a better feel of the corporate world and equip her with the skill-set to be more empowered in her field. Charmain describes her experience at Stevenson as a pleasant one, citing her advisor and Student Success Coach as positive influences during both her graduate and undergraduate years. She also credits her professors with being an integral part of the experience. When asked about them, she noted that, “they were always there for assistance when needed.”
Charmain currently works for Toyota Financial Services, as a contract specialist. In her position, car dealers depend on Charmain for assistance to make their decisions and deals. She says that challenges can arise when she helps the dealers resolve issues due to the frustrations that arise. As a result, there needs to be clear and effective communication to prevent any further issues in addition to resolving the original problem. While these situations can present challenges, Charmain also finds it as a very fulfilling aspect of her job. In her words, “I enjoy constantly communicating and engaging on the phone because it keeps my mind active.” It also keeps her up-to-date on the information that she needs to know, so she enjoys how immersive and engaging the communication aspect of her job is.
On the topic of communication, Charmain would advise anyone starting out in the business field to sharpen their communication skills. She says, “It helps to be friendly and a people person as well as a quick learner and adapter.” She highlights the importance of these traits because her field is one that is built on communication and interpersonal relationships. Throughout her experience, Charmain has learned that patience is key in her field. She elaborates on this point, saying “patience gets you further in life while impatience gets you nowhere.” Charmain credits Stevenson with instilling this value in her, because she was tasked with balancing a multitude of responsibilities and executing effective time management strategies.
As far as personal hobbies and interests, Charmain loves to read. As a recent graduate, she has been so occupied with schoolwork and has not been able to read as much. As soon as some summer work is wrapped up, she plans to get right back into her favorite hobby. She also wants to attempt sewing and experiment with it in her free time. Charmain loves to travel as well, and has been to a number of places. She says that Jamaica and New Orleans are her two favorite places to travel, however it was a hard choice to make given her abundance of travel experience.
Charmain is inspired and motivated by her three children. They are the driving force in what she does, as she wants to empower them through impacting their young minds and setting a good example for them. When speaking about them, her passion is evident in her words, “everything I do, I do for them.”