Business Niner Lauren Martin has gone above and beyond during her time with the Belk College of Business.
Martin, a junior majoring in marketing and supply chain management, completed an internship this summer with Zuryc, a Charlotte-based business technology provider. She says the internship not only helped her discover her passion for marketing strategy but also to understand the importance of stepping outside her comfort zone and the value of her opinion.
In addition to school and internships, Martin has established Wear Your Crown, a non-profit organization that aims to help women redefine their confidence, renew their mind and rediscover themselves.
After graduation, Martin hopes to acquire a role in marketing or business strategy, eventually returning to school to receive her MBA. She plans to continue to grow and develop Wear Your Crown.
What were major takeaways from your internship with Zuryc?
I learned that no matter my job title or amount of experience, my opinion matters. Even as an intern, some of my suggestions were implemented in our projects and presented to the President. This taught me the importance of speaking up and that I can make a difference, which is a lesson I definitely want to take with me as I enter the workforce.
What is Wear Your Crown?
Wear Your Crown is a safe space for women to be inspired, uplifted, and loved by other strong women. We strive to help women redefine their confidence, renew their mind and rediscover themselves. We want to establish an all-inclusive community for women to feel welcomed and supported.
Currently, we accomplish this mission by establishing chapters on college campuses. Each chapter is then responsible for hosting meetings, events and discussions.
What motivated you to start Wear Your Crown?
I was motivated to start Wear Your Crown because I am finally beginning to love myself for who I am. Once I began to love myself, I viewed the world in a totally different way, as well as had more confidence in the way I approached school, my job and life in general. So, I wanted to create an organization where I can help other women also rediscover themselves and uplift one another.
How can students join Wear Your Crown and how alumni can get involved?
Students at UNC Charlotte are able to join our chapter at UNC Charlotte by emailing wyc.uncc@gmail.com or completing the interest form.
If alumni are interested in getting involved with Wear Your Crown, they can complete our contact information form so we can send them a newsletter with regular updates. In addition, if they reside in Charlotte and are interested in helping to establish the first Wear Your Crown Community (a safe space for women at least 21 years old), then they can complete this form. Ideally, we would like the Community to meet once a month to have discussions, workshops, panels, etc. However, we are open to suggestions as we want to do whatever best serves the needs of the women who choose to participate.
For anyone that is interested in staying in touch with us, our email is info@wycnow.org. In addition, we are active on social media (@wyc_inc).