Meet Your MBA Colleagues

Denise Edwards

Wassup? My name is Denise Edwards, 1st year MBA student from New York. That’s right I was born and raised in the “Big Apple” about 30 minutes outside of JFK Airport. My family is originally from Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies and I am the youngest of 3 girls. My sister Tiffany works for the Federal Government as a Deputy Press Secretary. With that connection I was able to attend “BE THE CHANGE”(MTV Youth Inaugural Ball).

I passed up a scholarship to play volleyball at Mount Holyoke College to attend the State University of New York at Buffalo. I graduated in 2006 with a B.S. in Business Administration. Buffalo is known as the snow capital of Western New York. After 5 years of living in Buffalo, I can honestly say that I like snow. I think snowboarding is cool even though I’m pretty bad at it…for me the hardest part is stopping! I was one of the few fortunate seniors in college to graduate with a job already lined up. After graduation, I immediately began working as an Account Manager for Pepsi Bottling Group. Pepsi in Upstate New York is like Coca Cola here. I sold soda and even though the money was great the work excitement was not there. So I left Pepsi in August 2007.

Two weeks later I accepted a position with the National Basketball Association. I held the role of Coordinator for the VIP Access and Experience Department of Nets Basketball. The VIP Department was centered on creating a “Best In Class” experience for season ticket holders. We put on events that included open practices, post game autograph sessions and player meet and greets. I also had to attend all 44 home games where I hosted anyone who entered through the VIP Entrance. I have had the opportunity to meet Dr. J (Julius Erving), Jay-Z, Selita Ebanks, Mick Foley, Manny Cabrera, Santonio Holmes and so much more. I absolutely loved my coworkers however, my position didn’t show any room for growth opportunities. Last summer, I made the decision to resign from the NBA to attend LSU.

Being in New York, the only things I knew about Louisiana is what I saw on TV. The culture, food, people and weather have all surpassed my expectations. I’m not sure what I will get into once I graduate, but I’m certain that with my MBA the opportunities are endless.