Whether she’s giving tours to prospective students, redesigning a website, or accompanying Auburn’s mascot around campus, Harbert College of Business senior Lauren Short has made the most of her time on Auburn’s campus.

“I just fell in love with it from the get-go, and have a long history of family here,” said Short when asked why she chose to come to Auburn.  

Short is a fourth-generation Auburn student and her mother, an Opelika native, met her father on Auburn’s campus. Growing up in small-town Columbus, Mississippi, helped Short appreciate all that Auburn has to offer. 

Short was immediately drawn to her marketing major because of experience with sports marketing in high school. However, she added a business analytics major because of her analytical mind, which she attributed to her family. 

“My whole family is very analytical, so I’ve naturally found business analytics a great complement to my marketing major,” Short said, in reference to her double major.  

Short’s longstanding love for Auburn encouraged her to become a director of Aubie in her sophomore year. In this role, Short coordinated his newsletter, social media pages, all while accompanying the iconic tiger to his various social outings. This experience helped her see a new side of Auburn while upholding some of its oldest traditions.   

“Because Aubie is a tiger, he can’t speak,” Short said, “so you’re communicating for him.” 

Short was able to accompany Aubie to Nationals at the Universal Cheerleaders Association in Orlando, Florida, where he has been a 10-time champion. To qualify for Nationals though, Aubie’s directors must film various skits from football games which gave Short lots of experience with video editing and personalizing Aubie’s social media presence to reflect his lively crowd engagement and wonderful fan interactions.  

Short’s love for Auburn has also helped her have a positive impact on the Executive Society, Harbert’s student-led host organization. As current vice-president, she has been working to create a LinkedIn page to foster better relationships between the society members and its alumni. Short also served as the organization’s philanthropy chair last year, where she partnered with the Exceptional Foundation of East Alabama to hold benefit nights in local businesses around Auburn, have supply drives, and even participate in their day program, which allowed members to go and spend time with the participants of the foundation.  

According to Short, one of the most rewarding aspects of Executive Society has been seeing students that she gave tours to eventually become Harbert students. 

In her junior year, Short was also serving as the director of marketing for the College of Business Council, where she was able to create and grow the council’s Instagram page to 250 followers and coordinated a merch sale that raised around $2,000 across two semesters.  

With lots of valuable experiences within and beyond Harbert, Short was elected president of the Harbert student body. This has allowed her to oversee the student Business Council and join the college’s search committee for a new dean.  

“I can't walk around these buildings without seeing somebody I know which is extremely calming and reassuring,” Short said in relation to the close-knit community within Harbert. 

Currently, she is a digital marketing intern with Harbert’s Communication and Marketing team, where she manages several content management systems, conducts usability testing, and is instrumental in the website redesign process for the Office of Professional and Career Development and the Harbert College websites. 

Short has been able to grow and connect with women outside of Harbert as a member of the Women's Leadership Institute Student Advisory Board this year. The experience has helped Short see how different women have found success in male-dominated fields, knowledge that will help her when she goes on to start her career. 

Set to graduate in the spring, Short said she would love to work in marketing analytics for the sports or luxury fashion industries. Ultimately, Short said that she is ready to push herself out of her comfort zone by living in a new place and keeping an open mind about all the different career opportunities available to her.  

“It's just all about constantly getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new,” Short said, “worst outcome is you get told no while the best outcome is success and a lot of fun.” 

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The Harbert College of Business which is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Raymond and Kathryn Harbert's transformational naming gift, is a nationally ranked hub of undergraduate, graduate and continuing business education that is inspiring the next generation of business leaders. Our world-class faculty deliver unparalleled academic rigor in the classroom, while our research-driven scholarship advances thought leadership and best practice across business disciplines. The largest college on Auburn's campus, Harbert enrolls more than 6,900 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students.