Marketing senior Jackie Reading has had a busy four years in the Harbert College of Business, maintaining a job, becoming president of her sorority, and turning a summer internship into a full-time job offer with Chicago-based Ferrara® Candy Company.

Harbert’s BUSI 1010 and 2010 professional development courses, which teach students critical resume writing, interview, and internship search skills, helped Reading to acquire her summer internship.  

“Sometimes I feel like people think they're monotonous, but I think getting my resume sharp helped me a lot, and the interview preparation skills helped prepare me to interact with professionals,” said Reading.  

After she accepted her sales strategy and customer marketing internship with the famous candy company, Reading said she received a 15 lb. suitcase full of Ferrara candy.  

But the candy didn’t stop there, Reading said, as the office was well-stocked with some popular Ferrara brands such as Laffy Taffy®and Nerds®.  

In one of the first projects of her internship, Reading analyzed the Jelly Belly® Easter egg produced by Brach’s® Candy, a seasonal brand under Ferrara. Piling her desk with countless Easter candies from various brands, Reading was able to put her marketing knowledge to work.  

At the time, the seasonal candy brand was undergoing a transformation which gave Reading the opportunity to learn the importance of all aspects of branding from logo design and bag size selection to large-scale marketing strategies. Reading additionally worked closely with the Brach’s brand team to connect them with both buyers and the sales team.  

“I was collecting information to connect all those dots, so I sat in many meetings to understand the brand side of everything,” said Reading about her role with Brach’s. 

Reading appreciated Ferrara’s dedication to its interns, citing how the company provided housing for all the interns, which helped her form connections with other students. Additionally, Reading was able to meet with each department in Ferrara to better connect with its employees and understand how the company operates.  

“I'm so biased, but I think I had the best internship ever, it was the right amount of learning,” said Reading, “I learned so much from the projects I was doing which were real projects that the company is implementing.” 

Looking ahead, Reading is excited to move to Chicago and start her career as a sales analyst at Ferrara. Reading is quite familiar with moving, despite primarily growing up in Southlake, Texas, she has lived in five different cities.  

It was in Southlake where Reading learned about Auburn University, as her best friend’s family were adamant fans and alumni who introduced her to Auburn’s traditions. So, when she toured the campus and attended an exciting Auburn football game, she knew it was right for her.   

“When I came to Auburn everyone was so nice and so kind,” said Reading, “I loved it and then I went to a football game and knew it was for me.”  

Once in Auburn, Reading joined Gamma Phi Beta, where she served as president of her chapter in 2023. Describing sororities as similarly structured to a company, Reading said her involvement with her sorority’s leadership has provided different opportunities for her to practice professionalism. She has particularly enjoyed the personal connections she made as president, both with members of her sorority and those outside of it.  

“If you actually get to know people, it makes that job so much more rewarding,” said Reading, “Being president, that was one of my favorite things, I got to meet people in my sorority.” 

One of Gamma Phi Beta’s philanthropy projects is working with Girls on the Run, an organization that helps younger girls build self-confidence through mentorship and running.  

“Our philanthropic mission is building strong girls,” said Reading about her sorority's involvement with Girls on the Run. 

Outside of her studies, sorority, and presidential duties, Reading has maintained a job during the four years she has been in Auburn, demonstrating her remarkable work ethic. 

“I'm not ready to leave yet, but I know it's time,” Reading said about graduating in just a few short weeks. 

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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.