The National Sales Challenge marked Saikaly’s competitive sales debut representing Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ and the selling program. In the competition, Saikaly and Davila utilized the skills developed through mentorship opportunities, role-play exercises and networking events hosted by the PSP.

“Oliver and Emily are exceptional students who represented Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ and the Professional Selling Program.” – Bill Steiger, coordinator of the Professional Selling Program

“I took advantage of everything I could possibly learn in the and made myself an expert in the products I was selling,” Saikaly says.

Saikaly demonstrated his selling abilities and intimate knowledge of various products and services during the sales call role-play, where he was required to close a deal with a business executive over the course of a 15-minute meeting. In the speed selling event, Saikaly was given two minutes to deliver a mock sales pitch highlighting his passions for sales and baking while convincing an executive to hire him.

“I couldn’t have done this without my coach Stefanie Mayfield-Garcia and teammate Emily Davila who constantly gave me feedback and helped me practice,” Saikaly says. “As coordinator of the Professional Selling Program, Dr. Bill Steiger also helps each and every one of the program members develop personally and professionally, and that paid off at the competition.”

The National Sales Challenge is a three-day event and competition offering students the chance to network with representatives from major corporations, receive feedback on their sales skills and gain real-world business knowledge from successful executives. Hosted by the Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales at William Patterson University, the event also provides students with connections to corporate partners and job opportunities.

“Oliver and Emily are exceptional students who represented Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ and the Professional Selling Program with class in front of their peers,” Steiger says.

On Saturday, the Cuban native who immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 4 months old, will become the first in her family to graduate from college when she receives a marketing degree from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ College of Business.

The future looks bright for Diaz, who plans to pursue a career in sales after graduation, but her journey to become a Knight almost ended before it began. In her senior year of high school, Diaz’s father was losing his eyesight—and his job as a truck driver—to diabetes. With the family’s primary breadwinner out of work, she said her family’s home was headed into foreclosure.

“The dream of going to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ felt crushed when my father slowly began to lose his sight,” said Diaz, who gave up her own extracurricular activities, such as swimming and water polo, to support her family. She took on the responsibility of paying bills and serving as a translator for her Spanish-only speaking parents.

She said encouragement from her high school teachers along with witnessing her parents’ struggles motivated her to move out of her hometown of Hialeah and apply to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ two weeks before the enrollment deadline. She was accepted into Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝, but then came the hard part—figuring out how to pay for it.

“Through the efforts of so many people who believed in me and a lot of hard work, I received multiple scholarships,” she said, including the Virga Family Scholarship, a $10,000 annual scholarship available to full-time Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ undergraduates who desire to be entrepreneurs.

“The Virga Family Scholarship allowed me to be a Knight for four years and have the full college experience and not worry about living expenses or how I would pay for my groceries for the week,” Diaz said.

With her finances settled, Diaz focused her energy on her academic courses and getting involved in the college’s many activities and student groups.

“Mery served in an important leadership role as a student ambassador of the college by helping create and execute events to engage the students,” said Jennifer Johnson, director of engagement and The EXCHANGE at the College of Business. “Mery has a strong dedication to her own professional development, and I have watched her blossom as an ambassador and participant in our prestigious Professional Selling Program.”

Bill Steiger, associate instructor and coordinator of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s national-champion Professional Selling Program, said Diaz may have enrolled in the selling program as a student but she’s leaving as a professional.

“Her commitment to self-improvement was amazing,” Steiger said. “She faced numerous obstacles and never gave up or complained. She will be a rock star in sales.”

For her part, Diaz credits Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ as “the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

“I am leaving here with a diploma, but more importantly, with knowledge, a good network, valuable and transferable skills and an undefeatable mentality,” she said. “I am going into the world understanding so much about relationships, partnerships, team building, vision and creation.”

Donors can contribute to first-generation scholarships to benefit other students at

The 23-year-old Miami native, who learned sign language and how to read lips at an early age to overcome a hearing disability, said Saturday’s milestone will be especially meaningful.

“There were times when I felt like giving up,” said Chirino, who also is the first in her family to graduate from high school, “but my positive attitude kept me pedaling.”

And by pedaling, she means literally. After becoming financially independent at age 18 and enrolling in Valencia College, she would get up at 5 a.m. to bike 10 miles to campus for class before making the return trek home that night.

“I had a vision I was looking forward to and I never forgot why I was doing this challenge—to be the change I wish to see in the world, especially for those with disabilities,” said Chirino, who enrolled at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ from Valencia through the DirectConnect to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ program.

Growing up with two deaf parents who hailed from Cuba, Chirino’s first language was a mix of Spanish and sign that she learned through a program for the deaf and hearing disabled in elementary school. She learned English and took speech-therapy classes to help her pronounce words correctly. Eventually she learned to read lips. But even as her communication skills improved, she said she often was embarrassed by her hearing aids.

Even when graduating from one of the largest colleges on the campus of one of the nation’s biggest universities, Chirino’s perseverance and attitude stand out in the crowd.

“Erika never ceases to amaze and inspire me with the way she pushes through barriers, takes risks and exhibits drive and maturity you would expect in a more experienced individual,” said Lonny Butcher, professor and director of the Office of Professional Development at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ College of Business. “I teach over 3,000 students each semester, so it is rare I get to know more than a handful on a personal level. Rarer still is the opportunity to meet a student whose personal drive and ability to overcome the most difficult circumstances actually moves me to a state of admiration. I am fortunate to have played a part in Erika’s college experience, and I cannot wait to bring her back as an alumnae to inspire my next generation of students.”

Chirino credits Butcher, marketing professor Carolyn Massiah, and professional selling program professor Bill Steiger with giving her the opportunity to build a professional network while challenging her to go even further.

With the goal of making the most of her time at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝, Chirino became vice president of professional activities for the business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi, where she coordinated workplace tours and career development workshops for students. She interned for Wyndham Vacation Ownership and served as a member of the marketing team for the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ Student Union.

“I learned how to accept my disability and show I am brave. I learned how to overcome this hardship by relying on my skills in building relationship and reading lips,” said Chirino, a marketing major who was one of just 35 students in the prestigious professional-selling program.

Juggling multiple responsibilities is nothing new for the energetic Chirino. By age 7, she had taken on many adult duties such as paying bills and booking appointments for her parents, who had lost their own hearing following childhood illnesses and never received a formal education.

Although her father was a skilled mechanic, she said he and her mother often were treated unfairly due to their lack of education. Witnessing her parents’ struggles, she said, motivated her to pursue a college degree.

“My parents are the reason why I am where I am today and why I am a driven, devoted woman ready to take on new challenges,” said Chirino, who plans to start a business after graduation with the goal of buying her father his own boat and business and setting her mother up with her own nail salon. “It is always a great feeling knowing I have accomplished something good to help my parents live a better life.”

As a sales guy, I understand that we need to sell stuff and the internet is the new retail trading space – and it’s going to get busier because more folks are getting connected.

Information-technology researcher Gartner predicts that there will be 30 percent more connected devices in 2016 than last year. That represents 6.4 billion more devices. If you’re going fishing, go to where the fish are!

As an instructor with a large academic family and a grandparent with a large personal family, I’m used to processing 150+ text messages and 100+ emails every day before I even touch social media. The sheer volume of “online stuff” doesn’t overwhelm me. I’ve developed an immediate filtering sense that sorts the legitimate messages from businesses with which I’m not familiar.

I’m also grateful that the “cold call” messages are more targeted to products and services that match my age and consumer behavior. I rarely receive online ads for speed dating, music that I’ve never heard of, or nightclubs that open after I’m already in bed. At the same time, I’m not overjoyed by the ads for Viagra, senior-living apartments, Medicare Part D and reverse mortgages.

So, how exactly are these companies targeting me? We’re familiar with the online tracking tools consumers seem to have no concerns with: cookies, profiles and other online tools that identify our shopping habits.

It’s the speed that this information is available that is striking. An acquaintance who works for a technology-research business told me the analytics to process and make sense of data captured from online habits is moving faster and faster. It is giving the end-user the tools to evaluate the data and operationalize a marketing solution online.

I purchased two pairs of slacks online over the holidays. Within one hour, I had a tile ad on my web browser for belts, socks and shoes to go with the slacks. I have to admit, this was pretty creepy.

This tracking is being extended into the bricks and mortar retailers, as well. Nordstrom ran a test to track the cell phone signals of shoppers in the store to determine optimal store layout and the opportunity to offer in-store coupons. While consumers seem to be OK with the online tracking, the in-store tracking got some pushback from consumers who viewed it as a form of stalking.

So did the online retailer think I needed a new belt, socks or shoes just because I purchased a pair of slacks? A behavioral psychologist who consults with my sales students at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ told me that it’s not a practical sales message, it’s an emotional pitch. They want me to feel like I’ll look better in these items. That I’ll be more professional, credible and perhaps comfortable. It’s the dirty little secret of tracking and online marketing analytics.

I like to shop but I don’t like to spend a lot of time shopping. For me, convenience is king because time is so precious.

As a veteran of the advertising business, I love selling with ads. As a result, I’m OK with the emotional pitches.

The best endorsement is a happy customer – and if I feel better, look better and get a compliment or two, I’m a happy customer. Bring on the ads!

William Steiger is an instructor and marketing consultant in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s College of Business Administration and coordinator of the college’s Professional Selling Program. He can be reached at william.steiger@ucf.edu.