Alumni Spotlight: Autumn Payne - Class of 2023

“So much has happened since CEO! I’m currently a rising senior at Coastal Carolina University, where I’m double majoring in Marketing and Hospitality with a minor in Acting. In just a few weeks, I’ll be heading to Sorrento, Italy for a semester abroad, where I’ll be studying international marketing and hospitality while completing an internship with Sant’Anna Institute.

I also recently wrapped up an incredible marketing internship where I had the opportunity to assist one of my professors with marketing research and present our findings at a business conference in Austin, Texas last week. It was my first time traveling for business, and it made me even more excited for the career path I’m pursuing.

I’ll be graduating this May with two bachelor’s degrees, and next August I plan to begin my Masters Degree. Long-term, I hope to combine my love for marketing, travel, and relationship-building by becoming a yacht broker while also growing my own marketing agency. I’m excited to see where the journey takes me!

One of the biggest lessons I took away is that it’s not just what you know, it’s who you know. CEO taught me the value of building genuine relationships and showed me that behind every successful company is a business leader. That’s exactly the kind of leader I hope to become.

One phrase that has stayed with me ever since is: “If you want to go far, you have to go far.” CEO gave me the confidence to leave my comfort zone, dream bigger than I ever thought I could, and believe that nothing is unrealistic if someone else has already done it. That mindset is the reason I changed my career path, pursued opportunities across the country and now internationally, and continue to chase goals that once felt impossible. I truly don’t think I’d be on the path I’m on today without CEO, and I’ll always be grateful for the impact it had on my life.”