It’s a common saying that floats around the world, “Respect is earned, not given.” However many of us, especially from my younger generation, blow it off as inconsequential advice under the assumption that we will simply be able to take it like low hanging fruit. However, we could not be more wrong.
The past year of my life has marked the exit from the undergraduate college student and carefree party hardy attitude to that of the sometimes-cutthroat realm of graduate school. Entering straight out of undergrad did me no favors either, especially when my mother’s friends all think I just graduated from high school, not college. Despite my quiet and unassuming nature within the classroom and the simple fact that many, if not most of my classmates disregarded my presence entirely, I was starving to prove myself amongst the weathered business people with whom I shared the lecture halls.
Sitting on the edge of the classroom where I would interrupt the already established relationships and pecking order, I watched and listened for weeks, waiting for a chance to add something to the conversation that might merit any worth. It was frustrating at times, mostly when my comments were passed over or ignored completely, but I couldn’t give up so I changed tactics. Instead of offering up tidbits of agreement I inserted remarks that incited a different opinion or something completely unheard of in the conversation thus far. Slowly but surely, a few more heads would turn each rare occasion I opened my mouth.
It wasn’t until the last week of the quarter that I was actually able to make my mark. We had our end of the year presentations on the companies we had chosen to analyze as a group throughout the quarter. Naturally, I ended up in the last minute rag tag group made up of two Frisbee playing dudes, two international students and myself. In a spur of the moment decision, I suggested researching SABMiller, the brewing company, knowing that it had the potential to be more interesting than the run-of-the-mill clothing or grocery store. On the morning of the presentation, a couple of my group members informed me that as an inside class joke, everyone was going to slip the word “penetration” into their presentations as many times as possible without the professor catching on.
Now, this is the moment most serious students would balk at the idea, afraid of the consequences and irritated that the class would have such a preposterous idea for a final presentation. I however, decided this would be my moment, my chance to prove myself once and for all. In the hour before the presentation, I changed our presentation to read “market penetration” instead of “market entry”, basically the same thing right?
After more than an hour of presentations, our group was up as the last presentation of the day. Out comes the red cooler full of Miller beer (one of the perks of picking a brewery to analyze 
, we introduce ourselves and crack open a cold one. I opened the presentation and my section with, “We decided that in order for SABMiller to be continually successful in the next few years, they must continue deep and fast penetration into developing markets…” Over the course of the next 20 minutes, I managed to maneuver “penetration” into the presentation (appropriately, of course) 13 times without breaking my dead pan face the entire time. By the time my team wrapped it up, we received a standing ovation from the masterminds behind the scheme. The professor was completely clueless, (as we found out on the second day when he finally mentioned something about possible sexual undertones..).
After class, my classmates, not only acknowledged me, but congratulated me profusely, inviting me to the end of the year trip to the local bar and graduation parties. Mission accomplished.
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