Senior Sydney Goldberg, a marketing major and computer science minor from St. Joseph, Missouri, strives to make an impact at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business. Driven by determination, she experienced a life-changing accident in South America the summer after her freshman year.
 
Goldberg spent three weeks in the hospital and when her doctors advised her to take a year off of school, she decided otherwise. After making it through her sophomore year in the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management program with the help of her friends and her mother, who moved into an on-campus apartment, she wanted to focus her junior year on giving back. Her efforts in various campus organizations earned her the 2016 Outstanding Student Leadership Award, which annually recognizes two students who made the most notable contributions toward the development of leadership in their fellow students at Nebraska.
 
“Entering my junior year I was so determined to make a change on campus and have the validation that I could make an impact,” Goldberg said. “Receiving the award was incredible, but even more it was special to my family because they fought so hard for me and supported me.”
 
Involved in numerous campus activities including the Innocents Society, Chi Omega Fraternity and the Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of Women, she considers her experience in Dance Marathon as most meaningful. She served as a morale captain for one year and a family representative for two where she worked with an eight-year-old girl. In one year, she raised more than $4,200 for the Children’s Miracle Network.
 
“The word ‘miracle’ is very special to me considering what I have been through, so this is a very touching cause for me. I spend a lot of time creating handwritten letters explaining why fundraising is so important to me and how amazing the Children’s Miracle Network is,” she said.
 
Goldberg’s determination exists both in her involvement and the classroom. She continually challenged herself to take difficult courses and build relationships with her professors.
Rob Simon, associate professor of practice of marketing, said Goldberg stood out immediately in his class. He encouraged her to enroll in Special Topics in Marketing (MRKT 490) to work with Union Pacific, which led to a job with the company after graduation.
 
“Her presentation skills stood out in the class and she was very convincing in selling her ideas. People gravitate toward her positive energy,” said Simon. “To be able to come back from her accident and achieve what she has is a testament to the outstanding student and person she is.”
 
After impressing the Union Pacific representatives during class, she interviewed with the company and accepted a job as a logistics services representative which will involve customer service, account handling and maintaining client relations. She hopes to use the knowledge from her marketing courses to positively impact the company.
 
“The marketing major at the College of Business gave me a solid understanding of how businesses work and the importance of marketing in any organization. The well-rounded experience I gained prepared me to not only land the job, but enter it confidently,” she said.
 
To learn more about the Department of Marketing at Nebraska, visit: business.unl.edu/marketing.   Published: May 5, 2017