Every Day Matters for Rebecca Cook

American retailer J.C. Penney has recently switched its slogan from “It’s All Inside” to “Every Day Matters.” Both fit Rebecca Cook, who is graduating in this year’s All-University Commencement on June 9.

But it was last year’s Commencement that proved fortuitous to Rebecca. As the newly elected Senior Class President for 2007–08, she had the good fortune of sitting next to Mike Ullman, Penney Chairman and CEO.

“He asked me what my major was,” Rebecca explains. “When I told him it was marketing, he told me that they had lots of opportunities at J.C. Penney. ‘You’d love it,’ he told me.” He told her to keep in touch. With the help of Jeri Ricketts, director of the Lindner Honors-PLUS program, Rebecca got in touch with Ullman. He asked for her resume, then fast-tracked her through a phone interview and a personal visit to their offices near Dallas.

“Three weeks later I was hired!” Rebecca says, as if she still finds it hard to believe. She points out that he blocked off an hour of his own personal schedule to meet with her and to introduce her to other executives.

Rebecca attributes her successful job search to her HonorsPLUS preparation.

“HonorsPLUS engrains in us the value of networking, following up, and putting yourself out there,” Rebecca says.

Quite honestly, though, Honors-PLUS can’t claim all the credit — Rebecca Cook is one terrific young woman. 

It was through her diligence that the UC yearbook,

The Cincinnatian

, was resurrected after a hiatus of several years. She was named in Who’s Who Among Graduating College Students and was Homecoming Queen in 2004 — her sophomore year! She also participated in UC’s Student Government (senator), Sigma Phi Women’s Honorary (vice president), CWEST, Lambda Society (vice president), Student Body of Christ and the Association of Black Business Students. She is also a Darwin T. Turner scholar, through the Office of Ethnic Programs & Services.

Rebecca also took advantage of international travel, especially enjoying Raj Mehta’s trip to Europe and Ralph Katerberg’s trip to Chile. She participated in Junior Achievement and acted as a mentor through the Girl Scouts’ “Studio 2B” for high-school age girls. She also acted as a mentor through BASE and still stays connected with the students she mentored.

“This school is not as big as you think,” she advises potential students. “The more you become involved, the smaller it becomes.” Rebecca points out that an incredible number of activities are available and encourages new students to dabble in as many as possible their first year.

“If you join an organization, you shrink the school from 30,000+ to 30 — or even 20,” she says. “You get a family atmosphere.”

Any other words of advice?

“There’s always somebody on campus who will tell you ‘yes,’” she says. “Your job is to find that person.”