WCU Magazine Summer 2025

Lilyana Campbell ’25 has made it her mission to maximize every opportunity beyond the classroom. Her time at WCU was filled with experiences that shaped her academic path, professional goals, and personal growth.

Campbell earned a marketing degree with minors in international business and digital marketing. She interned with two local companies, worked as an undergraduate assistant at WCU’s Cottrell Entrepreneurship Center, and was a founding member of WCU’s nationally ranked Sales Team, a trained student group that competes in sales scenarios by studying and researching a company, formulating a sales “role-play,” and constructing a 90-second speed sales pitch. These hands-on experiences didn’t just complement her education — they defined it.

Partially funded by WCU’s Global Engagement Office, Campbell studied abroad twice — in Sorrento, Italy, and Seville, Spain — which inspired her to add the international business minor. She also traveled solo through Belgium and the Netherlands.

“My family never left the East Coast and I have siblings who’ve never flown,” Campbell marvels. “Studying abroad opened my world. Travel will always be part of my life now.”

Her resume includes a two-year internship with Nudy’s Café, where she pitched a creative offer as a first-year student: manage their social media for 30 days and earn the job if they liked the results. They did. She helped grow their online presence and supported the launch of new locations.

Campbell also interned with Globus Medical, a leading medical device company, a position she found through her involvement in WCU’s Sales Team. She gained firsthand exposure to the industries she hopes to enter: pharmaceutical sales or medical technology.

As a founding member of WCU’s Sales Team, Campbell played a key role in growing the group from five to more than 30 members. She placed second nationally in one competition and earned several top finishes, including first place overall at Temple University in March 2025.

“I am so proud of how West Chester University has placed in these competitions,” she says. “For such a young team, we have crushed records and are now ranked nationally.”

Her work at WCU’s Cottrell Center deepened her network of business leaders and mentors, including Gary L. Smith, CEO of the Chester County Economic Development Council, who is now one of her mentors. She was awarded the Gary L. Smith Entrepreneurial scholarship.

What’s next for the indefatigable Campbell? She’ll continue as a graduate assistant with the Cottrell Entrepreneurship Center, the MBA program, and the National Sales Team while completing WCU’s one-year MBA program.

“All these opportunities came from WCU connections,” Campbell says. “I’m extremely grateful.”