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Bearing fruit: Brittney Joseph

Bearing Fruit » Brittney Joseph | Frank Perera | Kristin Kyser

Future UT Arlington student leaders will know the name Brittney Joseph. Her legacy is widespread.

She was Ms. UTA, Homecoming Queen, president of the Black Students Association and held offices in Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the NAACP chapter and several other student organizations. She capped her four years by winning an Outstanding Student Leader Award at the annual Leadership Recognition Ceremony.

One early decision shaped Joseph’s college experience: She joined the Leadership Commonwealth freshman interest group.

“I don’t think I would have achieved a lot of the successes I achieved without joining a FIG,” the Houston native said. “I was able to motivate and push myself to achieve my goals because of the exposure the FIG provided. It set me up for success.”

She’s now succeeding in the workplace as a pharmaceutical sales representative for Alcon, the eye care giant Fortune magazine rates as one of the country’s 100 best places to work. She began in Portland, Ore., and recently moved to Denver. She visits 8-10 doctors a day, pitching the company’s glaucoma products.

“It involves lots of talking, which I can do,” she says with a smile. “I feel like it’s something I can definitely be good at.”

Joseph developed her leadership skills earlier than most. By the time she was a sophomore, she was an officer in two student organizations. She credits mentors like Student Affairs Assistant Vice President Mardie Sorensen. But Joseph didn’t need much help, Sorensen says.

FIGFact: Because FIG members often become more involved on campus, their retention rate is higher than that of other students. Brittney Joseph (’08) was active in numerous organizations and received the University’s top honor for student leadership.

“Brittney was a ball of fire when she first stepped on campus. Her eagerness to volunteer for projects and assume leadership roles made it quite apparent that it wouldn’t be long before she was one of UT Arlington’s best and brightest leaders. She has the ability to create a vision and then communicate that vision in a manner that encourages others to share in it.”

Along the way, Joseph never lost sight of her goal: earning a diploma. She graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. The FIG experience helped with that, too, she says, by teaching her how to study and providing academic support groups.

“It put me on the fast track to graduate on time. I got my highest GPAs when I was in a FIG, so it enabled me to do well the rest of my time here. The majority of us graduated with a 3.0 and up.”

For now she’ll continue working for Alcon and hopes to secure her own sales territory. Down the road she wants to pursue an M.B.A. and become a marketing executive. And if those future Mavericks ever ask, she’ll gladly extol the benefits of the FIG experience.

“It’s a great program that works on building spirit among freshmen as well as providing you with all the tools to make your UTA experience a successful one.”