September 30, 2025
Networking competition allows students to make connections
It may seem like neuroscience and sales have nothing in common. Sophomore Diya Thaker dispelled those notions as she won the second annual Twilley Networking Challenge and a $3,000 prize with her elevator pitch on Sept. 30 in the Main Campus Student Center. Thaker bested nearly 60 East Carolina University students in the competition.
“I came into college on a pre-med track,” she said. “I want to go to medical school and become a doctor. The way I got into sales was that I stepped out of my comfort zone and joined the Pirate Sales Club last year. (Former club co-president) Sarah Maisto encouraged me to try something new, so I joined the club. I started competing last year and didn’t win but gained a lot of valuable experience. I learned how to talk to people and realized the skills that I applied in competitions I can apply when I talk to patients. I’m learning how to communicate effectively and how to build those relationships.”
Dr. Michael Rodriguez, assistant professor of marketing and interim director of the Twilley Sales Academy, described the networking competition as an opportunity for students to practice and showcase their ability to connect with business professionals.
“In a structured format, students rotate through short conversations with corporate partners and sponsors,” he said. “They are scored on professionalism, communication, listening and relationship-building. The event simulates real-world career fairs, business meetings and client interactions, giving students hands-on experience in developing a professional network.”
According to Rodriguez, students should come away from a sales competition with four main takeaways: confidence in personal conversations; actionable feedback from judges to improve their networking approach; career readiness by practicing real-world interactions; and connections with industry professionals and sponsors that may lead to internships, mentorships or full-time opportunities.
Sophomore Josiah Ortiz, president of the sales club, won the first event last year and told his peers prior to this year’s contest how winning changed his life.
“I won $3,000, but that’s not what I really won,” he said. “I won the experiences. I won the ability to learn how to network with people. I won the relationships with the judges. But most of all, I won myself over because I came into this very nervous. I was a freshman who didn’t know what I was doing and very unprepared. I came out double the person what I came into it.”
Thaker, vice president of the sales club, initially felt that not being a sales or business major was a disadvantage. She’s since learned to use that as an opportunity and felt it was a key to winning the competition.
“I saw the fact that I was a pre-med student and not in the COB as a flaw or something lacking, but I learned to turn that into a strength,” she said. “I was connecting sales to talking to patients. I was connecting the fact that building trust and connection is a key first step and then worked on applying that to every field. I really emphasized that tonight and think it was a key to winning.
“I didn’t come into the night with any expectations. I just wanted to do my best and see what I could do.”
Sam Dewar, a junior management major and Honors College student, finished second and earned $2,000. Bryce Miller, a junior communication major with a certificate in professional selling, earned $1,000 for third place.
Thaker believes her experience in sales and networking competitions will make her a better physician.
“That first step is building the trust with a patient and understanding their situation. Once you do that it opens so many more possibilities and you can then treat or diagnose and figure out what’s going on,” Thacker said. “In sales, I’ve learned to communicate effectively and learn to understand the person I’m talking to and that can be applied in medicine.”