Anna Magner

Q: What is your major?
A: I am studying Selling and Sales Management

Q: How does the Certificate Program tie into your majors?
A: The Certificate Program goes hand-in-hand with my major. I learn how to advertise, sell and market a product in my major and how to make a business out of it through my entrepreneurship classes. Working in groups, making outside connections, brainstorming and giving professional presentations have been beneficial. I’ve enjoyed growing from these real-world experiences and gained confidence as I approach my professional career.

Q: What is standout moment for you in the Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program? Why did you decide to become a Teaching Assistant (TA)?
A: When I took ENTR 310 the instructor, Stroh Brann, had a sense of identifying students early in the semester who stood out. He invites those students to join guest speakers for lunch. Although I wasn’t invited to lunch, I continued to improve each week and he asked me to be a TA for his course the following semester. I feel fortunate to have an instructor that does more than teach, but learns about his students strengths and weaknesses. I tell everyone that the course was the hardest, yet most rewarding class I’ve taken at Purdue. I knew by taking the TA position, I would relive the challenges and stress through assisting the 113 students in the course. I had to do it, I learned so much the first time I knew I would learn just as much the second.

Q: What are your entrepreneurial goals for the future?
A: I come from a German family of business owners and entrepreneurs, so naturally I was drawn to innovation and creating my own business. I’ve had an idea in my head for a while but wasn’t sure how to act on it until I took ENTR 310 with Instructor Stroh Brann. The course motivated me to bring my idea forward, gain help from a small group in the class and turn it into a genuine business by the end of the semester. My product, Breathless, is an after-coffee breath mint that cures coffee breath. I have spoken with a manufacturer and hope to work on the first prototype in the near future. I plan to pitch to large coffee chains in the United States and abroad.

Q: What is a fun fact about Purdue you like to share with others?
A: I love showing people the clapping circle behind the Union, although I’m baffled by how it works. I am still waiting for a Purdue engineer to explain it to me!