Lisa Milburn ’19

Lisa Millburn loved lacrosse, but her high school didn’t have a team. The Milltown, New Jersey, native played on a club team, and a coach from Georgian Court happened to see a tape of her on the field. She called Lisa to recruit her. “I thought Georgian Court—is that in Georgia?” she laughs. Soon, Lisa learned about the university’s stellar reputation for teacher education. That, combined with the opportunity to play the sport she loved, sealed the deal. She ultimately decided to major in psychology and become a special education teacher.

To earn some extra money, Lisa landed a job as a bridal consultant at Castle Couture, a premium formalwear boutique in Manalapan, where one of her teammates worked. She liked fashion and was a fit model during middle school. At the boutique, she immediately became enamored of the world of retail. She began thinking of changing her major and added marketing courses to her coursework. And during her junior year, when Lisa studied abroad in Florence, Italy, and took fashion merchandising, design, and consumer behavior courses, she realized that she wanted a career in merchandising. Psychology offered a good basis for understanding consumers, but she also added a marketing minor.

In addition to playing lacrosse, Lisa has been an active student. Over the years, she has been involved with Women in Leadership Development (WILD), Emerging Leaders,GCU Leads, and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, in addition to managing part-time work, a rigorous lacrosse schedule, and classes. She says her pivotal leadership role was being a resident assistant sophomore through senior years.

“It trained me in crisis management, counseling students, team building, and event planning. Service is a big aspect of my life, and I am happy that one of Georgian Court’s Mercy core values provided me with a lot of opportunities to work in the local and global communities,” she says.

Last summer, Lisa worked at retail giant Burlington Stores in the home division. She made such an impression that she has been hired as an assistant buyer and will begin her new job after Commencement. “I was able to nail my Burlington internship by building my résumé beyond my retail experience,” she says, including two internships, and working at New York Bridal Fashion Week. She also plans to continue working at Castle Couture part time.

Story contributed by Gwen Moran.