Jack Harris ’24 turns his passion into purpose

During anyone's college experience, connections are what makes it so unique and special. Jack Harris, a senior marketing major, is no exception to that. His first time visiting campus was when his sister was touring colleges, and even though he was only sixth grade at the time, he knew there was something special about Clemson, something different.

He was proven right when his sister, who ended up enrolling at the University, invited him to spend his spring break on campus with her during his senior year as a high school student. Through this trip, he made one of his first connections at the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business with Carter McElveen. McElveen, principal lecturer of marketing, took Harris on a tour of the new business building and shared with him about the opportunities the college could offer him as a student, including the J. Daniel and Nancy Garrison Sales Innovation Program (SIP).

When Harris began applying to colleges, he applied to Clemson right when the application date opened. "After visiting several colleges with my sister and on my own, as well as that tour with Carter, I knew Clemson was the place where I wanted to be."

Entering his first year of college, he joined Ascent, a feeder program in SIP, the program McElveen had spoken to him about on their tour. At the orientation for Ascent, Harris took an opportunity to travel with SIP to a sales competition as a first-year student. He worked with his team for three months to prepare for the competition and ended up placing fifth out of 36 competitors, leading the team to third overall.

That was just the beginning of his experience in SIP. In addition to competing in sales pitch competitions, growing his network and developing essential skills, Harris also found a love for mentorship and teaching.

Following sales club meetings, Harris began teaching 30-minute classes on personal skills related to selling. He would create lesson plans and teach other students about topics like the value of first impressions and the importance of grit, among several other important skills. It was through these meetings that Harris found inspiration for his company, Next Level Interns, which he launched his senior year.

Next Level Interns provides students support during the internship search process, which Harris says can be intimidating. "Finding an internship can be very difficult. I saw an opportunity to take my internship and sales experience, my passion for teaching and everything I had learned in my marketing courses to create a company that helps students during the process," Harris explains.

His company focuses on developing skills like reaching out to companies through LinkedIn, how to build a professional network and interview preparation. Each student is unique, so Harris approaches each internship experience in a way that best helps that specific student.

"I think what I find to be the most exciting and fun for me is connecting with students. Being able to support a student who is motivated but really isn't quite sure of what their next step should be. I love helping them figure out where they should focus their attention and guiding them through each point of the interview process-from that first touchpoint to accepting an offer."

Not only did Harris manage to launch a company while a business student, but he also took full advantage of global programming opportunities and studied abroad in Florence, Italy, for a semester. Coincidentally, several friends from his co-ed business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, also studied abroad the same semester. He loved his time abroad and made many relationships along the way, one of which he says really showed him the importance of connecting with others.

"I had a finance professor in Italy who was a little hard to get to know at first. After a few weeks, he canceled class unexpectedly," Harris recalls. "The next week, I asked if he was okay, and he shared that his wife had just had a baby. He showed me pictures of his son, Cesar, and from then on, I'd ask him about his family every week."

"That moment changed everything. Our whole class started seeing him in a new light, and it became easier to care about the class because we connected with him as a person. During spring break, I went back to Europe and met him for coffee in Florence. he shared pictures of his son, and we even FaceTimed his wife. That relationship is one of the reasons I loved studying abroad."

As he reflects on his time at Clemson, Harris is excited to graduate this December and begin his role as an associate account executive at Amazon Web Services in Arlington, Virginia, while also continuing to grow Next Level Interns.

"My time at Clemson has been made special by the connections I've made. From Carter McElveen giving me a tour to my finance professor in Italy to meeting Dan Garrison at a recent tailgate, my Clemson Experience is something I won't forget."

To learn more about the J. Daniel and Nancy Garrison Sales Innovation Program, visit the webpage.