East Stroudsburg University student Hayley Cosgrove, a junior majoring in business management from Saylorsburg, won the “Outstanding Student Award” for the Council of Retail and Sales case contest at DeSales University. The contest was sponsored by Sherwin-Williams. Along with the first-place trophy, Cosgrove received a $125 prize. To enter the contest, Cosgrove submitted an application, resume, one-page executive summary, and a short (three-to-five minute) video explaining her ideas about the future of retail.

Douglas C. Friedman, Ph.D., associate professor of business management, has always encouraged students to participate in competitions like this to showcase their talents to industry professionals.

“Hayley winning will certainly help motivate students in the future,” he said. “I plan to continue making this contest a part of our curriculum and hope ESU students will continue to win.”

“I used the materials I learned in class. My submission focused on the concept of automated retail. I asked the judges to imagine a world where retailing was 100% automated, which allowed me to describe the pros and cons of future retail in a more engaging way,” Cosgrove said.

“I think my entry stood out from the other contenders because I utilized a creative aspect in the beginning of the video I submitted. I think students should think outside of the box when participating in contests.”