Marketing alumna discovered passion at the intersection of creativity and business
In the heart of Nashville, where creativity and business converge, Margaret Shaul found her professional calling — though not exactly where she first expected.
"I actually came to Belmont for the music business program," Shaul shared. "I was attracted to Nashville for the variety of industries and the energy."
Enrolling in 2014, Shaul's academic journey took an unexpected turn when a marketing class sparked a revelation. "I realized marketing is really a creative type of role in more of a traditional business context."
This discovery led Shaul to switch majors in her junior year and add a design communications minor, which extended her studies by a year — a decision she describes as "absolutely worth it." The result was a versatile educational experience that spanned multiple colleges and networks within Belmont.
The Belmont Difference — Experiential Learning
A dynamic classroom setting that incorporates real-world instruction and application is a core trait threading across all 13 majors within the Jack C. Massey College of Business. This approach equips students to confidently pursue opportunities that set them each up for success, no matter how varied their journeys may seem.
Shaul credits several Belmont professors and experiences with shaping her professional trajectory. Dr. Kyle Huggins and Dr. Lora Harding stand out as professors whose courses created real-world dynamics inside the classroom.
"The courses that they taught were directly related to what I went into and absolutely served as great bridges into the professional world," she explained. “I felt confident in the roles I pursued because I got a really strong foundation in the classroom.”
In Dr. Harding's market research class, students worked with a real client, conducting survey research that taught Shaul how to navigate client relationships and create compelling presentation narratives. Similarly, Dr. Huggins's social media marketing class provided hands-on experience with content creation, skills Shaul showcases in her professional portfolio.
The Power of Industry Connections
Beyond the classroom, Shaul found tremendous value in Belmont's connections to Nashville's vibrant business community.
"There are some great community organizations and professors make you aware of them and encourage you to invest time in them,” she said. “Through those programs, I was able to make connections with other students and also with people in the industry that directly led to opportunities."
One notable example: after participating in a student agency crawl organized by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Nashville, Shaul met someone at an agency she admired. A follow-up meeting at a conference led to an internship opportunity.
Today, Shaul serves as the Student Engagement Chair of AAF and organizes major events, including the student agency crawl.
Working with students through AAF is a full-circle experience that brings Shaul particular joy. "It's watching their confidence build," she said when asked what she enjoys most about her role serving as the primary liaison for all Middle Tennessee area colleges. "To watch them come to an event as a shy junior and then see them develop over time into a young professional that's making moves, accomplishing things and really finding a place that they love."
None of it would have been possible without the support and trust of her professor who allowed Shaul to miss a day of class to attend the student agency crawl when she was at Belmont. “Since there’s not one formula to follow, it was great to have professors who created a flexible environment for you to pursue what’s possible,” Shaul said.
Experiential Marketing at Czarnowski
Just as she navigated diverse disciplines at Belmont, she has moved fluidly across roles in marketing, each one adding a new layer to her skill set. Shaul currently works as a senior experience strategist at Czarnowski Collective, helping build strategy practice and apply it to the event world.
"My favorite thing is that what we're creating is so tangible, you get to walk around in it," she shared. "It's a very human side of marketing, because it's all about facilitating connection and emotion."
As she continues to build her career, Shaul also values the ability to help the next generation of marketing professionals find their footing. For students considering a marketing career, Shaul offers this insight, “marketing represents a fusion of art and science.”
“It’s a dynamic field that relies on students and professionals to look at things from unique angles,” she continued. “There are no ‘rules of the universe’ in marketing, anything goes, and it changes every day.”
Shaul has found fulfillment as a marketing professional through a philosophy that blends art and science, creativity and strategy, and theory and practice — an approach that defines both Belmont’s educational model and the marketing field itself.
Marketing represents a fusion of art and science."
Learn more about Belmont's marketing program.