Meet Kaliah Noel ’21: Sales major, student leader, and entrepreneur

Kaliah Noel ’21 was inspired to change her major from business administration to sales management after listening to Mark Michalisin, sales professional in residence, speak to her class her sophomore year. Today, the Brooklyn native is a member of the Pi Sigma Epsilon sales organization and the Huether School of Business student association and co-owns a clothing brand. As an entrepreneur, she says she knows the importance of the skills you learn as a sales professional.

What are your career plans/goals?

I plan to pursue a career in artist management, as well as start a record label. Aside from that, I plan to continue running The Rare New York, a brand that I co-own.

What is The Rare New York? When did you start it?

The Rare New York, founded in 2016, is a clothing brand that focuses on individuality. Our mission is to inform and inspire through fashion.

What do you love about your major?

I love the fact that my major teaches me how to be a leader as well as teaching me things about everyday life.

What drew you to the Huether School of Business and/or Saint Rose?

I chose Saint Rose because I love the fact that it is a small school.

What has been the most interesting part of working with the sales organization?

I think the most interesting part of working with the sales organization is the things that you can learn because whether or not you are pursuing a career in sales, you will always use sales techniques. You use them when you meet someone for the first time, when you are doing a job interview, etc.

What classes have you found most valuable so far?

The classes that I have found most valuable are Record Label & Publishing, Business Communications, Sales Management, Intro to Mass Media, and Business Law.

Sales is a new major at Saint Rose, and it’s not something that a lot of schools have. What made you decide to go that route? Did you consider other majors?

Initially, I was a business administration major with a concentration in small business and entrepreneurship. In my sophomore year, Professor Mark Michalisin came into my Business Communications class as a speaker to talk about the sales program as well as the sales club. The way he described them really piqued my interest, and after I left that class, I called my mom and told her that I was declaring a minor in sales. I then decided to officially change my major to sales management in October of 2020.

Professor Michalisin has placed a lot of emphasis on community service in what he does. Are those kinds of projects within your sales organization activities meaningful to the student experience? If so, why?

I do believe that the sales organization activities are meaningful to the student experience. We do a number of activities throughout the semester: panels, pasta grabs, volunteering at the Veteran Center, etc. The sales organization, as well as the events, bring people together to do good deeds, teach someone how to be a leader, and it can spark something in someone that will maybe help them decide what they want to do in life. For example, although it wasn’t a panel, if Professor Michalisin did not come into my class to speak, I probably wouldn’t have declared a minor in sales then go on to make it my major.