Coffee Talk: Vinnie Stiles from Spears Freshman Community

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Welcome to Coffee Talk with Avery! In this series I’ll be interviewing students, faculty and alumni from the Spears School of Business about their college experiences and careers. 

Today I sat down with Vinnie Stiles, president of Spears Freshman Community (SFC), to talk about how freshmen can get connected on campus. Vinnie is a sophomore accounting major at the Spears School of Business. 

SFC is a student organization that targets freshmen or first year students who want to get involved on campus. The club hosts social and networking events with the goal of encouraging students to network with each other, make new friends and find new opportunities. Networking is a valuable and necessary skill in the business world, and SFC aims to give freshmen experience early on in their college career.  

“A lot of how the business world works revolves around who you know. And if you can get those connections in now, you'll be so much better off down the road,” Stiles said. “Freshman year, I was just testing the waters out, dipping my toes in everything and seeing what all Spears had to offer. One day I went up to the former president of SFC, and I asked him what it looked like to be on the executive team. I applied for the exec team and got a leadership role.” 

Through his time as president, Stiles has made many connections on campus leading to different opportunities like Spears Ambassadors. Ambassadors work with prospective students to promote all that’s available to students at Spears Business. 

Stiles’ advice for freshman is to, “Get as involved as you can. You have to make the most of your first year. Dip your toes in as many places as you can. Go to as many events as you can.” 

Thanks for joining me Vinnie, and I’ll catch you all next time on Coffee Talk with Avery! 

Story By: Avery Russell | avery.russell@okstate.edu