10-16-2024
As a bright-eyed 18-year-old I was excited to start my fall semester at Purdue University. The only problem was choosing a career path when I had no idea what program would be the right fit.
Having enjoyed my statistics class in high school and because my father taught a capstone class in the entrepreneurship program here at Purdue, I decided to major in finance at the Mitch Daniels School of Business. I enjoyed my classes freshman year, but I still felt I was missing direction for my future career.
When the Dean V. White Real Estate Program opened my sophomore year, I took a risk and applied. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. Now I’m exactly where I need to be. I want to work in commercial real estate across the globe to help communities in need. A dream came to fruition out of my new educational experience.
Professor Mike Eriksen, who runs the real estate program, took me under his wing and helped bring my dream to life by introducing me to the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network Foundation. CREW is a foundation in commercial real estate that empowers women in the mostly male field. Professor Eriksen wanted me to have equal opportunities in real estate, so he informed me of the CREW college scholarship and connected me with Indianapolis CREW (IndyCREW) members Kristin Hornberger and Carrie Sermersheim. Here I found a community and a core foundation I will build on for years because of the inspiring women professionals at CREW that I’ve met and learned from.
Hornberger and Sermersheim helped me apply for the CREW college scholarship by working with me on my resume and essay questions. With their help, I became one of the 2024 CREW scholarship recipients.
In real estate, networking is essential for establishing connections and learning from those with experience. It was valuable to be invited to the events held by the IndyCREW branch as a CREW network student member. I networked with those in commercial real estate in the states and around the globe. I heard from established professionals in this industry, and they guided me toward success. I also made many connections at the 2024 CREW Network Convention in Vancouver. I met with professionals who do exactly what I want: commercial real estate across the globe.
CREW also led me to the most inspiring woman from whom I’ve learned so much from my mentor, the president-elect of IndyCREW Network Carrie Sermersheim.
It’s daunting going into real estate knowing it's a male-dominated field. Carrie Sermersheim understands, which is why she mentored me. She gave me insights from the perspective of a woman who is in a high-ranking position. I learned how her journey unfolded and where she made mistakes that I can avoid. Working with her has been like seeing into my future with someone else’s eyes. Not only have I learned a lot about her, but she has also connected me with many professionals.
My dream career is to serve international clients and travel globally. International commercial real estate is about raising capital for investments and helping out the communities in which we would build. I want to make an impact on a global scale by building in areas that would benefit from our infrastructure. This is also why I added a Spanish minor. It makes me more marketable on a global scale, and I can communicate with a wide range of clients.
Through the real estate program here at Purdue, my amazing mentors and my CREW scholarship, I have not only identified my dream but have the resources to achieve it. I am no longer an uncertain freshman looking for a career path that excites me but a determined soon-to-be real estate professional.
Brooke Ratliff is from Fishers, Indiana, and is a senior at Purdue University majoring in finance with a real estate and Spanish minor. She is an intern at Last Mile Investments in Cincinnati, Ohio, and during the 2022 and 2023 school year, she was the Vice President of Mentoring at the Mitch Daniels School of Business. Ratliff is one of the current scholarship recipients of the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network Foundation college scholarship.
