NRF Announces Buckle Teammate as Dream BIG Scholarship Recipient

The National Retail Foundation (NRF) has partnered with the University of Phoenix for the past three years in search of 20 employees nationwide who want to dream big in retail to grant them full-tuition scholarships. This year, we’re excited to announce that one of our very own Buckle teammates was a recipient of the NRF Dream BIG Scholarship!

Meet Tammy Nguyen. She started out as a Marketing intern, and is now our Social Media and Video Project Manager. She plans to pursue her MBA (Master of Business Administration) with this new opportunity!

When did you find your love for retail?
As soon as I turned 16, I hit the mall and applied at all of my favorite retail stores. I’ve always had the urge to work around products that I love and to help others find what they’ve been searching for to fit their own style.

What’s your favorite part about working in retail?
Currently in my marketing role, the creativity aspect of my job and finding fun ways to incorporate fashion into our lives is the best part of my day. I also enjoy finding engaging ways to connect with our guests.

How did you start your journey at Buckle?
I joined the Buckle team back when I was in college and worked in the store on the sales floor. I remember watching training videos that taught us how to make a connection with our guests and how to create the most enjoyable shopping experience possible. The more comfortable I became on the floor, I began to notice that my communication skills had improved 10-fold and I no longer hesitated to walk up to people I didn’t know and strike up a conversation. I grew to love the company and how motivated I was to come to work simply because it was so much fun for me. As I finished the last half of my collegiate career, I began to dream of my ideal job. I would love to market for my favorite fashion company at a corporate level and realized that Buckle was the place for me. After my current supervisor and I found each other through the world wide web, I was offered an internship in Marketing and the rest is history! I’ve now been in my career for three years and still look forward to coming to work every morning!

What kind of careers does Buckle have to offer?
Buckle has amazing opportunities both at the store level and at the corporate office. In the store, teammates are empowered to work hard while doing what they love. There are several leadership positions and our sales team will coach you to achieve your true potential. It’s amazing when we have our Managers visit Kearney during our annual manager meetings – you never fail to see undying passion and excitement in their eyes as they soak in valuable information to take back to their stores and share all of the newness coming with their guests. I do think that this is something that’s very unique about Buckle.

At the corporate office, we work largely to support the stores. If your creative passion lies in clothing design, graphic design, marketing, photography, and more of the behind-the-scenes direction for the brand, the corporate office has fantastic opportunities for those types of careers.

Based on your own experience, how would you encourage others to dream big?
Dream of your ideal job. If you could combine passion with your career, where would you be? Make a plan with a timeline and don’t stop – even when it seems impossible. There are times when you’ll find yourself terrified of failing – fear can be so paralyzing. But, you just have to remind yourself that the greatest rewards come from the things that scare us most.

With an attitude like that, it’s no surprise a rock-star like Tammy was a recipient of this scholarship. Check out her Dream BIG profile on the NRF website and visit buckle.jobs to view the many career opportunities available at Buckle.