College of Business senior Kalayah Sargeant is spending this summer soaking up as much knowledge as she can as a national sales intern in Dallas with CBRE, one of the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firms.

It’s not her first high-profile internship either. The real estate and management major learned early in her college career to take her Florida State University education seriously and grasp opportunities whenever they presented themselves. From day one, she built relationships with alumni and classmates, participated in internships and applied for scholarships.

“I’ve been so fortunate to meet FSU business alumni who are incredibly successful in the real estate industry and who have been so generous with their time, advice and support,” Sargeant said. “I’ve been able to form relationships with people, including company executives, through internships and with the alumni who come to the college as classroom speakers. They, along with my professors, have opened my eyes to the intricacies of the industry and helped me pinpoint what I want to focus on in my career.”

During her time at FSU, Sargeant has also garnered experience as a housing consultant with The Scion Group and a director of first impressions at Keller Williams, both real estate companies in Tallahassee. Before that, she was a tax and investments intern at MetLife in Tampa.

On campus, she has taken on the role of director of external affairs with the student-run FSU Real Estate Society and as a councilwoman with the college’s Student Leadership Council (SLC). And, she’s been the recipient of a number of prestigious scholarships, including an Etkin Johnson Student Scholarship, a MetLife Scholarship, a Crossman & Company Scholarship and most recently the ICSC Schurgin Family Foundation Scholarship .

In addition to providing tuition assistance, the $10,000 Schurgin Scholarship covered Sergeant’s ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers) membership and her conference registration, travel and accommodations at the 2018 ICSC RECON: Global Real Estate Convention in Las Vegas this past May.

Sargeant, who grew up in St. Croix and Fort Lauderdale, came to FSU to study management, but after taking one real estate class, she was hooked, and decided to double major. On the advice of one of her professors, Bill Woodyard, she joined the FSU Real Estate Society, which she says opened a whole new world to her.

After graduation next spring, Sargeant plans to pursue a career in brokerage in Dallas, Tampa or Los Angeles. At the moment, though, she says she is excited to learn more about the Dallas market’s industrial real estate sector.

“I am really happy I came to Florida State because the people here want you to succeed and will do what it takes to help you,” Sargeant said. “I tell other students that if they put themselves out there and take advantage of all the college has to offer, they will be successful in whatever they do.”