It’s been a while since she’s heard Donald Trump’s infamous phrase, “You’re fired!” but Katrina Campins, 2001 UM alum, has still remained in the limelight. Campins, a Miami native who graduated in the top 10 in the business school with a 4.0 GPA and a B.B.A. in international finance and marketing, spoke to UM students Thursday about her experience on season one of The Apprentice and of her current life.
Though she was one of the final six of 16 contestants on the hit reality show, which offers the finalist of a series of business challenges the position of an apprenticeship in one of Donald Trump’s organizations, she is in the top three percent of realtors nationwide. How she got there is an awe-inspiring story in itself.
Campins earned her Florida real estate license when she was 18 years old.
“I eat and breathe real estate. It’s who I am,” she said. “I wanted to make my dreams a reality by helping others with their dreams, owning a home. Passion breeds success. I knew that if I wanted to be trained in realty, I would have to do it on my own.”
While she was in college, the firm of Wimbish-Riteway Realtors recruited her. At age 20, she became the youngest member in their Winners Circle. She then joined the Jeanne Baker Realty, quickly becoming the company’s top producer in her first year.
She was a hard worker from the start. A dedicated student in college, she slept an average of three hours a night. She spent her other time working and studying.
“I remember reading chapters five times each. My teachers would say, ‘Katrina, three times is more than enough,'” Campins said. “But I was obsessed. I’d strive for the A+, even though I knew an A would be just the same.”
Her obsession and passion for what she does have gotten her where she is today. She admires her mother the most.
“I am a first generation American. My mother has taught me so much: integrity, loyalty, when to speak my mind,” Campins said. “She used to always tell me, ‘by my deeds will I be known.'”
In 2002, Campins filmed season one of The Apprentice. Although Campins says that being on the show was the best thing to happen to her career, she initially thought it was “a big mistake.”
“I had worked so hard to get to where I am,” she said.
However, it was “an opportunity to learn from one of the biggest real estate moguls in the country.”
Not only has Campins gained a unique education from her experience, such as the sheer importance of branding herself in everything she does, she has made some close friends, including “The Donald.”
“He’s phenomenal. He has an unforeseen sense of humor,” Campins said of Trump. “And by the way, his hair is real.”
Among her television appearances on ESPN and CNBC, Campins currently hosts an informative South Florida real estate show called Step Inside with Katrina Campins.
She is also the owner of The Campins Company, a boutique real estate brokerage firm that caters to the luxury residential market and represents developers through its marketing and sales of high-end residential developments.
After watching an episode of season two of The Apprentice with UM students, she said, “I think Jen M. will win just because Donald Trump is mesmerized by her.”
UM may see more of the Campins’ soon. Katrina’s younger sister, Camille, may attend UM next fall.
Shalu Patel can be contacted at s.patel16@umiami.edu.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Bill Rancic
Having won last season’s game, Rancic is currently overseeing the construction of the new Trump Tower in Chicago. He is involved in meeting with the construction crews, architects and sales teams.
Kwame Jackson
Jackson has started a holding company called Legacy Holdings LLC, pursuing various entrepreneurial projects in the Real Estate Development, TV/Film Production and Retail Apparel arenas.
Katrina Campins Campins is the owner of The Campins Company, a boutique real estate brokerage firm that caters to the luxury residential market. Campins continues to appear on television in her role as a weekly correspondent for ESPN and as a regular guest on CNBC.