Current Occupation: DGWB Advertising & Communications, Digital Marketing Project Manager

What was your most memorable moment while at Dodge College?

I really enjoyed being part of Chapman ImPRessions and participating in the Bateman Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) competition. These two experiences taught me a lot about how PR works and provided me with experience that I wouldn’t have been able to learn in classes. I also enjoyed working on my Entertainment Marketing campaign. 

What did you learn from being involved in those activities?

I learned a lot from my peers and advisors, and was able to network with some great people.  Most of all, these activities gave me real-world experience. 

Were there any faculty members who served as a mentor to you either during your collegiate years or in post-graduate life? How?

Joan Gladstone, Cory O’Connor, and Janell Shearer served as mentors to me. Joan sent my resume to many of her colleagues and gave me great recommendations, and ultimately helped me land my first PR job at Global Results Communications (GRC.) Cory is very knowledgeable and gave great insight about the entertainment/advertising industry, and his experience with Disney helped me pursue my career with Disney through the Disney College Program. Janell was just an overall outstanding mentor and I truly looked up to her and her expertise.

Reflecting on your years at Dodge College, what is one thing you would do again, and one thing you would change? Why?

I wish I took more advertising classes. I focused specifically on PR and only took one ad-specific class (Copywriting), and I ended up working in an advertising agency. While I’m doing fine here, I do wish I had more knowledge about the advertising industry. What I would repeat is doing ImPRessions and the Bateman competition. Both were great learning experiences. 

What advice would you give to current students?

NETWORK. Seriously, what they say is true—who you know will take you very far. Also, don’t be afraid to ask alumni for advice, even if you didn’t know them personally! We Chapman alumni like to help out current Chapman students. 

What is a typical day like for you at your job?

There’s no such thing as a typical day here. My days usually consist of meetings with internal teams, meetings with clients, coming up with new creative/digital ideas, social media monitoring/trend tracking, and emails. Lots of emails.

What has been the highlight of your career thus far?

The highlight of my career has been working at DGWB and developing new business pitches. Considering I’ve only been at this job for about five months, I’m being put in front of potential new clients and showing them what I personally have to offer and what ideas I have for them. It’s awesome. 

Now that you’ve graduated, what have you taken from the classroom and applied to your career?

Speaking and communication are the key elements I’ve taken from the classroom and applied to my career. Honestly, to survive in the PR/advertising/marketing world, you need to be a good speaker, not only to your coworkers, but also to clients. I learned a lot by continually speaking in front of my peers and showing that I’m an expert in social/digital media. 

Have your career aspirations changed since you graduated?

My career aspirations have changed a little bit. I used to want to do PR/event planning for a big company, like Disney. Now I’m perfectly happy working on the agency side doing marketing and advertising.