What are your career goals / academic goals?

Making a difference in the world! As an executive in the public relations field, I am helping clients from all sorts of industries drive business growth, but specifically in the healthcare industries, I am helping clients speak directly with the media to get their life-saving messaging out to their target audiences. 

My long-term goal has been to become an expert in the media industry and to expand my professional/industry network to help others drive business growth. Another would be being a mentor to not only help others develop the skills they need to succeed in their careers, but to achieve personal growth as well. 

Why did you choose to pursue your graduate degree at Marist? Why did you choose to pursue this degree program?

I loved my overall experience during my undergraduate years at Marist so much that I wanted to continue here. Not only was it convenient to continue at Marist and start graduate classes Junior year of undergraduate, but I was able to build upon strong relationships with the professors in the program and knew that I would learn a lot of valuable skills from them as they came straight from the industry. 

Tell us about a project or course that was particularly meaningful to your professional development / academic development.

The IMC Capstone project really helped wrap up everything I’ve learned throughout the entire program. My team and I completed the project as if we were ready to pitch our campaign to the company we worked with which made the experience more rewarding. I will definitely refer back to this project in the future when performing market research, consumer insights research, social media strategies, advertising placements, etc. 

Tell us about a meaningful experience you had at Marist as it pertains to your degree (whether that be with a Professor, Marist service, Scholarship opportunity, etc.). 

Marist career services worked with me on finding job applications that were the right fit for me, which led me to my current role that I’ve been in for almost two years now and I have even received a promotion within the first six months. 

What advice would you give to a student considering pursuing this degree at Marist?

Utilize your resources! All of the professors in the program are industry experts and can help you narrow down the exact career you are looking for, given that marketing communications is broad and there are endless options. Ask them about their previous roles, what they liked, what they didn’t like, why they pursued this field, if they’ve ever changed professions, etc. Attend your professor’s office hours even if it is just to ask them these questions. Getting first-hand insight into the industry will help you prepare. 

Another piece of advice I would give is to always network! Message Marist Alumni on LinkedIn and ask them to get on a call to discuss their current roles. If you are applying to an organization, look to see if a Marist Alumni works there…you never know what connections can come in handy someday! 

Please include any additional pertinent information as it pertains to your course of study and/or Marist experience.

 I am so proud to be a red fox!