With aspirations from a young age to become the next Katie Couric, Angeleigha Mendez knew from the start that her passion lay in communications. After finding her way in the world of television journalism, however, she realized this career path was not for her. “I discovered that I did not agree with what was happening behind the camera in television journalism,” she said. “I was then fortunate enough to find a job leading the marketing and communications effort for the Governor of Iowa’s STEM Advisory Council,” said Mendez.

She found that Marist’s IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications) master’s degree program was a perfect example of her motto, “work smarter, not harder.” From there, she decided to apply to Marist’s IMC program. She noted that the highlight of her time in the program was attending her graduation in person in 2018: “After two years of video chatting and emailing between my cohort members, we were all finally able to meet in person and enjoy our accomplishments together.” Mendez also talks about tying the program into her everyday work. “In one of my classes, we were asked to administer a survey, and I used Iowa’s STEM Advisory Council as the subject. I was able to use those results to further my own work in a real-life setting.” Said Mendez, “Marist has equipped me with the tools I need to feel empowered to do my job to the best of my ability. I have transferred these tools over to my current job as the marking and publications officer at the New Mexico State University Foundation, where I manage all of the communication and marketing efforts of the foundation.”