Participating in the Software Developers Association at Arizona State University was a beneficial activity for my career. Being involved in this student club provided me with hands-on experience that complemented my academic learning in software development. I had the chance to network with industry professionals and peers who shared similar career interests, which was instrumental in landing my first job as a Software Engineer at Intel. The projects and events I engaged in through the club also helped me build a strong portfolio, making me a more attractive candidate to employers like Intel and later, Featured.com.
I double majored in Marketing and Computer Information Systems at ASU, graduating in 2019. During my time at ASU, I participated in AdWorks. It provided me the invaluable opportunity to dip my toes into the world of marketing agencies. In my projects, I discovered a love of research and presenting data-driven insights outside of what my classwork would have covered. Through an AdWorks hosted networking event, I was able to make a connection that led to a future agency internship. I've been working at that same agency for 5 years now in a senior position. The connections and skills built during my time in AdWorks were vitally important to the start of my career in marketing.
My participation with AdWords was very beneficial to finding a job. I joined AdWords my freshman year of college, which allowed me to jumpstart my professional experience. As a college student, I was working on high level projects with clients like Pf Changs, Circle K, The Phoenix Zoo and many more well respected companies/brands. I used my 4 years of leadership roles in AdWords as internship experience in my resume, and I believe that is what helped me stand out. After college, I received 2 job offers and accepted my current role with Pepsi. The hiring manager liked my 2 years of experience in leading teams as an Account Manager and that I had previous worked with Circle K, one of their biggest customers.
I joined the Walter Cronkite Sports Network, aka WCSN, during my freshman year at ASU and remained active in the club through my undergrad and master's programs. I wanted to join a student organization that would allow me to continue building my sports photography portfolio while also giving me the chance to gain a diverse range of experiences. While I didn't see myself pursuing photography-focused internships during college, having a solid background in photography would let me stand out in the marketing and PR positions I was aiming for! WCSN helped me rapidly grow my portfolio and taught me to be a better photographer. I would shoot any sport given to me, from fan favorites like football and basketball to classic Olympic sports like water polo and triathlon. Being able to walk into any event and figure out on the fly what is needed to capture the scene is an essential skill in content creation. Thanks to my experiences with WCSN, I could show hiring teams that I could do more than write social copy or a blog; I could also create the multimedia elements needed for content. B.A. Sports Journalism ’22, MCC ’23