Instead of transitioning straight from an undergraduate to a PhD program, Erik Nisbet decided to first build some professional experiences in research, strategic marketing, and branding. He joined the workforce in the late 1990s, conducting national marketing/brand management work for a corporate apparel company, as well as tracking and reporting on lodging supply data as

Shortly after 9/11, Lauren Pedi ’19 stopped at her local hospital to ask about volunteer opportunities. She had recently moved from Detroit to Chicago—where her family was from—to work full-time at an architecture firm. She was thankful for the job, given the current climate, but felt like something was missing. Maybe spending time in a

Growing up in an Iowa farm town, Mia Roberts ’19 couldn’t have imagined the opportunities waiting for her after graduating from Graceland University: managing magazines for the Women’s National Basketball Association, working for the Olympic Games in Atlanta and Sydney, and helping Encyclopedia Britannica transition to digital content. The desire for a master’s degree was

Sam Wijeyakumar ’19 cares about education in a “hard-core way,” as she describes it. And for good reason: Education saved her life. She was a good student but dropped out of high school in the mid-1990s, becoming a victim of human trafficking. Her tenacity won out; she eventually finished high school and began college in

Ivan Jaime ’20 believes in putting in hard work, no matter the situation. As he earned his diploma and went on to study marketing at the University of Texas at Austin, he was also working his way up at supermarket chain H-E-B. Starting out as a bagger, he had risen through the ranks to central

As Kate Harrington-Rosen ’19 studied at Montreal’s McGill University, her volunteer experience had as much of an impact on her professional life as her degrees in Hispanic Studies and Latin American/Caribbean Studies with a minor in Women’s Studies. Volunteering for the on-campus, student-run Sexual Assault Resource Center, she received training to provide crisis management services

After earning her BA in English in 2014, Stephanie Santos ’20 was excited to join the workforce for the first time. Her love for digital journalism led her to jobs at big-name tech companies, including LinkedIn, Google, and Facebook. What she appreciates most about the online world is the way it provides a platform for

When Jennifer Judge Hensel ’19 first began her career journey, her heart was set on journalism. But, as she helped tell stories for student newspapers, she discovered a new passion: graphic design and layout. “I wasn’t much of a reporter, but I really liked organizing information on the page,” she explains. After earning an AS

Not only do today’s organizations value expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion—they also require it of their communication leaders. “Whether you’re measuring innovation, goal attainment, financial performance, or any number of metrics, diversity is great for business—and research proves it,” says Amy J. Hauenstein, adjunct lecturer and director of curriculum and non-degree programs for Northwestern University’s

Art teacher. Organic caterer. Crate & Barrel recruiter. Staffing firm owner. Pat Messina’s decades of diverse experiences have not only prepared her to serve as the School of Communication’s associate director of career services, but also to offer students a unique perspective as they embark on professional journeys of their own. Networking has always played