Professional Career & Readiness Activities
Here is a collection of activities spanning from school events, professional events, and classes. The activities were completed to gain skills in four different categories:
1) Ethics and Professionalism
2) Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
3) Professional Communication
4) Career Preparation
32 Points Total
Section 1: Ethics & Professionalism
7 Points
Membership of SMA (1 pt.)
In October 2024, right when I moved to Bellingham to attend Western Washington University, I joined the Student Marketing Association (SMA). This membership has been an amazing way to connect with other students who share my passion for the marketing industry. By attending regular meetings, I had the opportunity to hear from guest speakers and learn about different career paths within marketing. This activity really helped me build my confidence and practice networking with my peers in a professional setting. I enjoyed how welcoming the group was, and it helped ease my transition into the university. Moving forward, the communication and collaboration skills I built here will help me immensely when I join a new professional team after graduation.
Attended Marketing Career Launch 2024 (3 pts.)
On November 22, 2024, I attended the New Engen Marketing Career Launch event hosted by the university. This event allowed me to learn directly from agency professionals about how digital marketing campaigns actually work in the real world. I participated by attending panels, listening to case studies, and asking questions about what entry-level roles look like. It was incredibly eye-opening to see how the concepts I was starting to learn in my classes apply to major client accounts. I really liked how transparent the presenters were about their day-to-day work and the challenges they face. This experience helped me understand the pace of agency life and what skills I need to focus on developing. I will definitely apply this industry knowledge to make myself a stronger candidate when interviewing for marketing roles.
Attended Marketing Career Launch 2025 (3 pts.)
Building on what I learned the previous year, I attended the Marketing Career Launch event again during my senior year in the fall of 2025. This time around, I approached the event with a much stronger background in marketing principles and strategy. I was able to engage more deeply during the Q&A sessions and discuss advanced industry trends with the visiting professionals. This second experience really highlighted how much my professional confidence and industry knowledge had grown over the year. What I liked most was being able to talk to recruiters on a more equal level rather than just as a new student. It helped me sharpen my professional communication skills and narrow down the specific types of marketing roles I want to pursue. I will use the networking tips and career insights I gained from this event as I launch into my post-graduation job search.
Section 2: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Accessibility
6 Points
Class: MGMT 311 – Intro to Management & Organizational Behavior (3 pts.)
During the Fall 2024 quarter, I took MGMT 311, which focused on how human behavior impacts the modern workplace. A major component of this course was understanding how to treat employees with basic human dignity and cultivate an inclusive, respectful team climate. Through regular team assignments, I practiced essential managerial skills such as establishing clear group norms, building trust, and navigating diverse perspectives. I really appreciated the focus on universal design for learning and managing people in a way that respects everyone’s unique background. The course helped develop my professional readiness by showing me that an organization’s success relies heavily on the well-being and equity of its people. I plan to directly apply these leadership and team-building frameworks to ensure I promote a supportive and inclusive culture in my future marketing career.
Class: MKTG 486 – International Marketing (3 pts.)
In the Fall 2025 quarter, I took International Marketing with Professor Max Barahona to explore how global businesses navigate different cultural landscapes. Throughout the course, we analyzed real-world case studies involving major global brands like Dolce & Gabbana and Nike to see how their marketing strategies succeeded or fell short abroad. These case studies highlighted how crucial it is to respect cultural differences, equity, and local representation when managing a brand on a global scale. I enjoyed analyzing these complex business scenarios because they forced me to look at market research through a diverse, international lens. This class significantly developed my professional readiness by teaching me to look past my own biases and thoroughly research consumer demographics before launching a campaign. Moving forward, I will utilize these insights to ensure the digital marketing strategies I create are culturally aware, respectful, and accessible to diverse audiences.
Section 3: Professional Communication
7 Points
Class: MKTG 381 – Market Research (3 pts.)
During the Summer 2025 quarter, I took MKTG 381 to learn how to gather, analyze, and present marketing data to help businesses make informed decisions. A major component of this course was mastering SPSS statistical software and learning how to translate complex data sets into clear, actionable business insights. Because this was a designated writing-proficiency class, our professor placed a high emphasis on professional writing clarity, grammar, and style. We worked in teams to compile extensive research write-ups and deliver formal presentations to the class. I really liked the technical challenge of learning SPSS because it forced me to think analytically and communicate numbers in a way that anyone could understand. This course significantly built up my professional readiness by teaching me how to back up creative marketing ideas with hard data. I will use these analytical and written communication skills frequently in my career when presenting campaign results and data-driven recommendations to clients.
Class: MKTG 382 – Consumer Behavior (3 pts.)
In the Summer 2025 quarter, I took MKTG 382 to study the psychological and social forces that influence how consumers make decisions. Our coursework focused heavily on the ethics of persuasion and understanding the “whys” behind consumer preferences. For our major team deliverables, we were responsible for leading interactive case presentations and putting together an in-depth behavioral analysis report on a trending marketplace topic. I really enjoyed collaborating so closely with my team because it gave us a realistic look at how marketing agencies brainstorm and solve problems together. The class helped develop my professional communication skills by forcing me to clearly defend my strategic recommendations using established psychological theories. Learning to look at the market through the consumer’s eyes has completely reshaped how I approach campaign design. I plan to apply this deep understanding of consumer psychology to write more effective, targeted copy and build stronger connections in my digital marketing work.
AIMC – approved WWU networking event (1 pt)
I attended an AIMC networking meeting at the Schweinhaus Biergarten to connect with peers involved in our marketing agency simulation course. The class operates just like a real-world agency, featuring an executive student management team that guides us through building actual marketing campaigns. Going to this event was an awesome way to break the ice and get to know the people I would be collaborating with so closely throughout the quarter. I really liked how casual yet professional the atmosphere was, which made it much easier to initiate conversations and build rapport. This event directly benefited me because it established open lines of communication with our managers, making our subsequent project workflows much smoother. Shaking hands and conversing in a relaxed social setting helped sharpen my interpersonal skills and built my confidence. I will definitely apply this casual networking approach in the future to build strong, authentic relationships with clients and colleagues.
Section 4: Career Preparation
12 Points
Signed up for handshake (1 pt)
I signed up for Handshake via the Western Washington University career services website to kickstart my professional job search. Creating my profile on the platform allowed me to organize my academic achievements, skills, and work experiences into a clean online portfolio. I found that the app is an incredible resource for filtering through job postings specifically tailored to college students. It regularly recommends positions in my desired field of digital marketing and connects me with employers actively looking for WWU grads. What I liked most about Handshake was how easy it made the application process for local and remote internships. Setting up this account helped develop my career readiness by forcing me to think about how to market myself to recruiters. I will continue to utilize this platform to track industry hiring trends and secure a full-time marketing position after graduation.
Active LinkedIn Account (1 pt)
I maintain an extremely active LinkedIn account to showcase my professional development and network with industry experts. Whether I am posting about my latest educational achievements or sharing a completed digital marketing project, I am eager to document my growth online. I treat the platform as a living resume where I can actively engage with content written by marketing agencies and professionals. What I like most about LinkedIn is how easily it allows me to stay connected with the peers, professors, and managers I meet at Western. It has helped me practice building a professional personal brand and writing engaging, work-oriented updates. This continuous networking habit has immensely improved my digital communication skills and built up my industry confidence. Moving forward, I will leverage my LinkedIn network to find hidden job opportunities and stay updated on the latest digital marketing strategies.
Attended the Career Fair (1 pt)
Every quarter during my time at Western Washington University, I make it a priority to attend the campus career fairs. In the picture above, I attended the career fair on 1/30/26 and met Zev from the higher education program. These events give me a valuable opportunity to meet face-to-face with recruiters from a wide variety of local and national companies. I participated by researching participating firms beforehand, printing out my resume, and introducing myself to hiring managers at their booths. Attending these fairs has been a great way to practice my elevator pitch and learn what skills companies value most. I really liked how approachable the recruiters were and how willing they were to give advice to students. This recurring activity helped me score some interviews and significantly boosted my confidence in professional settings. I will apply the interpersonal and interviewing skills I practiced at these fairs to present myself confidently during post-graduation job interviews.
Sweet As Waffles Spring 2025 Internship (3 pts)
During the Spring 2025 quarter, I began working as the digital marketing intern for Sweet As Waffles here in Bellingham. This role gave me my first hands-on experience managing professional social media accounts and tracking content engagement. I participated by brainstorming creative content ideas, shooting photos and videos of products, and scheduling regular posts. I really liked having the creative freedom to experiment with different trends and see how our audience responded. The internship greatly developed my professionalism by teaching me how to manage real project deadlines and align my work with an established brand voice. It helped me bridge the gap between textbook marketing theories and real-world business execution. I plan to apply these content creation and time management skills to deliver high-quality social media strategies in my future marketing career.
Sweet As Waffles Summer 2025 Internship (3 pts)
I continued my marketing internship with Sweet As Waffles through the Summer 2025 quarter to deepen my digital media skills. With tourist season peaking, I focused heavily on executing hyper-local marketing campaigns to drive foot traffic to the shop. I participated by analyzing our social media performance metrics from the previous quarter to optimize our summer posting schedule. What I liked most about this quarter was learning how to use analytics to back up our creative content choices. It helped develop my career readiness by giving me ownership over campaign outcomes and teaching me how to adapt strategies on the fly. This summer experience taught me the value of data-driven decision-making in a fast-paced retail environment. I will utilize this analytical mindset in my future roles to ensure my marketing campaigns generate measurable business growth.
Sweet As Waffles Fall 2025 Internship (3 pts)
During my final internship quarter with Sweet As Waffles in Fall 2025, I took on more strategic responsibilities to prepare for graduation. I shifted my focus toward search engine optimization (SEO) reporting and structured keyword research to boost our website’s organic visibility. I participated by auditing our online presence, identifying high-value search terms, and drafting comprehensive performance reports for the business. I really enjoyed the technical side of this work because it allowed me to practice the analytical tools I was learning in my upper-division college classes. This final quarter developed my professional readiness by simulating the exact responsibilities of an entry-level digital marketer. Navigating these SEO projects independently built up my technical confidence and problem-solving abilities. I will apply this direct SEO and reporting experience to bring immediate value to an agency or in-house marketing team.
Academic Honesty Policy Statement
All activities have been completed by myself during my time at Western Washington University. I have read the Academic Honesty Policy and can confirm that my description of these activities is from my own lived experience of them.