Growing up, I have always had a great interest in pop culture, music, movies, and media. I feel as though my love for musical artists at an early age gave me my passion for communications and marketing. I saw the formation of brands, the promotion of music albums, and the execution of events by following my favorite celebrities. 
​
When I was 16, I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Though this was an extremely difficult time in my life, I can credit it with giving me my start in the communications field. I was always the patient to volunteer to speak at press events, be interviewed by the news, and share my story. When I finished treatment, I asked the communication department at Roswell if I could shadow them. I got to observe their daily tasks and even sit in on a meeting and offer my input on blog posts. After this experience, I knew I wanted to major in communications in college. 
​
During the school year at Mercyhurst, I received my Make-A-Wish. I got to go to Australia and snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef. Of course, I filmed the entire trip and edited it into a montage during the plane ride home. I sent this video to the marketing department at Mercyhurst and it got me a role on the Student Communication Team. There, I created content and managed the Mercyhurst social media channels. I also took the initiative to research the rising App, TikTok, and got Mercyhurst their start on the platform. From this job, I was referred to work for the Alumni office and create social media content for them as well. These experiences taught me what goes into maintaining a brand and creating digital campaigns. 
​
My jobs at Mercyhurst led me to land an Internship the summer going into my senior year. I worked remotely as the Communication Specialist at enkompas Technology Solutions in Pittsburgh. I created company advertisements for various conferences and events, started a company newsletter, created pages for their website, and initiated regional expansion through email blasts and tracking data of human service non-profit organizations across the country. I was fortunate to continue this position for the duration of the school year. At the same time, I was working as a marketing intern at Mercyhurst Dining. I got to create my own events and contests for the dining halls, manage all social media channels, measure our growth, and create content.​ 
​
On top of my work experiences, I learned a lot about the field through my communication, marketing, and psychology courses. I studied a range of topics and completed projects such as a marketing research report, consumer behavior studies, a digital media campaign for a small business in Erie, PA, a public relations campaign, and a strategic communication proposal. I also was a member of Laker Student Media, where I created and co-hosted my own talk show about pop culture. This gave me the experience of working in a fast-paced, hectic, and creative environment. 
​
I am excited to continue learning about the communication field and put use to all the skills I have gained.