Students Meet With Alumni Working in Communication, Advertising, Marketing

Holy Cross students in a communication, advertising and marketing club recently put the skills they’ve been honing to good use — on themselves.

On a brisk November night, 18 students from TheAgency, a student-run organization for students interested in communication, advertising, and marketing, traveled to New York to meet 18 alumni working in those fields.

Thanks to Anne Fink ’85, senior vice president, PepsiCo Sales and a member of the Holy Cross Board of Trustees, the group landed a space at the sleek headquarters of TBWA, an international advertising agency in midtown Manhattan. The venue featured intriguing architecture and mod colored couches, and the walls were ornamented floor to ceiling with famous ad campaigns for companies such as Gatorade, Pepsi and McDonald’s.

With a one-to-one student-alumni ratio, the event offered a personal and comfortable environment for a networking event. Students had the opportunity to meet with an impressive list of graduates, including Martha Datlen '09, marketing coordinator at Katz Sports Marketing, Amy Phillips ’95, senior director of communications at ESPN, and Shawn Feddeman '95, vice president of communications, NBC owned television stations.

Offered by the Ciocca Office of Entrepreneurial Studies and under the guidance of prebusiness advisor David Chu, TheAgency provides students with experiential learning opportunities in communication, advertising and marketing.

At the event, Chu stressed the importance of the networking reception.

“The network of alumni for students interested in marketing, advertising, communication, media, and public relations is not as structured as the finance career networks that students have access to at Holy Cross,” he said, "so having ways to connect with graduates working professionally in the field becomes critical."

The club has hosted an array of speakers and career panels. On Oct. 18, Jack G. Hughes ’54, a former ad executive, who in his decades of experience has worked for industry leaders such as Ford and SC Johnson, spoke on campus about innovation in the industry. On Nov. 14, Matt Schnaars ’00, vice president of national accounts for ESPN and Disney, came to Holy Cross to present a workshop titled “Preparing Yourself for a Career in Media.”

McCall McIntyre ‘12, a co-chair of TheAgency, started organizing the event in May of 2011. With the help of Ellen Ryder, director of Public Affairs at Holy Cross, she reached out and discovered a network of helpful alumni.

“We made it a goal for our club this year is to establish a closer relationship between students and alumni in communication, advertising and marketing, with this event being the kick-off,” said McIntyre. “It was great to see first-hand how supportive and enthusiastic alumni were about our efforts.”

This event has the potential to be even bigger and better in years to come and in light of the great turnout, TheAgency co-chairs plan to make this an annual event for group members.

Julie Halpin '84, CEO of The Geppetto Group, an agency focused on integrated marketing programs and new product ideas for youth, answered questions about her own beginnings in the advertising world. “I was lucky to start out in a big agency that had a structured training program,” said Halpin. “There were people there who knew what they were doing that I could watch.”

Along with many alumni in attendance that evening, Halpin helps Holy Cross students interested in communication, advertising and marketing in another important way. Each year, The Geppetto Group offers one internship position through the college’s Summer Internship Program http://offices.holycross.edu/sip.

In this regard, the event provided some students with the unique advantage of meeting individuals looking for interns through the College’s program.

Aside from career advice, students also received information only a fellow Crusader could give. “Try and get into Business Law with Economics Professor Scott Sandstrom,” said Bryce Nantes ’08, a senior management consultant for KPMG Advisory. “It is one of the classes I am really glad I took.”

Students, clutching multiple business cards, were thrilled as they left. Melissa Kondak ’06, NBC News marketing and production manager, stayed well past the expected end time of 9 p.m. and talked with students all the way down the stairs, out of the building and onto the city sidewalk.

Harry Chiu ’12, another co-chair of TheAgency, was among the last of the students to leave. “It was a fantastic opportunity to meet so many wonderful alums,” said Chiu. “They are so passionate about both their job and seeing their fellow Crusaders pursue successful paths in similar careers.”

Related Information:

• Ciocca Office of Entrepreneurial Studies