From Classroom to Career: A Full-Stack Marketing Journey at Saunders

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Why did you decide to attend Saunders College of Business at RIT?

My academic advisor at Finger Lakes Community College recommended Saunders if I wanted to pursue a business degree so I started talking with Matt Cornwell and he made my transfer seamless!

In what ways has Saunders/RIT prepared you for the job market?

Saunders got me my full time job that I continue to work at now! The encouragement to find a quality internship as well as Saunders’ collaboration with businesses in Rochester is incredible.

What do you feel is the most distinctive advantage gained from your Saunders experience?

My Saunders education gave me real expectations of what working would be like. Projects were tailored to teach us how to handle business situations that would likely come up. Also, despite RIT being a huge school, Saunders is small and you receive direct feedback from professors. That is unmatched.

What do you do?

I am a Marketing Specialist at Wilmac Technologies in Rochester. I’m on a team of three so we call ourselves “full-stack” marketers because we each do all aspects of *B2B marketing - analytics, website management, social media, copywriting (blogs and case studies), live event and webinar planning, email, and digital. Each day looks different and it’s wonderful to learn everything.

What has Saunders best helped me to reach my career success?

My social media marketing class at Saunders is what got me my job. My group worked directly with Wilmac and had the opportunity to see what their business was like / suggest improvements. Most projects at Saunders were like this and that was great. Additionally, Saunders' academic advisors are the best of the best. Mel Cerra was a huge part of my success at RIT and getting into my job.

What should current students know about Saunders?

Networking is everything! Meet the business contact you’re working with on a project, schedule time to shadow someone, ask for a chat over coffee. Anything like this allows you to have 1-1 time with someone who could have influence over role placement, you never know. It’s especially helpful when you can show them who you are and make a meaningful impact.