From the Editor,
It has been a wonderful year working for the School of Business Marketing Department as their Student Communication Specialist. As they say: All good things must come to an end!
I will be closing this chapter, not only as the Editor of Marketing Today, but as a UConn student as I prepare to graduate this December. This is a bittersweet moment for myself, and so for my final newsletter I will reflect on my time as an undergraduate here at UConn and leave you with some words of encouragement.
I didn't begin my college journey at UConn, but I can confidently say that transferring was one of the best decisions I ever made. I have had an untraditional college experience, starting in the Fall of 2018 at The University of Alabama. I had lived in Connecticut my entire life and was ready to try something new. While I enjoyed my time at UA, the COVID-19 pandemic hitting us in the Spring semester of my sophomore year led me to return to Connecticut for quarantine and the duration of the pandemic. It was during that time I realized Connecticut is home.
I made the difficult decision to transfer to UConn in Fall of 2020. I took a few classes online that semester and then ultimately made the decision to take a semester off. I started to question what I really wanted to do. At UA, I was a Marketing major but I could not transfer directly into the Business School at UConn and was placed in ACES. I began taking Communication courses that would ultimately lead to a Communication minor. However, I questioned if I was good enough to get into the School of Business and if that was even what I really wanted. During my time off, I worked as a hostess at a local restaurant until I secured an internship with a small Marketing firm. This reignited my passion for Marketing and built up my confidence to go back to UConn and officially apply to the School of Business. I returned to my studies in the Fall of 2021 and began my journey with the School of Business in Spring of 2022.
Since classes were no longer online, I became a commuter student driving 35 minutes to and from Storrs almost every day. It was hard to adjust to this new version of college life. Since I was a commuter, I spent limited time on campus and it was difficult for me to form a connection with UConn. Until, one day I noticed an email promoting an opening for the School of Business Marketing Department Student Communication Specialist. So, read your emails (especially Marketing Today) because you never know what kinds of opportunities it could lead to! This role has been one of my favorites I have held so far. I have been able to not make connections with the Marketing Faculty, but with my fellow students as well. Through this role I have been able to network, get internships, and even start a club!
Like many others, the pandemic drastically affected both my academic and personal life, but it really helped to put things into perspective. There was a moment where I never thought I would be able to finish my studies and graduate - but here I am! Life is unpredictable. I did not finish college in 4 years and that’s okay. If you told me in 2018 that I would be graduating from UConn in December of 2023 - I would be mind blown. Everyone’s path is different and everyone’s path is meaningful. I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason. To every undergraduate at UConn, I encourage you to make the most out of your time here. Start a club, apply for that student worker job, reach out to your classmates, go to campus events, and utilize the abundance of resources that UConn has to offer while you can. Enjoy every little bit of it and take it all in - it’s over in a blink! It has been an honor to help my fellow Huskies stay in the know of all things UConn Marketing!
Thank you all for reading Marketing Today, and good luck as you finish the semester!
Special congratulations to Riley Fallon, who will be taking over as the new Student Communications Specialist this Spring!
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