Seaver College Students "Brand Their Future" at Alumni Career Coaching Event
Seaver College's Communication Division recently hosted its first-ever career day. Students across majors convened at Pepperdine’s Calabasas campus for a special opportunity to network and hear industry insights from a panel of Pepperdine alumni who are successful leaders in marketing, advertising, and public relations.
Alumnus Nils Granger (’10), athlete marketing manager at Red Bull, served as the panelist moderator, hosting the event alongside integrated marketing and communication professor team Sarah Fischbach and Wangari Njathi. Conversation ranged from practical tips for success in a marketing/communication career to panelists recounting the stories of applying to their first jobs.
L to R: Nils Granger, Nathania Au, Allie Coates, Edwin Duran
Arriving with his wife and three kids, Granger shared that Pepperdine will always be one big family that he is proud to use his expertise to support, especially considering he and his wife met at Seaver and remained college sweethearts throughout.
“There's a lot of graduating seniors in the room, and I know that the pinnacle of going to college for four years is to get a job,” Granger said to the audience of students. “Don’t worry. Your first job is meant for you to learn and to fine-tune your future; it is only the first chapter of your career. And life has a fascinating way of putting an opportunity in front of you that you would have never imagined.”
For instance, panelist Nathania Au (’24), shopper marketing specialist at beverage company Yerba Madre, told the crowd that she first met Granger as an IMC student. Granger had come to speak to one of her marketing courses, while Au was interviewing for a position at the company he worked for: Red Bull. Considering this serendipity, Au explains that Granger was there to offer helpful guidance as she prepared for her new role postgraduation before joining the Yerba team.
Asked about what advice she’d offer current college students, Au said, “I remember being in the audience at events like this. I was in your shoes. What I would recommend to anyone still in college is to focus less on the quantity of your networking, but the quality. Find the right occasions to have intentional connections.”
Attendees mingling
“It’s fulfilling to have students reach out and help them get placed in jobs where I used to work or currently work. Now it’s fun to hear their creative ideas and what they’re working on,” added Granger.
Additional panelists included Seaver graduates Jillian Unruh Vincent (’18), associate marketing manager of Mattel’s Barbie Global Brand Team; Edwin Duran (’16), client partner of Snapchat; Andrea Grace Mella (’24), media buyer of Publicis Media, and Allie Coates (’22), brand marketing manager of De La Calle Tepache.
Each of the successful young professionals offered advice on how to stand out among a sea of applicants. Vincent, who now leads brand campaigns for newly released Mattel Barbie dolls, shared that in creative spaces, success is all about “capitalizing on your personal strengths.” She encouraged attendees to think of themselves and what they have to offer in broad terms: “You can take all your experiences and apply them to anything in marketing."
Students chatted with panelists
When invited to discuss AI, many of the panelists shared that senior leadership of their corporations have suggested incorporating the technology into their workflow in ways that would not diminish creativity. To help demonstrate this idea, each panelist offered specifics of how they do so.
“I use AI to expedite my understanding of the industry,” Mella chimed in. “I’ll put in example scenarios as a prompt and that will help train me on how to tackle problems that may arise. This helps me to grow in my career.”
Panelists also suggested fine-tuning skills AI is incapable of doing, such as those of public speaking and overall personal presentation, and they reminded students that the hiring process is mutual. While companies are evaluating them, they also have the agency to choose where they want to work. Many suggested writing a list about what they’re most looking for in a company, from job expectancies to desired work culture.
To conclude the event, panelists answered audience questions. Considering such an influx of information might be daunting to a college student on the precipice of the career world, alumni reassured all that they’re beginning in the right spot by attending these networking events.
“All of you are already ahead of the game,” Duran said. “Being in this room is step one. ”