Grads Give Back 2013

On April 4th, Humber Marketing grads from many different graduating years set foot back into their school to attend the Grads Give Back event run by Christina Clements herself. Current Internet Marketing, Marketing Communications, and Database Marketing students were invited to attend the event, to gain an insight of what may be waiting for them after Humber. Christina also gave us (Siddique Baksh and Angela Schell) the opportunity to help out with the event, and live tweet from the event as well, using the @MktgHumber twitter account for those who could not attend, and interested followers. All of the Humber graduates contributed to provide a very informative and inspirational presentation.

First to speak was Caralia Fabiano, a grad from 2007. She shared her personal industry experiences and her path to success at Mosaic Experimental Marketing, where she holds the position of National Operations and Account Manager. In addition to talking about how many different roles she took on to end up in the position she now holds. Caralia also talked about how to connect brands to consumers, and explained to upcoming Humber grads the importance of gaining field experience in the industry before graduation. 

Andrew Dagg a graduate from 2010 took the spotlight next. Being the Project Leader at Wishabi, Andrew talked about how retail advertising is moving away from traditional outlets such as paper and print, in favor of dynamic digital solutions. These dynamic displays have already gained some heading online with Target Canada adopting this technique, and Wishabi was proud to be one of their launch partners. 

Rachel Kennedy then took the stage, and reminded current Humber students to take chances in getting experience in the field, because you never know which ones will pay off for you in the future. Once being a previous poster on this blog, and maintainer of Marketing Humber’s various social media accounts, ending up at Virtual Logistics Inc. has been a very big change for her. 

Jeff Superle from Nearly Famous Enterprises followed. A graduate from 2009, Jeff chose Humber after wanting to steer his career in a different direction, and he was not disappointed. Jeff conveyed to the current Humber students which sales jobs they wanted to avoid, and tips on how to point out which jobs may not be right for them as well.   

After a brief break, Zac Stanley was up. Being a Digital Media Account Manager for Rich Media, and graduating in 2011, Zac covered everything from what courses helped him the most while he was at Humber, to job hunting tips which enabled him to reach his position, and how it is very important to tailor your resume and cover letter to the position you are applying for. 

Natasha Persad took over from there. After graduating in 2010, Natasha went on to become an eBusiness Solutions Specialist at Prophix Software. She also showcased and explained some interesting augmented reality facts, before ending her presentation with a video of Burberry’s sales force, which you can view below.

After Natasha, Steve Lorini, a current Guelph-Humber student then had the floor.  Steve has accomplished a great deal of impressive feats for being so young. Being an Events Coordinator at Z103.5 Toronto, Evanov Radio Group, and Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, Steve is proof that networking works, and is crucial in the marketing industry. He ended his presentation with some words of wisdom; Plan, Be Noticed, Build a Network, and Have Confidence. I am sure all the marketing students in the room took that to heart. 

Natasha Vadori, the last speaker of the event is a Social Media Analyst at BrandProtect and had every marketing student in the room looking at Social Media Marketing from a different perspective.  Companies put a lot of time and effort into building their brand, and companies such as BrandProtect specialize in risk management solutions, and the legal aspects of the field. Having Natasha talk about brand protection brought to light the fact that these types of things are happening every day, and the people who are securing companies accounts and reputations are doing an amazing job. After some final words from Christina, Grads Give Back came to an end.

Initially, we expected the Grads Give Back Event to be a good look at what we could expect in the future when we look for jobs and get into the field, however, it ended up being much more than just that. Each of the speakers not only provided useful insight of the industry, but they also gave insight on how it is changing, and how we, as current marketing students, can tailor and adjust our paths to better suit the direction where marketing is heading in the future. This projection provided us marketing students with invaluable information to carry with us to our future endeavors, and a hope that one day we will be the ones giving back to marketing students after we graduate.

One again, we would not have been a part of this experience if it were not for Christina Clements providing us with the opportunity, and the speakers who attended who chose to give back to the current marketing students. Big thanks go out to all of them, and we look forward to future graduates sharing their experiences and stories at future Grads Give Back events!