Name: Maggie Sylke
Degree: Strategic Communication
Expected Graduation Date: 2012
Company: COOP Ale Works
Maggie used her communications background to reconnect with an industry she feels passionately about.
“I’ve been lucky,” Maggie said. “I enjoyed my old job a lot and worked with great people.”
Maggie found work at a public relations agency, Schnake Turnbo Frank, where she interned with the company following graduation. After working at Schnake Turnbo Frank for three years, Maggie took a leap into the unknown and began working as a brand marketing specialist at COOP Ale Works in Oklahoma City.
“I was already a fan of the brand and now getting to promote it and see the ins and outs has been really fun,” Maggie said. “I wasn’t really looking [for a new job]; I just saw the opportunity arise, and it looked interesting.”
Maggie took initiative to leave a place she loved to grow and reconnect with a familiar industry. “During school and before college, I worked in restaurants,” Maggie said. “I did always like the food and beverage industry. Then getting to work for a brewery kinda puts me back into that industry and allows me to promote the brand that I love.”
Looking back at her time at OSU, Maggie said she enjoyed the hands-on experience and group projects the most.
“I think the Capstone Campaigns class helped me because it was really hands-on, and we got to work with an actual client,” Maggie said. “I remember working in groups to create a crisis communication plan and getting to know those people. It was good to get to know people in my classes and have group projects that weren’t bad experiences.”
School and the real world do not match up perfectly. There are major differences between the two, and Maggie encourages current college students to make sure they know the difference. “Try different things and different internships; have an open mind, and be willing to soak up whatever you can from those real-life experiences with work,” Maggie said. “Learn what you like and don’t like, and it’ll take you to somewhere that you’re happy.”