Name: Michelle MacLean
Degree: Strategic Communications
Expected Graduation Date: May 2017
Company: Krush Digital Advertising Agency
Michelle MacLean began working for Krush Digital Advertising Agency as an intern after she graduated in May. A few months later, she was hired full-time as its social media and marketing specialist.
Krush Digital Advertising Agency is based in Oklahoma City and provides digital marketing services, media planning, social media and many other services. MacLean spends her days monitoring social media pages for her clients, responding to negative and positive comments, creating social media schedules and much more.
For her, having the internship at Krush Digital Advertising Agency was a way for her to continue to learn while having a safety net. The recurring fear of not getting a job out of college is something many seniors have the months preceding their graduation, but a job is not the only path for recent graduates. Internships are a way for recent graduates to get noticed.
“Don’t be too worried about not getting a job right out of the gate,” MacLean said.
Internships are not the only way to get real-world experience. Each year, OSU has a team for the National Student Advertising Competition. She was part of the NSAC team her senior year. The team worked diligently throughout the year on a campaign for Tai Pei. The team placed second at nationals in New Orleans, Louisiana, this summer.
“[NSAC] is the most realistic experience you will get in college,” she said.
The months preceding graduation are filled with many tasks, including editing resumes, putting together work samples and finalizing portfolios. MacLean knows the work it takes to put together a professional portfolio to present to future employers.
“It’s always good to have a mentor or teacher at OSU that you can talk to before you step into the real world,” she said.