There’s something wonderfully surreal about marketing the very place that’s teaching you how to become a marketer.

When I joined the McCombs School of Business as a Student Marketing Associate, I wasn’t just learning marketing in the classroom—I was practicing it every day. Every campaign became an opportunity to test ideas, experiment with different communication styles, and understand how thoughtful storytelling could shape a student’s experience with the school.

Over three years, I worked across nearly every corner of the marketing function. One week I might be designing signage for a campus-wide event; the next, creating social media campaigns, planning email communications, photographing student experiences, developing promotional materials, coordinating commencement logistics, or helping launch recruitment initiatives. The variety of projects challenged me to think beyond individual deliverables and instead focus on creating a consistent, engaging experience across every student touchpoint.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the role was the trust I was given to own projects from beginning to end. Whether it was planning giveaways, designing campaign assets, creating print materials, coordinating event coverage, or supporting large-scale communications, I was encouraged to take ideas from initial concept through execution. That ownership taught me that successful marketing isn’t simply about creating beautiful visuals—it’s about understanding people, telling meaningful stories, and delivering experiences that resonate.

Working alongside Damarys Rodriguez and the McCombs Marketing team also gave me the mentorship that shaped the marketer I’ve become. They encouraged curiosity, experimentation, and creative thinking, giving me the confidence to explore different areas of marketing until I discovered the work that energized me most.

Looking back, this role wasn’t just where I learned marketing.

It’s where I learned that marketing could combine creativity, strategy, storytelling, design, and human connection into one career—and that realization shaped everything I pursued afterward.