Discover the Benefits of the Disney College Program: Real-World Experience, Networking, and Lifelong Memories Meet Sydney Cella, a business management major, entrepreneurship minor, and John H. Martinson Honors College student from Washington Township (Gloucester County), New Jersey. Sydney will graduate in about a year and half from now, and participated in the Disney College Program. […]
management
Dance & Elementary Education Major Gets Ahead Through Summer Classes
I started my Human Exceptionality (Course: SPED 08130) course a few days after finals ended for the spring 2023 semester, and I have loved every second of taking this course. Human Exceptionality is centered around disability within education, specifically, undoing the concept of ableism inside of the education system. Each reading, lecture video, assignment, & […]
Beyond the Classroom: Business Double Major Bryan Emery Interns for L’Oréal
Today we speak to Bryan Emery, a senior Marketing and Management double major from Hamilton, NJ (Mercer County). He recently spoke with Rowan Blog on his internship with the the Rohrer Center for Professional Development. This summer, Bryan is interning at L’Oréal’s Jersey City and New York City offices. Bryan shares his experiences marketing in the beauty industry.
Can you give me an overview of your role?
I’m interning at L’Oréal. I am a Marketing Operations Intern, and I have a focus on digital. I’m currently working on the It Cosmetics brand. I’m in the eye and brow division of the team, so I work on eyeshadow, and mascara is my big thing.
The internship is split into a big project and daily tasks. My big project is mainly optimizing the targeting strategy for one of the 2023 launches, which is very exciting, and then my day-to-day consists of mostly competitive analysis. I also did some holiday-related work with their product display pages and then just a lot of just helping here and there, with other small projects.
My work is a lot of looking at data of what customers are saying, quantifying that, and then reporting that to top management. I never thought that I’d use Excel this much in my life. I’m happy that I took some classes that helped me with Excel.
The internship is on a hybrid platform. I’m required to be in the office for three days, and then I work from home for two days. IT Cosmetics has a satellite office in Jersey City, but our headquarters is in New York City. For all the intern-specific events, I have to go to the New York office, but I am mainly in Jersey city.
How were you able to get this opportunity?
I applied for the internship on their corporate website. From there was the first round in September, and the second round was in late September, and then I got my offer end of November. It was really quick, which was surprising, but I was also happy to have an offer so early.
How did Rowan help to prepare you for the internship application process?
All the business events helped me learn to network within my cohort of student interns, but also with professionals. Specifically, at the Rohrer Center for Professional Development, the mock interviews and resume reviews have definitely helped me. Also, I don’t think I would have applied or been in the position to apply to this without the support of the faculty.
Have any of your experiences at Rowan helped you so far in your internship?
Yes. I work for Rowan’s Rohrer Center for Professional Development, which is at the Rohrer College of Business, and that has been dramatically beneficial. I think it’s helped with presenting myself, but I also did some analytic work for the events that we did. Having prior experience working with excel and just being in the business environment definitely helps with my transition. Specifically, using Microsoft Office in the position was helpful. As students, we use Google or Canvas, so having Microsoft Office definitely helps because I would not have even known how to open an email.
As a marketing major, have any of your classroom experiences helped you in your role?
I’m learning a lot hands-on, but I think some classes built the base knowledge that was needed for me to understand what is happening at my internship. I took a digital marketing class at Rowan. A lot of the assignments that we had in class, such as creating a fake product display page and writing the copy, are tasks I am working on for actual products at a real company. That definitely helped me tremendously, because when people would use certain references, I’d be like, “Oh, like, I know what that means.” I think my Foundations of Analytics course and other marketing courses have allowed me to know what key performance indicators (KPIs) to look for and how to test with them, whether it’s statistically, or just using Excel. I think they definitely helped form a baseline from which I can get more in-depth experience and knowledge with an internship.
What is one thing you’ve taken away from your internship so far?
I have so many things I’ve taken away, but I think the biggest thing is adapting to new tasks and environments. You have to have some sort of agility when it comes to working in the business field, specifically in marketing. Everything changes so quickly. We students don’t really think of the environment and how, if one consumer stops doing X, Y and Z, how much influence that could have on the total market. I’m finding that it’s important to understand how small impacts can make a big change and how you have to react to them strategically.
How is this internship helping to push you toward your future career goals?
L’Oréal has an MT program, which is a management training program. Essentially, it’s an accelerated one-year duration, where I would transition from MT to assistant manager, depending on how that goes. My end goal is hopefully to get a full-time offer. Down the line, maybe a C-suite level position, Chief Marketing Officer, or maybe I’ll be CEO of my own marketing consulting firm, but I think I am going to stay in the beauty industry for a little longer. Time will tell.
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Story by:
Rachel Rumsby, senior communication studies and public relations double major
Photos by:
Stephanie Batista, senior business management major
Bryan Emery
Beyond the Classroom: Bryan Emery, Intern for Rowan’s Rohrer Center for Professional Development
Today we speak to Bryan Emery, a junior Marketing and Management double major from Hamilton, NJ (Mercer County). Bryan is an Event Management and Marketing Intern with Rowan’s Rohrer Center for Professional Development. Read on as he tells us about his majors and what he’s learning from his internship experience. Why did you decide to […]
The Rowan Blog Team’s Favorite Posts of 2021
This year, Rowan Blog published more than 500 posts spotlighting the people and places that make Rowan University our home away from home. Here, members of our team revisit a few of these stories and select those that stayed with us as we bid farewell to 2021.
Rowan Beekeeping Club Launches: A Q & A with President Michael Hoban
Read the full story here.
“I loved learning about the Beekeeping Club by Michael. He was so passionate about this club and saving the bees. He informed me on so much information about bee pollination and extracting the honey. I was never educated on this information prior to interviewing him.” – Natalie DePersia, junior public relations major
Finding My Path and Passion with an English Degree
Read the full story here.
“I believe [Nicole] shows that although she was not sure about what to do with her major at first, she ended up finding a job she loves and enjoys. I personally love this quote: ‘Here was a career path that let me balance my desire to help others with the analytical skills I’d developed as an English major.’” – Valentina Giannattasio, first year dance and marketing double major
Ayanna Johnson Reflects on New York City Pride Parade
Read the full story here.
“I love Ayanna — amazing personality, very vocal!” – Nene Diallo, senior public relations major
Studio Art Majors Taylor Brown and Abby Leitinger Featured in Philadelphia Art Show
Read the full story here.
“I thought this piece was so interesting. I loved learning about these two artists on the rise and the differences they hold while creating their pieces. It was interesting to see the art they produced and how they use different mediums.” – Natalie DePersia
Sisters on SGA: Madeline and Sarah McClure
Read the full story here.
“I was really happy with the way my photographs turned out, and I especially loved getting to meet and know Sarah and Madeline McClure. They were the absolute sweetest and such a joy to work with!” – Missy Pavorsky, junior advertising major
Meet Transfer Profs: 3+1 Psychology Student and Mother Victoria Hable
Read the full story here.
“Victoria’s story is an impactful one. Any story of a person being a parent and going to college is amazing, and I’m proud of all of them. However, Victoria’s story shows that even if there is an unexpected change during your college career, Rowan will help you get to the finish line.” – Rachel Rumsby, junior communication studies and public relations double major
Faculty PROFile: Journey into the Entrepreneurial Mindset with Dr. Susana C. Santos, Rohrer College of Business
Read the full story here.
“I first learned of Dr. Santos when she won the Excellence in Online Learning award from Rowan Global Learning and Partnerships (she has since won this award again, the first faculty member to do so). I was really impressed with the creativity and care she imbues into her instruction, especially when she couldn’t interact with students face-to-face. We also share a mutual love of the ‘How I Built This’ podcast, which Dr. Santos uses in her coursework.” – Christina Lynn, digital content strategist
Rowan Abroad: Recent Graduate, Chloe Senatore, Talks Acceptance into Trinity College in Dublin
Read the full story here.
“It showcases how amazing the Rowan English Department by highlighting the accomplishments of one of its students.” – Bianca Gray, senior English major
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Header photo: One of our favorite campus photos of the year, taken at sunset in Sept. 2021
First Year Voices: Fall Edition
Today we feature first year Rowan students Destinee Hines, Jake Brandenburg, Abbie Ealer and Sam Skripko — each with a unique sense of style, sharing their experiences and ambitions for the school year.
“My year’s been good, had a couple ups and downs, but it’s getting better. I went to pop-up shops and I hope to get into more activities on campus. Rowan’s been good to me and I like the people here. I definitely want to get engaged and have more fun.” – Destinee Hines, Radio/Television/Film major from Camden, NJ (Camden County)
“My freshman year so far has been unexpected, but I mean how could you expect college life if you never experienced it right? Anyways, I did a couple things like going to Bingo Night. I didn’t get any matches but it was really fun. By the end of this year, I’m looking forward to having a solid group of friends. I do have a few people right now but I want to build more friendships. So far I like it here, I’m having a great time.” – Jake Brandenburg, Management major and first-generation college student from Haddonfield, NJ (Camden County)
“I’m trying to get used to my class schedule and navigating college especially being a commuter; therefore I’m not here often. The most interesting thing is that my best friend from childhood goes here all well, so I get to spend so much more time with her. Since I’m in the honors college, I’m really excited to explore all the opportunities the program offers like the Think Thrive events. I’ll have more time in the spring semester, so I’m looking forward to engaging myself more on campus.” – Abbie Ealer, History major, commuter from Turnersville, NJ (Gloucester County)
“I love the campus, although I felt a little down and catching up was challenging because of missing work, but now I’m all caught up. I’m thinking of joining Rowan’s hockey team since I already play the sport and I’m a referee. By the end of my freshman year, I hope to learn more about my major.” – Sam Skripko, Computer Science major from Fair Lawn, NJ (Bergen County).
Like what you see?
Story by:
Nene Diallo, senior, public relations major
Photos by:
Nick Flagg, senior, theater and advertising major
Header Photo by:
Missy Pavorsky, junior advertising major
Beyond the Classroom: Senior Business Major Kevin Baker’s Internship with Ohio-Based Company The DiJulius Group
Related posts:Beyond the Classroom: Rowan Graduate Stephanie Ciecierski Pursues M.A. in Writing and Internship with The Rug TruckBeyond the Classroom: Finance Major Annabella Halbruner’s Summer Internship “Everything I Could Have Asked for to Prepare for Future Career”Beyond the Classroom: Jack Campanella Takes Club Leadership, Engineering Skills to Internship with Robotics Company
Lexi Jubin Shares Her Experience as an Intern with Spencer’s and Spirit Halloween
Lexi Jubin, a Management and Marketing major with a Certificate of Undergraduate Study in Entrepreneurial and Independent Media, spent her summer learning the ins and outs of e-commerce with national retailers Spencer’s and Spirit Halloween. Here, she shares her experience and how she interned through a pandemic.
What are your responsibilities as an intern with Spencer’s?
As the e-commerce intern with Spencer’s and Spirit Halloween, I did a lot of pulling data and work on different spreadsheets. In the e-commerce marketing department, I learned about paid search, SEO, affiliate marketing, and even worked closely with individuals in merchandising, copywriting and email marketing. I reported directly to the Senior Manager of E-commerce and got to know many people in the department very fondly.
When I first started, two full-time positions were vacant, so I got to have a hand in some of what those positions usually take care of, as well as gain so much brand-new insight and growth for the department during my internship experience as two new awesome individuals joined the team. Regarding my day by day, my mornings usually started off with a paid search report pulling from different analytics platforms. This was something I was super excited to learn about because I never would have thought I enjoyed paid search and going through the data that came with it so much and the only way to know was to try it.
For the SEO side of things, I also did a weekly data pull for our dashboard, which was super cool to learn as well. When I wasn’t pulling numbers for our regular reports, I created a new format for tracking information on our current and new affiliates, and did some individual products and data pulls for specific ideas or problems we had to solve. I attended regular meetings each week, going over different data and getting a feel for the company, as well as going through training for all different facets of e-comm.
Overall, I was completely immersed in the department. My supervisor, Greg, was absolutely amazing at teaching me piece by piece how to do different things. He ran through different platforms with me, taught me how he did the analysis for different daily reports, and was super patient when I didn’t know something. The paid search and SEO managers, which were brought on during my internship, were also so patient, helpful and kind when I had questions. Not only did I have my own responsibilities and tasks day by day, but the people I worked with really took the time to teach me and leave me with some valuable knowledge.
Do you feel like Rowan prepared you for the work you’re doing with the company?
Rowan definitely prepared me in every way they could for this type of work. I think the part of my coursework that helped me the most were the classes that were required for my certificate of undergraduate study in Entrepreneurial and Independent Media. Two classes in particular “Entrepreneurial Media” and “Media Metrics and Analytics” were probably the closest to what I was doing. For my marketing degree, my statistics-based courses also definitely played a role. I did a lot with conversion rates, impressions and other different KPI’s [key performance indicators], so it was important that I knew what they were when I started the internship, and I definitely wouldn’t have without these classes. While Rowan killed it at teaching me the concepts, I learned so much from the hands-on work that I got to do with the company.
Talk about your experience working during COVID.
My internship was sort of hybrid, though the office was technically not fully open during my time there. The first time I got to go to the office was to pick up my company-issued laptop. From there, I generally worked from home most days and went in about once a week. Though I wasn’t there a lot, I really loved the vibe and look of the corporate office, so it was exciting when I did get the chance to go in. I also had the opportunity to help our team out at one of the Spirit stores before it opened, which was insanely exciting, as well as a nice opportunity to meet some of my coworkers in person.
Though I didn’t get to see everyone in person all the time, I still was welcomed to the team with open arms. We had plenty of virtual and in-person meetings, so I still got to meet everyone. Greg also scheduled some time for me to come into the office specifically so I could meet the team, and he was intentional about introducing me to people so I felt like I was included in things. Additionally, when all of the interns first started, we did some meet and greets with everyone in our department.
Outside of normal tech problems you would see anywhere, I felt like Spencer’s did a great job of dealing with the circumstances they were presented with for their internship program, and it was still a super rewarding experience.
What was your favorite part about being on the Spencer’s team?
My favorite part about working for Spencer’s was honestly every single meeting I got to attend, especially the in person ones. We did some small team meetings, a few “Fun Fridays,” individual meetings, and even some department wide. I loved the team I worked with so much, and those meetings were so helpful for me to learn about the company, my job, what I wanted to do with my life, and about so many people I admire. Those meetings allowed me to see the human side of a larger company, and really feel secure in the path I was taking with my career.
The content we were dealing with was stimulating and exciting, but also challenging in all of the right ways. I grew so passionate about the company and the work I was doing over the summer, and gained so much confidence in myself. While I always really loved Spencer’s and Spirit Halloween, the internship experience started out mainly as something to help me gain experience; but the day-to-day work, meetings, and absolutely amazing individuals left me with a career defining experience I’ll never forget.
Like what you see?
Story by:
Loredonna Fiore, senior public relations and advertising major
Photos by:
Stephanie Batista, junior music industry major
Select photos courtesy of:
Lexi Jubin
Melody Wozunk Named Student CEO of Saxbys New Campus Cafe
Today we feature Melody Wozunk, a senior Management major from Vineland, NJ (Cumberland County). Melody is the inaugural Student Cafe Executive Officer for the new student-run Saxbys cafe at Rowan’s Rohrer College of Business.
Saxbys is a Certified B Corporation and coffee company in over 10 different locations. Saxbys’ mission statement is “Make Life Better.” With their mission statement and the up-and-coming workforce in mind, Saxbys created the Saxbys Experiential Learning Platform. Within the Experiential Learning Platform, one undergraduate student will be the student CEO of the campus cafe for a semester.
Melody Wozunk is the new Student CEO for the Rowan University Saxbys campus cafe located in the Rohrer College of Business. Melody goes into detail about the Experiential Learning Platform, discusses how she found out about this opportunity, and shares future plans.
I understand that Saxbys has partnered with Rowan University in an all new student-run café starting this fall, and you are the new SCEO. How did you get involved?
I was in a career planning and development class back in Spring 2021, and my professor encouraged me to attend an online career fair. I went ahead and went on and scrolled through the employer list. This is when I came across Saxbys, a company I was vaguely familiar with. Originally, I was just looking for a summer internship. It just so happened that this opportunity turned into something so much greater and way beyond just that. I am so grateful that I logged onto the career fair that day because I was instantly informed of this Student CEO position and it has been a dream come true.
What are your feelings as the first Student CEO of Rowan’s Saxbys Experiential Learning Platform?
I feel a mixture of emotions when I think about this opportunity. I feel extremely excited, blessed, honored, challenged, and simply just so happy to be here and part of this experience of the Experiential Learning Platform. I know I am going to learn so much and will be able to utilize the skills I learn in my future endeavors.
From your understanding, what are your roles and responsibilities as the SCEO of the campus cafe?
Saxbys breaks it down into what they call the three pillars. The pillars include financial management, community leadership and team development. I have a lot of different responsibilities as the SCEO, but they all fall into the three pillars. For example, for financial management, I will constantly be tracking costs of goods sold in the cafe and evaluating revenue. For team development, I will be working a lot on the floor as a “team lead,” which is viewed as a management position. For community leadership, I will focus on getting Rowan involved and interested in this new cafe.
What are your professional plans post graduation? Do you plan on working for a company like Saxbys long term?
It is hard to say what the future holds for me. I am still going to be a student and I obviously will not be going into the full-blown workforce until after I graduate; however, I would be honored to work for Saxbys long term. I have loved working with Saxbys so far, and just their mission statement alone of “Make Life Better” truly resonates with me.
What personal goals do you have for working as the SCEO for the Rowan Saxbys campus cafe?
I really want to provide an awesome experience for guests that are coming in: the Rowan community. Our goal at Saxbys, as stated previously, is to “Make Life Better.” However, I can accomplish that through my team, for the community is really important to me. I also am looking forward to developing my team. Starting up as a brand new cafe is an exciting experience; however, it can also be a little intimidating. Therefore, a personal goal for me is to spread confidence, create a fun working environment and a motivating atmosphere.
Personally, I am looking to improve my time management skills, professional communication skills, and my overall drive and focus as a professional who is practically starting their first full-time job.
The grand opening of Rowan’s Saxbys campus cafe was held on Sept. 21. The cafe is looking for outgoing, detail-oriented, disciplined and passionate workers.
To find out more information on the Saxbys Experiential Learning Platform, you can click the website linked below. For information on how to apply and join the team you can click the following;
https://www.saxbyscoffee.com/how-to-apply/
Learn more about the Saxby’s SCEO program here:
Like what you see?
Story By:
Natalie DePersia, junior public relations major
Photos courtesy of:
Saxbys
Related posts:
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