Q&A – Marketing and PR Team Edition

The business division of The Minnesota Daily provides students with professional experience within account planning, digital media management, marketing, sales, public relations, and leadership. This division strives to give students opportunities to create real work for real clients, cultivate professional relationships and skills, and find new ways to advertise and market a business. 

I took the time to ask the Marketing and PR team questions about their experience with The Minnesota Daily so far, and how they believe they made the right choice to join the organization.

Director of Marketing – Jennifer Harley

Jennifer is a senior at the University. She is a student within the Carlson School of Management, majoring in Marketing with a minor in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. She is also a part of the Chinese American Student Association alumni board member and remains active as a general member.  

Q Why did you choose to work at The Minnesota Daily? What about the organization stood out to you most?

“When I was searching for internships for the summer in my Sophomore year of college, I was worried about finding one. It seemed like all the internships I was looking into wanted previous experience in the marketing field. I didn’t know much about the Minnesota Daily, but when my marketing professor posted on Canvas about the internship opportunity, I looked into it. While I was researching the Minnesota Daily, I looked at its mission statement, and the third point struck me: “Train University students to professional standards, teach best practices and operate an ethical organization in all areas of journalism and the media industry.” I had been worrying about getting accepted into an internship, and all I wanted to do was learn. While I had no “real-world” experience, the Minnesota Daily saw the passion I have for learning and allowed me to prove myself. Now, as the Director of Marketing, I can seek out those who want to learn and give them opportunities to develop their skills.”

Q What career do you wish to pursue in the future and how is The Minnesota Daily preparing you for that?

“I came to college knowing that I wanted to major in marketing because I thought I would do well in business, and I wanted to be creative. I was still hesitant, but couldn’t think of another major that fit me. It wasn’t until I took ICORE my sophomore year that I knew I had chosen well. I was excited to be challenged and solve problems. I was intrigued by the customer experience and analyzing data, but I didn’t have experience with this outside of the classroom. I don’t entirely know what I want to do after college, but I know it’s marketing. I enjoy that marketing doesn’t have a set path, and you can explore many different fields with a marketing degree. The Minnesota Daily is preparing me for my career after college by empowering me to make an impactful decision, to help me grow confidence in my skills and voice and allows me to gain experience working with real challenges. What I love about my job is that I can apply what I have learned in school directly to different projects, and I can create something from scratch and follow it to its completion.”

Q What has your journey been like working at The Minnesota Daily? How have you grown from when you started to now?

“When I started at the Minnesota Daily, I was a Marketing Strategy Intern. I didn’t have much experience with marketing, but I was excited to learn and yearned to prove myself. I wanted to collect as much information as I could from networking and from the work experience. I didn’t initially believe that I would stay with the Minnesota Daily after the summer internship, but I didn’t realize how impactful that summer would be for me. My marketing internship grew my love for marketing research and making decisions based on data. It reinforced my skills and gave me the confidence to keep asking questions. As I look back to when I started, I still believe that I am excited to learn and yearn to prove myself, but I am in a position that I can give that opportunity to others as the Director of Marketing. I can tell when someone has that passion to develop their skills, and I do my best to be a resource to those who ask. I still believe that I am driven by and curious about the business world, but now I have a few experiences under my belt. I hope that I can remain curious and strive to learn more.”

Q What advice do you have for future applicants?

“One piece of advice I would give to future applicants is to reflect on your passions and be curious enough to explore. Passion can’t be taught, but skill can. Holding on to that passion to learn and develop is something that I look for in applicants. Those are the people that will go above and beyond and ask you questions. They will be looking at the current environment and be looking at how to improve the existing process.” 

Marketing Communications Associate Raina Freeman

Raina is a junior at the University. She is a student within the College of Liberal Arts and Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, majoring in Strategic Communications and minoring in Leadership. Raina also works at the Magrath, VET, and Natural Resources Libraries on the St. Paul campus, is a member of the MLK program, and loves visual and performing arts.

Q Why did you choose to work at The Minnesota Daily? What about the organization stood out to you most?

“I chose to work at the Minnesota Daily because I love the environment, the dedication to journalism, the endless opportunities, and the real-life experience. Another thing that stood out to me is the ability to move around the office depending on what fits your passion/desire.”

Q What career do you wish to pursue in the future and how is The Minnesota Daily preparing you for that?

“I would like to pursue a career as a copywriter or director of marketing. The Minnesota Daily provides applicable and professional experience that will allow me to stand out when applying for jobs, as well as equipping me with applicable knowledge.”

Q What has your journey been like working at The Minnesota Daily? How have you grown from when you started at The Minnesota Daily to now?

“I started at The Minnesota Daily as a Marketing Intern in August 2019. In the spring semester of 2020, I became the Marketing Communications Associate. I was shy and felt unprepared and lost when I first started. As I got used to the environment and people, I quickly settled in and started feeling comfortable yet still challenged.”

Q What is one thing you wish you knew before or when you first started working for The Minnesota Daily? 

“One thing I wish I knew about The Minnesota Daily before I started working here is the constant support. Everyone at the Minnesota Daily is so friendly and willing to collaborate. I wish I knew this going in because I kept to myself quite a bit for the first month or so without knowing what I was missing out on.”

Marketing Strategy AssociateRebecca Engelking

Rebecca is a senior at the University. She is a student within the College of Liberal Arts and Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communications, majoring in Strategic Communication with minors in Spanish and Public Health. Rebecca is also involved in the Public Relations Student Society of America.

Q Why did you choose to work at The Minnesota Daily? What about the organization stood out to you most?

“When applying, what stood out to me most about the Daily was that it is a student-run organization. I was impressed by the strong work ethic, dedication, and professionalism that all the students display. I additionally like how the Daily creates an open learning environment where employees have the freedom to learn from each other and are encouraged to explore different passions.” 

Q What career do you wish to pursue in the future and how is The Minnesota Daily preparing you for that?

“In the future, I hope to pursue a career in Public Relations. The Daily is helping me gain leadership experience through managing projects, while also developing my marketing skills in areas such as strategy, content creation, and analyzing media metrics”

Q What has your journey been like working at The Minnesota Daily? How have you grown from when you started at The Minnesota Daily to now?

“My journey at the Daily has been fulfilling because as I learn more and feel myself professionally developing, I am also advancing within the organization. Moving up from an intern position to an associate position has overall added a greater sense of motivation, dedication, and accomplishment within my day to day work.”

Q What advice do you have for future applicants?

“The advice I have for future applicants is to put yourself out there and get involved in areas that interest you. When I first started, I wish I knew how open and willing everyone is to help, listen to other’s ideas, and collaborate. If there is a project that interests you, ask if you can join it! If there is an idea you want to implement or a skill you want to personally develop, ask if it is possible to work on it. There is so much room for ideation and growth which is what makes working at the Daily great.”

Marketing Copyright AssociateSonia Franzen

Sonia is a senior at the University. She is a student within the College of Liberal Arts and Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communications, majoring in Strategic Communications and minoring in Creative Writing.

Q Why did you choose to work at The Minnesota Daily? What about the organization stood out to you most?

“I chose the Minnesota Daily because so many of my peers at the U were employed there and I loved listening to their conversations before class would begin. What stood out to me the most was how much room for growth the Daily offers to each of its employees. I’m getting experience that not only shows me what is to come in my future career but also gives me the chance to enjoy the work I’m doing since my coworkers are learning along with me.”

Q What career do you wish to pursue in the future and how is The Minnesota Daily preparing you for that?

“I hope to be a copywriter for an advertising agency one day. The MN Daily assigns me projects that help to refine my skills and learn workplace rhetoric.” 

Q What advice do you have for future applicants?

“My advice would be to stop being afraid to speak up in a meeting/ presentation just because someone is older, higher up, etc. I learned that the more conversations you can have among coworkers, whether it be for clarity regarding an assignment or just asking how their weekend was, better work will get done. It’s so scary speaking up for the first time (trust me I know) but growth will happen!”

Marketing Strategy Associate – Andy Byun

Andy is a senior at the University. He is a student within the Carlson School of Management, double majoring in Marketing and Management Information Systems, with a minor in Business Analytics. 

Andy is a senior at the University. He is a student within the Carlson School of Management, double majoring in Marketing and Management Information Systems, with a minor in Business Analytics. 

Q Why did you choose to work at The Minnesota Daily? What about the organization stood out to you most?

“I liked the opportunity to be on the planning side of marketing instead of execution. My past experiences were all consumer-facing jobs that I had to be on the frontline to interact with people and execute the marketing plan. However, I wanted to be involved in the planning of these plans, and as a Marketing Strategy Intern at the Minnesota Daily, I thought I would be able to have that experience.”

Q What career do you wish to pursue in the future and how is The Minnesota Daily preparing you for that?

“I want to get a job where I can develop marketing strategies based on data analytics. The projects that I participated in helped me to get a taste of what I want to do moving forward. Through a marketing research project, I applied my Excel analytics and statistics I learned in school to analyze the survey result. The recruitment campaign project helped me to think creatively and taught me how I could become a better leader.”

Q What has your journey been like working at The Minnesota Daily? How have you grown from when you started at The Minnesota Daily to now?

“I started as a Marketing Strategy Intern in summer 2019 when we still had two Marketing teams. I continued as an intern then stepped into a leadership role as a Marketing Strategy Associate at the beginning of the spring semester. I had opportunities to participate in many great projects along the way, including marketing research and developing a recruitment campaign. I think I have grown both personally and professionally. I got to meet and work with a lot of great people. At the same time, I believe I developed my leadership compared to when I started. I learned a lot from my past supervisors and peers, and I also learned by actually leading a project.”

Q What advice do you have for future applicants?

“I would suggest to future applicants to start thinking about what you could do as an intern or an associate when you apply. You have the advantage of looking at our organization from an outside perspective and catching things that our staff might not have noticed. Bring your ideas, and we can help you turn your idea into a project that not only improves the Minnesota Daily but also helps you grow professionally!”