Drop us a note and let us know what is going on!
Aimee (Soisson) Key
"So as for my post-CAS life: after graduation, it took me until late August to get a job, but my first job was a Marketing Assistant with the National Museum for the United States Army, as a government contractor. This was located just south of Washington DC, at the Fort Belvior Army base. Unfortunately, budget got cut and contractors were asked to leave the project. After that I moved to Philadelphia when I got a job with Avenue A | Razofish (purchased by Microsoft when I was employed there, now it is just called Razorfish) as an SEM assistant account manager. That was not an ideal position for me, so after an extended (over a year-long) job search, I got a position contracting with Comcast in their Comcast Interactive Media division (basically their own advertising agency within the company) as a Marketing Coordinator. I have been there since July of last year and am learning a lot and really enjoying the experience. I am running the online newsletter for Comcast's Fancast website (sent to over 275k registrants weekly), as well as helping out on various other online marketing initiatives for Fancast.com and some for Comcast.net.
Overall, I have found that job markets are tight, and the kind of marketing positions I apply to seem to be fairly satuarated with applicants and therefore tough to get. My first position and my current position luckily have been fulfilling and fortunately I work with really great people who are teaching me a lot. On a personal note, I married my fellow Penn State alumn boyfriend in September of 2007, and we will be in our first home for a year at the end of this month. We live in Wayne, PA, in the suburbs of Philly (about two miles from Villanova University). And we have an adorable yellow lab named Zoey :)"
Jessalyn Schwartz (BA)-2008
I left CAS in 2008 upon graduation and worked for the Obama campaign/State campaigns in Vermont until November. I returned to the DC area, where I am from, and began studying for the LSATS and looking for a job. I just received a position in the Senate, working for the Sergeant at Arms office in the Senate Gallery. I plan to head to law school, hopefully at American, in 2010.
Laura Ormsby (BA)-2008
I'm currently a first year master's student in the Higher Education Administration program at The George Washington University. My concentration is in Student Affairs, and I'm leaning toward academic advising as a career. The Communication Arts and Sciences major has proven to be an excellent preparation in the furthering of my education. I believe that the writing, critical thinking, and communication skills emphasized in the CAS program are critical for success in any graduate level program.
Ashley Fidler (BA)
I am currently living in Hoboken, NJ and working in Manhattan for Dan Klores Communications. I am a hospitality/lifestyle publicist and I love it! The company I am working for is very well known in the PR industry and has many different branches (i.e. hospitality, sports, entertainment, fashion, music, health) and we are always looking for interns, etc!!
Hope Stroller (BA)
Currently working for a creative advertising company called EyeWonder in New York City.
Sophia Konopelsky (BA)
After finishing my degree at PSU I moved to Los Angeles. I was a placement consultant for a staffing agency in Santa Monica for about 3 years, during which I started a certificate program at UCLA for Non-Profit Fundraising. I recently moved back to the Philadelphia area and am volunteering in the development department at The Kimmel Center and just started an development internship with The Pennsylvania Ballet Company.
Giamara M. Rosado (BA)-2006
Since graduation in 2006, I've been working as a paralegal at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in NYC. Recently I received the news that I am officially part of the class of 2012 at CUNY Queens Law School! I begin classes Fall '09
Phil Geanacopoulos (BA)-2005
He is living in Fort Lauderdale, FL working for Canon Business Solutions, a Canon USA Company. He is a sales representative aka document technology specialist.
Elizabeth (Libby) Roll-2004
I work as a Human Resources Generalist for MEDRAD, Inc. MEDRAD is a Bayer Health Care company headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA. I have been employed by MEDRAD since my graduation in 2004.
Courtney Spangler (BA and MA)
My new position since January is Marketing Coordinator for a small engineering firm, Williamsburg Environmental Group. It has been really great because being the only non-technical marketing person, I get to do a lot of everything -- writing, developing presentations, surveys, reports and even training seminars and presentations internally to teach staff about marketing and communications.
Nazi Sawez (2001)
Nazi Sawez has a position interning for Michelle Manatt, the Director for Institutional Relations at Foreign Policy Magazine. The internship is funded by, and located at, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Ms. Sawez will be meeting with people from different foreign policy agencies and PAC's.
Marissa Gilbert (2001)
Majoring in Speech Communication has opened more doors for me than I could have imagined. Receiving job offers from diverse companies such as Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting), Paine Webber and Walt Disney World Resort showed me that graduates of this major are highly sought after. Effective communication skills are essential for success in any field. Choosing this major is one of the best decisions I made while at Penn State.
Robin Bronk (1982)
Robin Bronk is a 1982 graduate of the Speech Communication here at Penn State and she is currently the Executive Director of The Creative Coalition, with offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. The Creative Coalition is the leading nonprofit, nonpartisan social and political advocacy organization of the arts and entertainment industry.
While at PSU, Robin was involved with the Penn State Association of Resident Hall Students (ARHS) and she accepted an internship her senior year in the press office of Pennsylvania Senator John (Henry) Heinz III. This internship led to a job with the Close Up Foundation in Washington, DC and then positions with ABC News and APCO Worldwide Associates, one of the nation's leading public affairs and lobbying firm.
Ms. Bronk reports that she enjoyed her time at PSU and, upon looking back on her education, she urges students to:
* Read the newspaper! Understand that there is a world beyond University Park.
* Take advantage of internship opportunities.
* Get involved in student government or other organizations that promote critical thinking and advocacy.
We wish Robin all the best in her career and we are proud that she is a Penn State Alumni! We are also grateful that she has made us aware of internship and job opportunities for our Speech Communication majors with The Creative Coalition. If you would like more information on internship or job opportunities with The Creative Coalition please contact Dr. Miller-Day at mam32@psu.edu .
Christen DeCollibus (1998)
Christen has taken a position with CBS News in New York as an Administrative Assistant in the Department of Affiliate Relations.
Melanie Cutler (1999)
Melanie is grateful that she chose Speech Communication (now Comm Arts and Sciences) as her major. The major was not only interesting and enjoyable, but it prepared her for a career in communication. She is currently a Communications Practitioner with Towers Perrin's Organizational Communications group. Her responsibilities include writing/editing for their intranet, managing their annual CEO broadcast and developing/implementing communication plans for their employee audience. To learn more about Towers Perrin and check out current job opportunities, see their Web site. ( http://www.towersperrin.com )
Megan Bigelow (1998)
Megan has been working for USG (United States Gypsum) for just about 15 months and really enjoys her work. She actually works out of one of the plant facilities in Cleveland, OH, but is on a temporary assignment in the corporate office in Chicago. Primarily, she is a Human Resources Generalist, spending a lot of time on safety and training, but also is actively involved in recruiting, hiring, compensation, benefits administration, and employee relations. She's done a bit of traveling and really enjoys the networking capabilities of working for such a large company. There are several other HR associates that also attended PSU throughout her company!
Ena Kurlancheek Brown (1978)
Ena is an Academic Coach at Arizona State University in Tempe, where she teaches communication skills and study strategies to student athletes.
Ed Foley (1969)
Ed is Managing Editor of the Pompano Beach, Florida Ledger. He is married with three daughters, Bridget, Maeghan and Erin and one granddaughter, Sophia.
