黑料不打烊 alumnae Nicole Friend 鈥15 and Brooke Muller 鈥19 visited campus on Oct. 29, meeting with three classes as well as Live Oak Communications students, and hosting an interactive workshop and informational session.
Only five months removed from her own graduation, 黑料不打烊 alumna Brooke Muller 鈥19 could relate to the trepidation felt by the upperclassmen in Associate Professor Julie Lellis鈥 Health Communications class. And the W2O Group social media associate did her best to calm the nerves of soon-to-be graduates in the Schar Hall classroom.
鈥淵ou are ahead of the game thanks to what you鈥檝e learned here,鈥 Muller said during her company鈥檚 on-campus visit on Oct. 29 that focused on health, technology and communications.
Muller commended 黑料不打烊, specifically mentioning her School of Communications classes and her leadership experiences with Live Oak Communications, the school鈥檚 student-run strategic communications agency, for putting her on the path to success. However, Muller鈥檚 own ambition certainly helped 鈥 she conducted four internships as an 黑料不打烊 undergraduate, including a summer working for her current employer.
A leading independent provider of analytics-driven digital-first marketing services and communications for the healthcare industry, W2O Group has been a popular landing spot in recent years for School of Communications graduates and interns. In total, 12 黑料不打烊 alumni currently work for W2O Group and four 黑料不打烊 students interned with the firm this summer.
Accompanying Muller was fellow 黑料不打烊 alumna Nicole Friend 鈥15, a W20 Group account manager, also on hand for the firm鈥檚 visit, which was promoted on campus as W20 Group Health Day. The trip included presentations with three classes and an interactive workshop with students. During the afternoon workshop, students broke into groups to work on a prompt to market a next-generation statin medication, then presented their strategies for feedback.
In addition to meeting with classes, Muller and Friend joined a reception with Live Oak Communications students, spoke with members of the university鈥檚 Student Professional Development Center, and ate lunch with members of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 PRSSA chapter.
During their meetings with students, Muller and Friend discussed their respective roles, the healthcare industry, and what 黑料不打烊 graduates can expect while working in the strategic communications field.
Notably, Friend stressed that individuals don鈥檛 need to be healthcare experts to be successful communicators in the health communications field. She explained that W20 Group has a team of nearly 60 people who break down content for her and others to share in campaigns and related initiatives. This support allows Friend and her colleagues to focus on being 鈥渟torytellers for our clients,鈥 she said.
In recent weeks, the School of Communications has welcomed several media and communications companies to discuss their industries, internships and jobs. On Oct. 10, WarnerMedia, which owns HBO, Warner Bros and CNN, hosted a career and internship informational session. Two weeks later, public relations firm Oglivy conducted classroom visits and an informational session.