From Girl Scouts to Goldman Sachs, Marist junior Nicole Doyle has built quite the resume. Prior to studying at Marist, Nicole participated in Row New York, a non-profit organization that helps young people develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to succeed on and off the water. She is currently transitioning from interning in the non-profit sector to a for-profit corporation. At an event hosted by the Marist College Center for Career Services on Nov. 20 Nicole discussed her experience in communications and gave tips on the internship application process. After the presentation I caught up with Nicole to talk about how her career goals and aspirations have evolved as well as her future plans. How did you become interested in communications? I’ve always known that I wanted to go into communications. In my freshman year of high school I wanted to go into investigative journalism and go to the Middle East, but there were a lot of scary things happening to journalists in that area at the time. Especially if you were female. I looked up all the different communications concentrations and public relations ended up being the one that I felt best aligned with what I wanted to do. I always made it a point to connect with people whether it seems like we have things in common or not. Once you really start to talk to somebody you’re bound to find something in common. That’s what started it for me. I thought I could really connect with people and talk to them. At some point I think communications will be a big part of our future after people realize that we can’t use technology for everything. How have your previous internships shaped your current goals? The summer after my freshman year I interned for Youth Inc., which is a non-profit that helps other non-profits grow, and I learned about all the behind the scenes work that goes into running a non-profit. There is so much that goes into it with fundraising, public relations, and working with board members, so when I got to Youth Inc. I was able to learn about all those aspects and starting my own non-profit seemed like a great idea. From there I started to connect with a lot of people who served on different non-profit boards who also have a finance background. After I had a conversation with each person I researched who they were and what their company did. The more I read the news I became interested in how global affairs affected the economy. That’s when the wheels started turning and I met my current mentor, Leland, who had interned and is now working for Goldman Sachs. She told me about the company and culture and I saw myself being there. I really liked the energy at Goldman Sachs. Everyone is very smart and driven and they all want to work together to accomplish their goals. When I applied for an internship during my sophomore year and didn’t get it I started doubting myself. I went back to interning at a non-profit where I was more comfortable. While interning with Girl Scouts of the USA I still felt like I was pushing the envelope because it was still a way bigger organization than I thought. I found that I still loved non-profit work and always wanted to be involved in it in some way, shape, or form for the rest of my life. My boss, who was on the executive team of Girl Scouts of the USA, had also worked at IBM for 20 years before moving into non-profit work, so I saw that you can move into different areas. Now I’m looking forward to interning at Goldman Sachs and learning new skills. The expectations are really high and there is good competition so I’m hoping I walk away learning a lot.
What are some positions you hope to hold in the future?
I’m going to Madrid for the spring semester and then I’ll be interning for Goldman Sachs for the summer so I’m just hoping 2018 will be a great year! I’m hoping to get a job offer at Goldman Sachs at the end of the summer, and hopefully when I graduate that’s where I’ll be. This summer I’ll be interning with the operations division, but once I start I can see if I want to explore other areas also. I want to be able to grow there and move up the chain. Is there any other advice that you wanted to give to the audience in your presentation that you didn’t mention? I would tell current students to always give back to their previous organizations after they graduate. They need to help out others who are very dedicated and hard-working, but just need that one person to get their foot in the door. Don’t forget about where you came from because as much as my mentors have helped me, I’ve also helped them in a way. Also remember that you will end up where you’re meant to be. Even if you don’t have a major or know what you want to do right now, things will fall into place. You just have to work hard in all of your classes and be involved in clubs and you’ll figure it all out. Nicole is double majoring in Communications and Spanish with a minor in political science at Marist College. Photos are courtesy of Nicole Doyle.
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