How Tamaya Nelson '19 Earned a Full-Time Job at a Global Media Agency By Kevin McCallIt was her final semester at Marist College and, like many of her peers in the same situation, Tamaya Nelson ’19 was feeling overwhelmed thinking about her next steps. But after receiving assistance from the Marist College Center for Career Services and networking to learn about companies and roles in her desired career cluster, Nelson was able to secure a full-time position at a global media agency right after graduation. Nelson had gained work experience during one summer writing on a few NBC programs such as The Meredith Vieira Show and Access Hollywood. While these opportunities were related to her communications major and advertising concentration at Marist, Nelson had never completed a formal internship. At the beginning of the Fall 2019 semester Nelson connected with Desmond Murray, Associate Director for the Employer Experience in the Marist College Center for Career Services, and learned about opportunities to explore careers in communications. “When I first met Desmond I realized that I probably hadn’t been planning for my career like I should have,” Nelson said. “But attending diversity events like the Publicis Media forum and going on Road to the Workplace were real wake up calls to seeing what the working world would be like after Marist.” Murray encouraged Nelson to apply for the Publicis Media Multicultural Talent Pipeline Forum, an annual educational immersion into the media, marketing, and advertising businesses designed for traditionally underrepresented groups. Nelson was one of nine Marist students selected to attend the event in Atlanta, Georgia, which featured panels, networking sessions, and a career fair with Publicis Media organizations. “Each day focused on the talent gap from the perspective of people of color that work in various parts of the media industry,” Nelson said. “I can’t even begin to explain the amount of talent and like-minded individuals that I connected with at the event. Flying into Atlanta and meeting such a diverse group of people hungry for knowledge along with so many brilliant men and women of color that gave such genuine advice about the media industry was so inspiring.” Following the Publicis Media forum Nelson kept in touch with her connections and set up LinkedIn alerts for the company so she was notified whenever a new opportunity from a subsidiary became available. “I wanted an employer who had a genuinely inclusive work environment,” Nelson said. “As a woman of color in the LGBT community these traits are very important because I need to feel my narrative and perspective is not only welcomed but is also understood.” Nelson said attending the Publicis Media Multicultural Talent Pipeline Forum helped her determine attributes she was looking for in a workplace culture. “I wanted an employer who had a genuinely inclusive work environment,” she said. “As a woman of color in the LGBT community these traits are very important because I need to feel my narrative and perspective is not only welcomed but is also understood.” About halfway through the semester Nelson began attending Road to the Workplace trips to learn about employers that she was interested in working for. She visited Viacom, Madison Square Garden, and CNN on these trips. Sponsored by the Marist College Center for Career Services, Road to the Workplace trips are networking sessions at work sites where Marist students receive an introduction to an organization’s culture and environment and also learn about professional development roles with the company. Nelson said going on Road to the Workplace trips gave her insight into companies that she would not have otherwise received.
“As students we’re always attracted to big companies and it’s one thing to read about them,” Nelson said. “But being at the actual work site is a great experience because we see how employees are treated and how each day goes. Initially I was impressed by the company name and lacked actual knowledge about working for them, but Road to the Workplace helped with that.” Viacom was Nelson’s favorite worksite that she visited in the fall. “What I liked about the company was its flexibility,” Nelson said. “It was always changing and it seemed like new roles were always being added.” Nelson graduated from Marist College in December 2019 with her bachelor’s degree in Communications-Advertising and began a full-time role as an Associate Media Strategist at Spark Foundry on January 6, 2020. Spark Foundry is a global media agency owned by Publicis Media. “Everything came full circle,” Nelson said.
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