WORK EXPERIENCE
Digital Marketer (Internship)
Over the summer, I completed my internship as a digital marketer for Hybrid Storytellers LLC, a small marketing company in Pittsburgh. In this role, I worked with my team to create strategic plans and execute unique content for our clients. I managed social media for three different hospitality businesses (Emiliano’s, The Turn Club, Sofranko Advisory Group), driving increased engagement by 50% and fostering brand loyalty. My favorite part of this experience was the on site photoshoots, spending time with my team in person and collaborating with them, strategizing to optimize media content. This experience significantly enhanced both my personal and professional skills. The challenges I faced in this role strengthened my abilities, equipping me to handle future obstacles with greater confidence.
Director of Media
As Director of Media for the University Program Board at Slippery Rock University, I managed media campaigns, social media pages, graphic design, and led the UPB media team. In the leadership role of leading a team, I guided a group of 23 students in photography, videography, web and graphic design, holding weekly meetings to prepare them for upcoming events. I also participated in executive board meetings, contributing to event planning, and coordinating media strategies to advertise the events. My role focused on fostering creativity and problem-solving with my media team.
During my time with UPB, we executed 14 large-scale events including bringing a special speaker Rainn Wilson, known as Dwight Schrute from the hit show "The Office," and hosting the famous rapper Wiz Khalifa for our spring concert. On event days, I oversee the media teams, ensuring compliance with guidelines. Since taking on the Director of Media role, we've seen significant growth in event attendance and social media engagement. Working in a fast-paced, demanding environment has honed my skills in time management, problem-solving, and leadership. I'm grateful for this position and excited to continue contributing to UPB's success.
Social Media Coordinator
As the social media coordinator for the office of Student Engagement and Leadership at Slippery Rock University, my duties were to create engaging content for our audience and facilitate online conversations with our followers to answer any inquiries.
My responsibilities within the organization was to promote campus events to provide students information about opportunities on campus and encourage them to participate in school activities. I was able to achieve that by creating organic content that was engaging and positive. I coordinated a content calendars to post daily to our social media outlets and stayed consistent with posting. I posted info graphics to our Instagram stories on the daily to keep our audiences informed and engaged. I also created reels and short form videos to highlight each event. I used my video editing skills to meet the post requirements and to make sure that the content was shareable across multiple planforms. When Posting, I used appropriate tags and captions to raise brand awareness and engagement.
Tik - Tok
Small Business Owner
During my freshman year of college, I launched MARAKI, a clothing brand inspired by my background, which aims to empower youth to embrace their unique attractiveness and self-expression. Offering products such as hoodies, t-shirts, and jewelry, I facilitate all aspects of the business such as graphic design, product production, inventory, and marketing. Through this, I've developed key entrepreneurial skills, including vendor relations and target audience analysis.
As a charitable business, a portion of Maraki's profits is donated to our non-profits aiding vulnerable communities in Ethiopia. Moving forward, My goal with my clothing brand is to expand its impact and continue to support our non-profit partner’s efforts to aid vulnerable communities in Ethiopia. I want build a team to increase sales with my products, resulting in bigger profit margins; therefore we can donate large amounts to our current non-profit partner and future partners.
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Running a small business as a college student was both exciting and challenging. It demanded strategic planning, time management, and dedication to balancing academics with business tasks. While the responsibilities are significant, applying classroom lessons to real-world business strategies was incredibly rewarding. The experience has greatly enhanced my time management, along with organizational skills, communication, leadership, problem-solving, design, project management, and marketing. Running a small business has given me a range of valuable experiences that contribute to my personal and professional growth. ​
Other Work Experience
I started working at the age of 17, gaining experience across various customer service roles. Customer service is challenging due to varying customer needs, managing inventory, and resolving issues. A key lesson was the importance of teamwork in achieving success. My first job was at Chick-Fil-A, which was a very eye opening experience in such a fast passed environment, prioritizing customer positive interactions and food quality. At American Eagle, I honed my skills in upselling, product knowledge, and communication, specifically targeting younger consumers. My time at Puma and Giant Eagle further sharpened my ability to assist diverse customers, improving my overall customer service approach. Each role has contributed to my growth in so many ways such as, customer interaction, leadership, and teamwork.
Sales Associate
Sales Associate
BOH/FOH
Back of House
Retail Associate
