By EMILY GILLER
J Alumni News staff
Rachel Enstrom
Rachel Enstrom dreams big.
Her dreams, her talents and a one-way ticket to Chicago brought her to where she is today: design manager with CareerBuilder Media.
In June 2006, right after graduating from the J school with an advertising degree, Enstrom booked a one-way ticket to Chicago where she lived with her sister and brother-in-law for a couple of months until she got her feet on the ground. She worked several temporary jobs at PR firms, event-planning businesses and advertising agencies. She stuffed envelopes, ran errands and typed press releases.
“It was just a great feeling to be in Chicago networking with all these people,” Enstrom said.
She eventually received a phone call from CareerBuilder, which according to its Web site is owned by Gannett, McClatchy, Tribune and Microsoft. At CareerBuilder, Enstrom has created and edited newspaper ads for the Los Angeles Times and for a new publication called CareerBuilder Magazine — free to job seekers looking for work in their surrounding areas. The publication serves markets in Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Las Vegas and New York. Enstrom created the layout, flow, image and content of the magazine. She created print ads from scratch and worked with camera-ready artwork.
Promotion at CareerBuilder
Recently, Enstrom was promoted to design manager within Careerbuilder Media, where she creates ads and magazine layouts for employment in various fields, including healthcare, engineering, retail, diversity and law enforcement.
Enstrom also stays busy outside work. She is the communications chair for the downtown Chicago Chi Omega Alumnae Chapter and a volunteer chair for Tuberous Sclerosis Comedy For A Cure, which tries to raise money to support the search for a cure for tuberous sclerosis, the disease that Enstrom’s sister has.
Enstrom also stays connected to her roots. Currently, she is president of the Chicagoans For Nebraska Alumni Chapter, where she is a liaison between alumni in Chicago and the Nebraska Alumni Association. She also serves as a contact with all football-watch sites in the Chicago area and coordinates events with former Husker football players and coaches.
Nebraska was the right choice
The Fremont, Neb., native, credits the J school for giving her the one-on-one attention she needed to succeed. In an e-mail interview, she said that despite her acceptance into other schools, she knew Nebraska was the right choice for her.
“It allowed me to experience a variety of programs while figuring out what exactly I wanted to do in the journalism field,” Enstrom said.
One such program was the National Student Advertising Competition, NSAC, where adviser Amy Struthers helped Enstrom realize she wanted to go into ad campaigns.
“Rachel was a part of the beginning. It was an extra curricular at the time, but Rachel and the others put in countless hours for (the competition),” Struthers said.
Enstrom also served as PR member on the Student Advisory Board or SAB, where she met first-year adviser Scott Winter. Enstrom said Winter inspired her throughout her college career and is still her mentor for her professional life. He gave her the push she needed to move forward in life and strive for her goals.
“Rachel is the type of person you want to be linked into on Linkedin.com. She has the talents you can’t teach, but the skills that you can teach,” Winter said.
Enstrom also credits Winter for helping her go after her dream of living in a big city. During an end-of-the-year SAB dinner, Winter told Enstrom that if it was her dream to live in a big city, she should go for it.
Networking does pay off
Winter also helped Enstrom network with a former student he had taught in Albert Lea, Minn., who also lives in Chicago. Enstrom arranged to meet her contact, not knowing anything about him, including the fact that he had no hiring authority. He never did get Enstrom a job; however, they have been dating for about three years now.
“I guess it’s true what they say: It’s all about who you know! Networking is key!” Enstrom said.
While Enstrom lives her dream in Chicago, she doesn’t forget she got her start at the J school. Although Nebraska may have left a lasting impression on her, she also left a lasting impression at UNL.
“Rachel is an example of why it’s important to dream. She had a vision and went after her dreams,” Winter said.
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