By JESSICA WILLIAMS
J Alumni News staff
Center: Morgan McBride, human resources director, Ketchum Public Relations. First row: students Courtney Courelle, Kayla Mosel, Marianne Cicmanec, Anna Woita, Joan Wortmann, Cori Schwabe. Second row: Cydney Rule, Jessica Williams, Tyler Benes, Abby George, Katie Sorensen, Sierra Frauen, Molly Wheeler, Grace Sedlacek.
The buildings are taller and the streets are more crowded in New York City, but 14 CoJMC advertising students from UNL had no trouble navigating the heart of the U.S. advertising industry this fall.
Their trip to the to the Advertising Career Conference, sponsored by the Advertising Women of New York (AWNY), was a chance to meet and mingle with professionals and get a glimpse of the real world.
“The trip keeps growing as we make more and more connections in New York City,” said advertising sequence head Amy Struthers, who has taken students to the conference annually since 2006. “This really is the industry of building relationships.”
Struthers arranged a dinner for the students and UNL alumni who work in New York City. This offered students the chance to discuss how to get — and keep — a job in New York City.
“The most important part to me was learning how different people got in their current positions and what steps they took to get where they are,” said senior advertising major Katie Sorensen.
During the conference, held Nov. 13 and 14 at the Fashion Institute of Technology, students attended workshops specific to their advertising interests. They met with professionals in all areas — from creative and account services to sports marketing and fashion merchandising.
The learning experience was unbeatable. “You actually learn more in depth about advertising because you hear real professionals telling their experiences,” said senior advertising major Tyler Benes.
Advertising professionals stressed the importance of old and new media, expressed enthusiasm for the future of advertising and encouraged students to stay motivated and get internships.
Besides attending the conference, students visited advertising, public relations and media agencies. The variety gave the students, who ranged from freshmen to seniors, insight into different aspects of advertising and integrated communications.
“I wanted to see the advertising world in New York City because it’s larger and a lot more intense,” Sorensen said. “This was my third time here; I love New York.”
Many of the students arrived before the conference or stayed late to experience more of the city. Students shopped, attended Broadway shows, watched a filming of “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and visited the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State building. For some, the trip reinforced their dream to someday live in New York.
Senior advertising Joan Wortmann attended the conference in 2007 and decided to attend again this year.
“The trip gave me the opportunity to reconnect with contacts I made the first time I went to New York and show them that I’m still interested in the field and have the same goals,” Wortmann said.
Wortmann, who wants to live in New York, knows these connections will be critical after she graduates.
Although the trip was short, the students crammed in a lot.
“I learned a lot about networking and how beneficial it is to you as a student and getting ahead in the career world,” senior advertising major Kayla Mosel said. “It’s definitely about who you know.”
And now, thanks to this trip, these 14 students know a few more pros.
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