Before graduation, communication student Natalie Vargas ’24 started working as a media coordinator for Cronin, a full-service advertising and public relations agency in Glastonbury, Connecticut. “I help with media planning, buying, and creating and managing media plans,” she says. “I also help accounting with media orders and media reconciliation, aid in ad operations such as campaign set-up and budget management, as well as media vendor and partner communications.”
Natalie first worked as an intern for Cronin. “I helped with setting up marketing campaigns, ensuring brand safety, and reporting on campaign performance. I now have much more responsibility and am generally a go to resource for discussing clients' whole media plans.”
A communication major with a public relations and advertising emphasis and a minor in marketing from UHart’s Barney School of Business, Natalie first became interested in working for an ad agency after she was encouraged to investigate local firms by the School of Communication’s internship director.
She says the knowledge she gained in Associate Professor Randy Jacobs’s class helped her stand out from among all the internship applicants. “The hiring manager said my ability to understand media gave me quite a leg up compared to the other candidates. Without those classes and his consultations, I would have no gauge on what "media buying" or "makegoods" are. Dr. Jacobs was truly dedicated to unlocking my potential, and he constantly reminded me about how well I was doing and could do in the future.”
Natalie says other School of Communication faculty have also contributed to her success. “Professor Susan Grantham had been such a wonderful, helpful, and selfless professor and was very passionate about making sure all of us were knowledgeable about current events that affect the PR and communications industry. And she made sure to mention Assistant Professor Sarah Miner, and now retired Professor of Communication Lynne Kelly, as positive influences.
At the suggestion of Kelly, Natalie joined the National Communication Honors Society Lambda Pi Eta. “She had seen my fundraising ideas and my enthusiasm for the group and had taken it upon herself to ask me to be the secretary of the club very early on after joining.” Natalie later went on to serve as the Society’s president for two semesters.
Her advice for incoming communication students is to apply yourself. “If I didn't create portfolio-ready work throughout college or didn't learn anything from the projects I did or presentations I made, I wouldn't have gotten to where I am today. Also, your professors want to help you succeed and are your best resource.”
Natalie says her favorite thing about UHart is the people. “My friends and professors have truly helped me develop as a person and have taught me things inside and outside of the classroom.”
Natalie Vargas ’24, College of Arts and SciencesThe hiring manager said my ability to understand media gave me quite a leg up compared to the other candidates.