By Hannah Stewart (Comm’19)

Matthew Mendoza, like many first-year college students, didn’t know exactly what he wanted to study at university. But after an introductory advertising course, he declared a major in strategic communication, which led him to an internship at a top advertising company.

This past summer, Mendoza spent 10 weeks as a digital media resident in account management for UM Worldwide, a global media and advertising giant. Most of his position was remote, but he also spent time in the company’s Manhattan office, which allowed him to both network and get the sense of a possible future at a big firm.

Now he is set to graduate in spring 2023 with a degree in strategic communication focusing on advertising strategy. After being exposed to real-world marketing and advertising, Mendoza says his future feels more in focus: After graduation, he hopes to work in a large agency, ideally, in New York City.

“Working in a large setting like that, it tends to be a little bit harsh,” Mendoza said. “I want to be pushed above my comfort zone.” 

  “I love how the [CMCI] curriculum is structured. I got to take my knowledge and background and actually see it and do it . . . and I took a part of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ [to New York].
- Matthew Mendoza

As a first-year student, Mendoza went into college with an open mind, planning to take as many classes as possible to try and find the right fit. His first semester, he took an introductory class in the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design. By the next semester, he transferred out of an open option program within the College of Arts and Sciences and into CMCI.

“I identified with being able to be creative in a professional environment,” he said. “I also like the idea of . . . maintaining and building relationships and thinking of things like strategy and copy.”

Mendoza said that he liked the feeling of knowing his peers and his professors; and that the support from his professors and advisors was extremely helpful and valuable.

“I like the idea of being in a smaller college with a smaller major. . . . You’re able to be creative through media production, through strategy, whatever it may be,” he said.

In his advertising classes, Mendoza learned how UM Worldwide “shaped the advertising industry.” So when it came time to search for internships, he immediately honed in on one with the company. He reached out to some of his ARPD professors, who helped guide him throughout the interview process.

Then during summer 2022, Mendoza worked both remotely and in New York City for UM Worldwide as a digital media resident.

“What I loved so much about it was the culture,” Mendoza said. “Support was offered to me the whole time and they truly cared about teaching me.”

In one major project, he created slide decks analyzing performance statistics for the New York Lottery. His data analysis—of sales, clicks and views—were sent to lottery representatives to evaluate the success of their marketing campaigns from that year. 

UM also had Mendoza and the other program participants compete in teams to create a hypothetical pitch for IHOP. His team came up with an interactive campaign called #TheIHOPExperience to appeal to college students. This theoretical plan included food trucks and merchandise giveaways, and some marketing mockups were shared with IHOP’s communication team. 

Mendoza felt as though he had a leg up compared to some of his other colleagues—he had already learned about writing briefs and using various research methods in his APRD classes. Those introductory courses initially give students a wide overview of strategic communication and marketing, and with time, become more niche, according to students’ preferred areas of study.

“I love how the [CMCI] curriculum is structured,” Mendoza said. “I got to take my knowledge and background and actually see it and do it . . . and I took a part of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ [to New York].”

Off

Off

Nichols interned for a Congressman in Washington, D.C. during spring 2019 through ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ in D.C. “That was an amazing experience that inspired me to pursue a career in politics after I graduate in May 2020.”

Nichols also studied film in Paris last summer to enhance her story-telling abilities and learn about a different culture. Nichols had the opportunity to explore Paris, Rome, Barcelona, and London, and by taking Intercultural Communication before studying abroad, she improved her ability to make connections with people from around the world.

Off

Off

Off

Grad students reporting in the Yukon, alumni at the Olympic Games and honoring ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder's first black female graduate—all of that and more in the Spring 2018 edition of CMCI Now.

Off

None of that intimidates Morgan Reno, a strategic communication major and senior in the University of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder’s College of Media, Communication and Information, who is spending her summer as a Nike intern. 

“It’s cool to work for a company that is so big in the advertising industry and there’s so many possibilities and connections I can make.” said Reno, whose concentration is in advertising. “I’m definitely very excited.” 

With the title of Global Integrated Media Intern, Reno works with Nike’s media team as  part of the larger advertising department. Her main duty is to create keynote decks: slideshow presentations that inform employees about all the specifics of upcoming products and projects. 

The position also integrates social media strategies. For one keynote deck, Reno created a presentation detailing the best strategies for posting on different social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. 

Like all things Nike, the internship embraces the thrill of competition. At the end of the summer, Reno will compete in the “Intern Combine Project,” a challenge for all interns to create the best possible brief, with the top three earning a chance to present their ideas to Nike executives.

Another major aspect of interning for the company is community, and interns are encouraged to meet new people around the campus and attend events, Reno said.

“They really emphasize meeting a bunch of different people, including the major people on campus like the execs,” she said. 

While the Nike environment is new to Reno, she has good reason to feel at home this summer. Originally from Lake Oswego, Oregon, Reno grew up less than 10 miles from Nike’s headquarters in Beaverton. Both towns are suburbs of the Portland metro area.

In order to earn the competitive internship, Reno navigated several rounds of interviews, all while studying abroad in Florence, Italy. 

After graduation, Reno plans to use her experience at Nike and her degree from CMCI to pursue a career as an account manager, preferably for a large company like Nike. 

“I think I’ll feel more prepared for what I want to do and what I don’t really like, I’ll feel more prepared to find something I’m passionate about.”
 

Off

When Sorge blanketed the country with her resume in spring 2016, she had no idea where she might end up as an intern. The application process was lengthy and time-consuming but she kept at it. Eventually, a news station in her native San Diego offered her a position.

As a journalism major in the broadcast track at CMCI, Sorge hopes to eventually work for a national news network, like CNN or NBC. She saw an internship at a large local station, like FOX 5, as a great step toward that goal. “Reporting is what I want to do as a career path,” she said, “and being able to follow [a FOX 5 reporter] was really cool and gave me a lot of good information as well as an amazing experience.”

The internship also taught Sorge about some of the difficult realities of the broadcast new industry, such as strict deadlines and high expectations. “It’s a huge learning curve that’s for sure, but you know, it will be worth it one day when I’m actually applying for a job,” she explained.

When the internship ended, Sorge returned to ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder for her final year of classes, better-prepared and eager for a future career in broadcast news. For her fellow students looking for a similar experience, Sorge has this piece of advice: “if you have a passion for something, definitely care for that passion. For me, that was journalism.”

Off

It’s a passion that led her to take on internships at local management groups in ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ, such as 11e1even and 7S, to become a college representative for Warner Music and to found ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder’s student-run “Crave the Sound” music blog. Now, in the summer before her senior year, Barry took on dual internships at one of the world’s largest record companies hoping it would put her even closer to a career in the music industry.

Instead of just one summer job at Warner Music Group in Los Angeles, Barry opted for two at separate labels under the Warner brand. At Warner Bros. Records, Barry worked in the artist and repertoire department where she was responsible for talent scouting, artist development, new artist research, creating playlists and pitching new artists to her bosses. At Atlantic Records, she worked in publicity, combing the internet to find which news outlets were reporting on Atlantic’s press releases. She also researched music blogs across the country and reached out to them to see if they could publish the label’s news. “It’s been a crazy summer,” she said.

A ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ native, Barry was thrilled to work in LA, the music and entertainment capital of the world, where she got to attend countless concerts, including informal performances by Warner artists in the company’s backyard.

As a student majoring in public relations at ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder, she was excited to work for a large music label and gain experience from the seasoned industry professionals. “I feel like it’s been a really good experience actually being able to pitch artists and getting honest feedback from my boss and that’s so helpful.”

After all the hard work and fun in LA, she returned to Boulder for her senior year, better-prepared to take on the challenges of working in the music industry. Barry’s advice for students looking for internships: seize your chances while you can still “take advantage of being a student. Take advantage of this opportunity to intern at your dream place.”

Off

Uteda, a communication major at ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder, was a summer intern at the Bravo TV network, working in the on-air promotions department. He was responsible for scheduling the day’s bugs, adjusting snipes and sending premiere times to the network’s East Coast operations.“I felt really valued while having an important role,” he said.

A native of Los Angeles (where Bravo is headquartered), Uteda was excited to find an internship that's not only close to home, but with one of his favorite TV networks. He got the internship after applying to parent company NBC Universal’s college career portal.  

In addition to his daily duties scheduling snipes and bugs, Uteda also helped with video shoots and attended informational meetings about other roles within the network. “They’ve been very open to me exploring all departments at Bravo,” he said.

He relished the chance to learn valuable skills from working professionals in the broadcast field. he said. “They’ve given me so much insight into how the industry works.” Uteda hopes to use his experience at Bravo as a major stepping stone to a future career in communication.

Off