Gaining confidence in new skills thanks to diverse opinions in marketing courses.

Q: Tell us about your background.

A: I've always been passionate about advertising, marketing, and determining what drives consumer behavior. I'm originally from Peru, where I pursued a bachelor's in marketing. After graduating, I began working in corporate marketing at a top telecommunication company in Peru. My role was client-facing, but I was also involved in working with online and offline campaigns. I then worked with Wunderman Thompson, where I was an Account Executive working with a team of creatives, designers, QA analysts, and developers. I created digital campaigns and redesigned two websites for my client. In these roles, I realized how much I wanted to continue studying and working in marketing. Knowing that I ultimately wanted to work in marketing for an American company, I decided to come to the U.S. to further my education. I want to achieve great things in marketing by impacting the community with my knowledge, acquiring more leads, and pioneering marketing strategies that will set personal and company milestones. These goals are what drove my search for a graduate program that worked for me.

Q: Why did you end up choosing a Graduate Certificate at D'Amore McKim?

A: I thought about pursuing a graduate education for a while. I started looking for schools in the U.S. because I wanted to gain a global perspective. When I discovered D'Amore-McKim, I was impressed by the diverse community, students, and faculty. Because of the significant financial investment necessary for an MBA, I did a lot of research to ensure I explored all options to find the best fit. In my research, I discovered the Graduate Certificates that D'Amore-McKim offers. These certificates allow working professionals like me to gain the knowledge and skills to accelerate their careers in just 4-5 courses.

I'm interested in pursuing an MBA in the future because that will help me to further differentiate myself in a competitive marketplace. Applying my graduate certificate credits toward an MBA program was appealing and was something I considered when choosing D'Amore-McKim. Northeastern is a top university with a very competitive MBA program, and I'm certainly considering furthering my education here.

Q: How has the coursework helped you in your current role in digital marketing?

A: I am learning a lot through my classes, and I have been able to apply what I've learned to my part-time marketing job. For example, in my marketing analytics course, I learned about managing data to gain valuable insights. In my work, I apply this by reviewing email performance metrics and making recommendations for future email outreach. I have also been able to build connections and perform market research to get to know customers and what drives them.

Q: What are your biggest takeaways from the program so far? Can you provide a few examples?

A: The program has been great. Northeastern allows students to explore many courses in order to cater to their career goals. I loved the creativity, design, and strategic side, but I know if I want to market goods through campaigns that perform well, it is essential for me to know how to analyze data to decide which strategy is best.

Data analysis has been an area that I've struggled with, but my courses have given me more confidence in this discipline. The classes I've taken have shifted my focus to an analytical perspective since financial and operational considerations are key to the health of a business.

Thanks to my coursework, I feel more comfortable using marketing terminology, which is often in English. As an international student whose first language is not English, I've found that the classes here are diverse, judgment-free spaces where everyone can contribute their ideas. My graduate certificate program has taught me the foundation I need, along with more advanced skills that have helped me directly in my current role. I've also been able to collaborate more than ever before through group projects, case studies, simulations, and articles.

Q: What advice would you share with future students?

A: My advice is to believe in yourself and fight for your dreams. You have control over your aspirations. I encourage you to network and create meaningful connections because the people around you may be your classmates now, but they are also potential colleagues who could help you build your career one day.

My advice for international students, or those for whom English is not their first language, is don't feel that you're at a disadvantage. In many scenarios, your backgrounds add to your skillset and success for the future, as you're constantly offering new perspectives.

Lastly, I want to share a tip a professor gave me: to be bold. We are young professionals, so we better take those risks. Get out of your comfort zone, learn from failure, and advocate for yourself.