Gabrielle Sanchez reminisces about her time at Michigan State University and reflects on her College of Communication Arts and Sciences journey. Sanchez graduated with a major in advertising management and minors in public relations and entrepreneurship and innovation. She graduated with high honors.
From an early age, I knew I wanted to be a Spartan.
I grew up attending MSU football games with my father, a die-hard MSU fan, where I was able to witness the passion and togetherness of the Spartan community firsthand. It was there I knew that I wanted to be a part of that close-knit community and the academic opportunities MSU has to offer.
Despite originally being denied acceptance from MSU due to a late application, my persistence and passion to attend the university was unwavering. I attended St. Clair County Community College for a few semesters where I excelled academically, receiving high marks in every one of my classes. With successful semesters under my belt, I worked on writing a letter to MSU admissions explaining why I belonged at MSU and was able to appeal to be a transfer student for the spring semester of 2020. I joined ComArtSci as an advertising management major with minors in public relations and entrepreneurship and innovation.
I think the most specific moment that had a profound impact on me was the COVID-19 pandemic. I transferred to MSU in the spring semester of 2020, so I only had a little over two months to adjust to MSU in person. When classes adjusted to an online format, I struggled as I had never been in an online format. While it was a new way of learning, I was grateful to have still received my education and do so well in my classes.
During my time at MSU, I received the Cleary Weiler Internship Award and the William J. Hopp Endowed Scholarship in Advertising, which helped pay for my entire last year at Michigan State. I am eternally grateful for the scholarship as it helped me advance in my overall career goals. Earning the scholarship gave me the confidence I needed to feel prepared to enter the work force.
In addition to taking classes, I knew getting work experience was important. I took on various intern positions, thanks to opportunities presented by ComArtSci. This includes working as an undergraduate learning assistant within the college, an advertising intern at MediaCom, a summer associate through Americorps Vista as well as an intern at Michigan Clean Cities. I was also involved in the National Society of Leadership and Success, Phi Kappa Phi and Golden Key.
I recently graduated. It feels great to be graduating at the top of my class, as I did not think it would ever be possible for myself to achieve that.
With my time at MSU ending, I hope to get an entry level position in my field, and then one day attend graduate school to earn my MBA. My ultimate goal would be to work in a higher-level position such as CEO or CFO of a company. I hope to also pursue in the future opening a small retail boutique, as small business owners have inspired me to take on new and exciting ventures in the business world.
This piece was adapted from a story that originally ran on the College of Communication Arts and Sciences website.
