“How’d you get into…”

Content & Marketing

DECA days

My involvement in marketing goes back to my high school participation in DECA: “An international club that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.” It turned out to be a natural fit. Competitively, I placed 1st in state twice and 2nd in state once; I competed internationally all three years I was in high school, and I became co-president of my school’s chapter.

Self-respecting enough to not be a business major (but god-fearing enough to get a minor in marketing)

I started my undergrad on the business track but quickly realized the context was not for me. I switched my major to Anthropology after the first semester and quickly found a home in the subject: its emphasis on long-form research, cultural immersion, and genuine human engagement as a method of inquiry resonated with my personal ethics. U of A required social science students to get a minor in addition to their main degree, perhaps in hopes of bolstering employability. Given that I still was quite interested in marketing, I did an accelerated marketing minor, completing all requirements in one summer so that I could conclude my degree in two years as I’d set out to do.

DIY-ing my first big-girl job

Based on my affection for writing, I was hired as an interactive copywriter at a woman-owned advertising agency in Scottsdale, AZ. I enjoyed the energy and diversity that came with agency advertising. About six months in, however, I realized the agency actually needed a different skill set than my role filled. I spoke to my supervisor and advocated for the value of changing my role to that of a content strategist, linking it to the research capabilities I obtained from my degree in Anthropology. My supervisor and CEO okayed the transition, and I spent the rest of my time there guiding audience & competitive research, evaluating analytics, creating copy, and strategizing content.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming…

When I received my first acceptance to LSE in 2020, I let my job know nine months in advance about my plans to attend graduate school. I had been mentoring and training junior content strategy talent to ensure the role would be a legacy one. After we’d made every preparation for my departure I realized I would not be able to get a visa and attend LSE during the pandemic. Although the agency graciously offered to let me stay, I was committed to moving on. I began freelance copywriting for Ledger Bennett, who liked me well enough to invite me to join their team full-time shortly thereafter.

You’re based in London? What a coincidence.

After several months as a copywriter at Ledger Bennett, I got notice that my second application to LSE was successful, and barring any more pandemic-related obstacles, I would be going to London. Although I was part of the US team, Ledger Bennett’s HQ was in London. I entered into discussions about the option of continuing to work while I was in grad school. Graciously, they agreed to switch my contract to part-time so I could stay in line with my visa requirements, and I worked throughout my program. At the conclusion of my degree requirements, I resumed full-time work, this time as a content strategist once more.

Urbanization & Development

An early life of travel

I had the good fortune of being able to travel internationally at a comparatively young age. This exposure sparked a lifelong sense of curiosity for how cities facilitate and hamper the lives within them.

The lived experience of urban sprawl

Growing up in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, I was steeped in the dynamics of urban sprawl and car-dependent culture. Comparing this to the cities I had been to with reliable public transportation and actual walkability, I gained a gradual awareness of the consequences of city building.

A formative experience in China

After wrapping up my undergraduate degree, I spent three months traveling independently in China and Taiwan. The style and pace of urbanization were unlike any I had witnessed before. I measured my stay by the completion status of skyscrapers in progress, in how the neighborhoods I stayed in were revitalized in real-time. My experiences in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Nanjing, and Taipei were some of the most formative of my life. That trip was the first time I paid specific and intentional attention to the trajectory of urban development.

On a flight to CDMX

I went to Mexico City for the first time at 22. On the inbound flight, the seat-back magazine had an article about how the mayor of Santander, Spain, was integrating digital strategies to collect data on urban movement in the city. This was the first time I identified an academic and professional curiosity within myself about how cities could be measured to improve. My job as a content strategist had given me entrée into data analysis, and I saw the potential to alter my professional trajectory using that understanding.

Selling a city

At my agency job in Scottsdale, Arizona, several of our clients were travel and tourism boards for municipalities. As part of the creative team, I was tasked with identifying what was compelling about the city's character and strategically targeting it to specific audiences. I helped guide audience, competitive, and market research, including identifying transit and residence patterns, local business activity, and more. These projects gave me key insights into how cities marketed themselves, who they were trying to attract, and why.

The long-awaited MSc degree

Based on my travel experiences, professional involvement, and desire to participate in the problem-solving of cities, I applied to the Urbanization and Development MSc at the London School of Economics. The one-year program was a whirlwind of global-south-centric urbanization challenges and development complexities, emphasizing the problematics of how people as individuals and marginalized groups are overlooked as top-down decisions are imposed on urban spaces. With no sugar coating, this education primed me to critically view urbanization's opportunity costs. My own papers during this program aimed to highlight the human component of overarching urban trends. This program helped me become more empathetic and perceptive in evaluating the challenges cities face today.