Hamy was named to the Most Promising Multicultural Students Class of 2020
What is your major and what made you decide to pursue it?
Growing up, I didn’t see many people who looked like me represented positively in advertising— if at all. Majoring in Strategic Communication allows me to influence culture and tell stories of people whose voices have been historically absent from the dominant narrative.
What has been your favorite part of your experience at the Hubbard School?
The connections I have made. I believe social capital is one of the most valuable resources you can have in both your professional and personal life.
What journalism class or professor has had the biggest impact on you?
Last semester, I took Strategic Communication Campaigns with Mark Jenson. Mark championed me to apply for the American Advertising Federation’s Most Promising Multicultural Student Award, wrote me a letter of recommendation, and gave me such kind and helpful advice about transitioning from college to career. I believe everyone needs someone to advocate for them in this industry and that’s exactly what Mark has done for me and many others. I wouldn’t have known about AAF’s MPMS program if he hadn’t told our class about it!
What minors, internships, or activities are you pursuing outside of your major? How do you think these enhance your study and/or your future career plans?
Outside of my major, I work at Backpack as the Media Coordinator. This position allows me to hone my skills as a social media strategist by working with real clients such as ServeMinnesota and the College of Liberal Arts. For the past two years, I’ve been able to brainstorm big ideas, identify objectives, strategies, and tactics for integrated marketing campaigns, and generate successful outcomes for our clients.
My work at Backpack led me to an internship at ServeMinnesota where I was able to further expand my knowledge of branding and communications through implementing campaigns to recruit and retain members. I even got to develop and oversee a group of ServeMinnesota social media ambassadors.
Backpack has also given me an opportunity to intern at Fast Horse, an integrated creative agency. Fast Horse allowed me to jump into any project that I wanted and encouraged me to sit in on meetings where I was able to help brainstorm and strategize. They taught me about influencer marketing, media tracking, public relations, building client relationships, and experiential campaigns while working with clients like Heineken, Coca-Cola, and General Mills. The invaluable skills I’ve gained throughout the past four years of college and the positive results I’ve been able to generate have truly jump-started my career.
What course would you recommend for other students in your major?
I highly recommend taking Strategic Communication Campaigns with Mark Jenson, Professional Writing for Strategic Communications with Amelia Reigstad, Management for Strategic Communications with Steve Wehrenberg, and Media Planning with Doug Stokes. These courses will give you a good foundation and equip you with tools you’ll need going into a career in communications.
What is your dream job?
CEO
What advice do you have for future Hubbard School students?
Someone really wise once taught me that there is no growth in the comfort zone and no comfort in the growth zone. For me, this means that you need to allow yourself to be uncomfortable since it’s the only way you’ll be able to take risks, fail, learn from your mistakes, and build resilience.
What is one aspect of your major that surprised you/ you did not know about?
The Strategic Communication major has two tracks: advertising and public relations. What surprised me is how integrated those two fields are becoming, which is reflected in many of our courses. Just because you have a focus on public relations doesn’t mean you won’t get to learn about advertising and vice versa. This major really gives you a taste of both and prepares you to work in a fast-paced environment.
What do you wish you had known about your career path before now?
I wish I would’ve known how easy it is to ask someone on LinkedIn to get coffee or lunch with you and ask them about their career. Most people in this industry are extremely willing to help because they’ve all been in our shoes as students before. But it’s also important to note that genuine relationships are about quality and not quantity.
What does it mean to you to be named to the Most Promising Multicultural Students Class of 2020?
Being named one of the 50 Most Promising Multicultural Students Class of 2020 is the highest form of validation. There were more than 100 applicants nationwide, so being hand-selected by professionals in the industry has given me reassurance that all of the hard work I’ve put into my education and building a career thus far has been worth it.
What did you do while in New York for the AAF MPMS event?
We toured some of the most well-known advertising agencies in the industry such as Wieden + Kennedy, 72andSunny, Warner Media, McCann, Interpublic Group (IPG), Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB), and UM. We also got to meet with recruiters at a career expo, complete job interviews, attend the Mosaic 10 Reception, network with some of the top professionals in our field, and accept our awards at the Building Bridges for our Future Luncheon. The best part was seeing myself and the other 49 Most Promising Multicultural Students on a billboard in Times Square!
