internship interview

cosmo prof initiatives

Be a good business partner to the stylist and forward their careers and their business

• An ally is ready to serve, prepare them for the next step 

World of Texture and Color and Curl Concierge 

Educational empowerment, working alongside the stylist rather than imposing a solution for them. Lay the groundwork for change that is beneficial and address different business problems (client retention, expansion of services, consumer relationship)

• Necessary for authentic consumer interactions, this ability to serve the community allows us to be a part of larger industry conversations around diverse segments and brand participation

GDY project

1. Introducing the brand: explain the history of how it was established, describing the product assortment, price point, promotional efforts, and the places where it can be bought 

2. Search for value: basic consumption process, the decision making process and defining value; perceptual map against its competitors (manic panic, iroiro, overtone, punky color) -> relationship qualities: personalization and communication

3. Internal buying influences on consumers: consumer perception process, motivations, evoked emotions, and brand personality

4. External buying influences on consumers: societal values (low uncertainty avoidance, individualism, influential microcultures, shopping activities

current YAB project

• Shelter Leadership Workgroup, group of 12 people with lived experience who oversee multiple projects to improve how shelters operate to move people into housing faster (balancing both efficiency and equity)

  • Standardizes shelter intake and processes (application, case management, health services)

  • Improves bed access and management

  • Shifts shelter to be short-term and housing-focused

    • Improves diversion and short-term assistance 

    • Expands shared housing and alternative options 

    • Defines pathways to higher levels of care

money month prep

• What is money month?

  • 4 week long campaign in April 

• talk about the first tabling experience (ice cream kick off)

  • Increase brand awareness (focus on engagement first through community oriented content)

  • Idea - create limited edition ice cream flavors based on the mascots at UNT along that fit our superhero theme (Lucky’s Lemon Blast and Scrappy’s Cookie Dough Kapow ). Has QR code 

  • Get people motivated and excited about financial literacy events, reframe the idea as something accessible, flexible, and fun rather than simply relying on the educational aspects

money month continued

Creating and directing social media strategy for MM workshops and events

• Spent 2 weeks collaborating with communications team to market MM on main UNT one stop social media - direct media strategy 

  • Established integrated marketing schedule that lists the specific measures for engagement, awareness, and acquisition, posting schedule, and how to prepare for continuation through different touchpoints (tabling, workshops, coaching)

• Consistently references performance metric via pre and post assessment surveys, quantifying and visualizing our ability to teach and connect with students. This is done intentionally by researching what they already come into our office to ask about (paying for college through FA or out of pocket, loan repayment, credit and debt, budgeting/saving, etc.) and building our service strategy around these topics. highlight specific benefits and topics that students can attach themselves to (relevancy in topics also peaks interest in our services)

• What gets people interested in these topics? Authentic conversations. Normalizing these talks and emphasizing relatability through a student-led approach to reach as many students as possible.

dieste presentation

Describe the opportunity and the ask from the brief (this years theme is to encourage multicultural adults 25-45 to get their HSE)

I led the cultural and market analysis through a qualitative survey I created and sent to people in that demographic who have gone through the HSE experience. Translated insights that directly impacted our communications, media, and creative strategy

Insights: those with lived experience view the journey holistically, but specifically highlight key stepping stones (navigation through a complex educational system that continues to evolve with involving this population in conversations about accessibility and understanding), shared this journey with others (empowerment)

Our campaign is called Si Tu Puedes, alluding to the Chicano rights movement that advocated for the equality and equity of the Latino community in the U.S. (working in tandem and building off of the success of the civil rights movement)

Solution: BE A PART OF LARGER RELEVANT CULTURAL CONVERSATIONS, REFRAME AND REDEFINE what brand involvement and participation means, host a focus group/community event where community leaders with lived experience can host panels/talks about what it means to do this and have HSE sign ups there (address both emotional needs and logistical needs)

For example, one is a TV ad that will be shown on news stations across Texas. Titled, Say Yes to You. The 30 second ad will follow a story of two families and their journey being told “no,” and how they find the power to say yes to new opportunities, growth, and hope by signing up for HSE’s and showing their family that they have what it takes to say yes to the good things in life.

school project - raices

personal experience and unique perspective on the beauty industry, as an active participant in the hair dye and cosmetic industry (intersectional framework)

• As a hair dye enthusiast, I take great pride in experimenting with my hair color without sacrificing my hair health. Even though both of these needs are addressed, I also want to feel represented in the larger social influences that encourage me to participate in these activities: my cultural background. I want to bring this combination of cultural pride and good looks to the forefront of the hair dye industry, a very cluttered and very white-dominated market.

• These values, as well as my indulgence in alternative subcultures such as rock, punk, and goth, are in sync with my Latinidad and directly influence my fashion choices.

• vegan hair dye brand called “RAÍCES”, or “roots” in Spanish. The name is supposed to represent both cultural pride (roots) as well as the crown on your head (hair roots).

• developed everything from the product to my first imaginative campaign

  • product assortment: semi perm hair dye, hair lightening kit, hair/color maintenance and restoration, ingredient list (corn silk), sourcing

  • brand management: brand identity, personality, values, mission, vision, tagline/slogans

  • strategy: target market, brand positioning, competitors, SWOT, media tools

  • campaign: guerilla marketing - art exhibit where people can play musical instruments where colored dye sprays out of it with every hit or strum. Regardless of musical capability, the purpose of this activity is to allow people to experiment, get messy, and free themselves from conventional art forms. This demonstrates the experience of dyeing one's hair and how we encourage those to find their inner rebel and become an artist.

money mentor experience

• Create and manage monthly outreach initiatives and content such as 3 student-facing workshops and 2 tablings to clearly define key audiences, tensions, and opportunities and deliver insight summaries. 

• Develop adaptive marketing messaging and coaching approaches through market research, highlighting inclusivity and cultural awareness to engage with diverse student demographics and elevate organizational missions. 

• Analyze engagement data across large-scale promotional efforts to evaluate marketing effectiveness; directed integrated strategy to emphasize ongoing value; increased consumer retention and service usage by 20%.

PR manager experience

• Serve as the liaison between board members and interest groups; facilitate all club related communications with weekly administrative updates and reports through email and GroupMe. 

• Facilitate impactful presentations and events such as portfolio workshops and guest speaker sessions with advertising professionals, expanding student networks and boosting career readiness. 

• Lead cross-functional projects to plan, execute, and optimize multi-platform social media performance; coordinating content creation, scheduling, and club messaging; delivered a 25% increase in club awareness and 30% in member registration.

YAB experience

• Foster long-term partnerships with donors and stakeholders, leveraging communication strategies to enhance visibility and support for organizational goals across our homeless youth response system. 

• Collaborated with volunteers during annual Point-in-Time (PIT) counts to analyze data on local homelessness trends, informing outreach strategies and advocacy efforts across Dallas and Collin counties.  

• Investigated drivers of youth engagement through primary and secondary research; authored a white paper translating insights into actionable recommendations; secured over $22 million in government funding for the organization.

three key messages

• Curious learner

• Bold and unafraid

• Passionate and dedicated 

  • Marketing as cultural stewardship