How Did You Get Your Start?

In the summers between UVA, I worked at CNN International in Atlanta on the news gathering desk.

I loved research, finding out the truth, telling stories, and having conversations with people. I thought journalism was the path. I was wrong.

At CNN, I had a great boss and mentor. One day, he sat me down and said, “This job goes two ways. You either sit in a newsroom, rise up the ranks, and maybe make it to TV. Or, you go to a war zone and prove you’re crazier than anyone else.”

After he said that, I realized it wasn't for me, and maybe I need to explore something else.

I loved art and design from a young age. I remember studying “illegally” with my friends in the A School and loving the environment. I knew vaguely that I wanted to do something that combined the best of journalism and creativity. Advertising seemed like a great place to start.

I started at Ogilvy through their Associate Program. David Ogilvy, the founder, set the whole program up with the idea that the agency should do two things:

1. Make incredible advertising for its clients

2. Teach young people advertising

The interview process was confusing and strange, but in an intriguing way. It's not at all like any other job interview – you can’t prepare for it like a case study.

From that point, everything else unfurled. Currently, I work as the Global Director of Brand & Marketing Strategy at Ogilvy.