With a hipster career in social media and a cool NYC address, communication and rhetoric major Judith Sully ’12 is living proof that internships will move your career ahead.

“Social media analyst” is a cool job title. What do you do?
A typical workday includes a lot of social sites, a lot of campaigning, creating promotional ads and banners, a little bit of graphic design, photography, and some formal and informal meetings. And, yes, a lot of reading, writing, and brainstorming. Brainstorming never ends!

What projects have you worked on so far?
I’m working on a couple of projects that are soon to be completed. One is re-launching the company website and the other is a promotional campaign for breast cancer awareness month. If all goes well, both should be major and bring in a lot of revenue.

You surely didn’t spend your whole life saying, “I want to be a social media analyst.” How did you know you were interested in this kind of career?
I didn’t. I just knew that I was hired as an intern for Clear Channel Communications, specifically Power 105.1 in New York City, and that’s where I was first introduced to using these social media sites as marketing tools. The company staff familiarized me with tools that helped in expanding their audience. I remember one of the things that I found very interesting was the idea of having a complete stranger advertise my company to millions—and to do so for free. I wanted to continue to do this, be the best at it, and take it to new heights. 

What are most companies doing wrong with social media?
They forget that it is about the people. So they jump onto these sites and they just make it about themselves. They solicit all day long. 

How did you leverage your internship into a full-time job?
I played the field hard. I went into the company and identified multiple problems and immediately made changes. This happened in a matter of a week. I showed the company what they should have been doing and what results it would yield. 

What advice would you give friends considering Nazareth as their college choice?
Go. It’s a small community, but that is what makes the school. The level of one-on-one attention and support you’ll receive is outstanding. Nazareth does so much for a student to become well-acquainted and comfortable. At Naz you’ll never be just another number.