Admit it. One of the first things you thought after reading the title of this post and looking at the photo of me was “Name and face. Gotta be a misprint.” True, I have a girl’s name (though pronounced “Zo”, rhymes with “go”), but that’s not the only thing about me that unexpectedly doesn’t match. I’m not good at math, I’m 6 foot and a little extra, and I live in Texas but absolutely DESPISE the heat. That said, one thing is for sure and that’s that I’m 100% ready for whatever unexpected, not-as-it-seems tasks and challenges my experience here with Agency Entourage has to offer.
On the topic of things that don’t exactly go together, I came into the University of Texas at Dallas in 2011 as a freshman in Computer Engineering. I chose CE because unlike many of the interns before me, I had very little to no idea what exactly I wanted to do with my life. That and it was somewhat familiar, as my dad is both a Computer and Electrical Engineer and I had been around tech my whole life. After spending a year and a half taking Intro Engineering courses, I knew for sure that this definitely wasn’t for me.
Looking for options, a good friend of mine, who was a junior at the time, suggested I look into Marketing. I’m good with people, I get ideas across pretty well, and more than anything, I’m always looking to use my creativity. Sounds like a good fit, right? Well, turns out it was for once, a perfect fit. I went through the nerve-racking process of changing my major but after that, I dove straight into Marketing courses. I learned about all sorts of facets of the industry such as advertising, paid media, consumer habits and behaviors, branding and even touches of SEO/SEM and graphic design.
Companies that serve as inspiration to me such as Nike and Apple helped me realize that I want to be an integral part of creating unparalleled brand identities and consumer experiences, all while using what I learn in the classroom. I even put my knowledge and talents to the test, creating small ad campaigns for one of the largest cultural/social student organizations at UTD, Filipino Student Association, to increase campus awareness. I also helped a local restaurant that I worked at for a couple months increase their online and social media presence for their new location in Richardson. I generally try to stay away from, as they say, “tooting my own horn”, but I was rolling.
That very same friend who turned me into a Marketing major also introduced me to Agency Entourage. He interned and briefly worked for AE, and watching him do so fascinated me. The idea of working downtown in a modern, upscale firm was more than enough to get my attention. But their focus on digital marketing backed by real-world clients and experiences is the real draw here. Fast-forward two years later and once again, I’m following footsteps, but in the best way possible. It’s only my first full day and already I’m feeling the excitement from the so-called “agency life”. The agency’s portfolio of clients and projects is already impressive with work stemming from media buying, SEO, social media marketing and even creative design. Workspaces are open and relaxed, rife with collaboration, the people are friendly and welcoming, and I can already tell my experience here will be rewardingly hands-on; no menial grunt work tasks or grabbing food and coffee for the real employees (though I guess I shouldn’t be opposed to that from time to time, it comes with the title).
Needless to say, I am more than excited to get into it with AE. Not only am I looking for what the company can offer me, but also what I can bring to the table during my time here. I’m always ready to learn but also ready to take on a challenge. Fortunately for me, I can already tell that this won’t be another mismatch and I’ll feel right at home, assuming everyone’s cool with a kid from Houston who hopes the Mavs go 0-82 every season. Hopefully they can look past that because I really feel like I can grow here. Hopefully.
