GOLD Professional Profile: Lindsay Malone

After a small hiatus (a.k.a. a full week of Homecoming activities), GOLD Professional Profiles are back. Our tenth profile highlights Lindsay Malone. She shares experience in marketing and public relations. And, she is a graduate of both Eastern Michigan University and the University of Alabama.

Name: Lindsay A. Malone

Grad Year: 2008

Your fun EMU fact: Although I tried to be an exemplary student, I was once kicked out of a class for playing hangman during class.

E-mail: lmalone1270@gmail.com

Tell us about yourself and your career. What is your greatest achievement so far?

I graduated with a BBA in Marketing from Eastern Michigan University in 2008, after graduation I faced a tough job market and accepted a manager position with Family Video. After spending two years with Family Video, I realized it was time for me to go back to school. Earlier this year I graduated with an MA in Advertising and Public Relations from the PR Weekly top-ranked program at The University of Alabama. I was ecstatic when just weeks before graduation I landed a great job with an incredible company doing what I love!

My current responsibilities as Marketing Events Coordinator at Assurance Agency, Ltd. include supporting the marketing team’s strategic marketing, communication and branding efforts, developing continuing education programs for Assurance University, and creating top-notch events for clients, employees and markets. I take pride in being a member of the Assurance team and enjoy contributing to the imaginative and innovative company culture that makes Assurance one of “Chicago’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For”.

Among my personal achievements and accolades, I was a finalist in the 2011 Arthur W. Page Society’s national case study competition and the in-depth case study I prepared was published by Routledge in a Business Ethics textbook. I was privileged to gain unique experience in communications as Public Affairs Intern with The American Red Cross assisting in crisis communications efforts following the April 27, 2011 tornado in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Share three career-related lessons you have learned after graduation from EMU.

Know what you are looking for. Coming out of undergrad, I knew I wanted a career in marketing. With so many options out there, I had no idea what I wanted to do or what I was qualified for. Should I go agency or corporate? Creative or account management? Michigan or elsewhere? I had no idea and so I applied for anything I could find that listed a BBA in Marketing as a prerequisite. I wasted a lot of time in a search that was yielding minimal results. In my most recent job search, I knew exactly what I was looking for and exactly what I was qualified for… and I found it!

Learn what it takes to get there. If you decide that you’re interested in a specialized field, then learn what it takes to get a job in that field. Is it all about who you know? Then join some associations and network like crazy. If it’s about your educational background, then go back to school and learn all you can about that specialty. If it takes accepting a lower-paying short term internship to gain more experience with a well-known company… then do that. But learn what it will take and make it happen.

Make yourself as marketable as possible. Some of the positions I was applying for listed qualifications that I didn’t possess. I wasn’t familiar with the Adobe Creative Suite or AP Style. If you’re seeing anything come up multiple times on job postings in your field, and you don’t know what it is or how to use it… it’s time to learn. It turns out that although I never learned to write in AP Style or create graphics using InDesign or Illustrator, both are key to the creative side of marketing and I use both nearly every day!

What challenges are you facing professionally? What support would be helpful?

The greatest struggles I have found in pursuing a job following graduation is the economy. It is out of our control whether companies have a freeze on hiring or are laying off employees, so many graduates must be willing to move to where the jobs are. However, moving is expensive and a lot of companies are not willing to assist with moving expenses for entry-level positions. Scholarships or savings accounts should be developed to assist young professionals in starting their career. Whether it covers moving expenses, purchasing necessary programs like Microsoft Office or the Adobe Creative Suite or just a nice suit for interviewing… a little bit goes a long way when you are a new graduate.

How has your EMU degree influenced your career (decisions)?

At EMU, I was confident that I wanted a career in Marketing and so I was fortunate that with focus I was able to graduate in three years. The structure of the program allowed me to progress at my own pace, complete meaningful internships along the way and build a diverse portfolio that provided me with competitive advantage in job search.

GOLD Professional Profiles offer graduates an opportunity to share a bit about themselves with our alumni community (the post is shared in the LinkedIn Alumni Association group), offer career advice and provide feedback to us about what form of career programming would be helpful. It’s quite simple… fill out the information above, answer the four questions and provide a picture to Dan Mathis at dmathis@emich.edu.

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GOLD Professional Profile: Leslie Smith

Our ninth GOLD Professional Profile is on Leslie L. Smith – CMTA grad, consultant, blogger, community relations & nonprofit professional. Read more below and consider submitting your own GOLD Professional Profile.

Name: Leslie L. Smith

Grad Year: 2010

Your fun EMU fact: My fun EMU fact is that being connected to EMU has blessed me with some of the best relationships in my life both professionally and personally!

E-mail: leslielove.smith@gmail.com

Tell us about yourself and your career. What is your greatest achievement so far?

I am a Community Relations and Nonprofit Professional with a passion for community, youth and development. I work as a consultant for Smith’s Professional Management, LLC; a company I started March 2009, offering marketing, business administrative and organizing services for nonprofits and small businesses. My greatest achievement so far has been structuring my life with work that I love and have a passion for doing; helping others, while maintaining a work/ life balance that allows me to be an involved parent, while still continuing my education on a graduate level.

Share three career-related lessons you have learned after graduation from EMU.

I am blessed to have been working in my career while completing the last year of my degree. Therefore, there were lessons I had to learn before I graduated, and during this time I grew tremendously as a professional and student. Learning these most valuable lessons:

• The importance of work/ life balance

• The importance of transparency in my work and intentions

• The importance of recognizing my own self work and what skills and talents I bring to an organization

What challenges are you facing professionally? What support would be helpful?

Currently, I do not feel that I am facing any professional challenges that I do not have the resources to handle. However, help is always appreciated. Growing a new business, I am always grateful for referrals for business, as well as opportunities which allow me to expand my knowledge and strengthen my skills.

How has your EMU degree influenced your career decisions?

When I first transferred to EMU, I was a Special Education and Emotional Impairment Teaching major. My world was forever changed when I found out about the American Humanics (AH) Nonprofit Scholars Program; which allows students to earn a certification and minor in Nonprofit Administration. Now while I’ve been volunteering in the community since I was in junior high school, learning of the AH program filled my heart with joy that I could make a career of my 1^st love; community! It was at that time that I switched my major to Communication with a minor in Nonprofit Administration.

I am forever grateful for the AH program. Through this program I was able to secure the Next Generation Scholarship, which paid for a 4 month internship. The organization I interned with is a children’s mental health agency, and immediately following my internship I was offered a position in their Resource Development Department. Until recently, I remained with that organization: managing volunteers, planning and executing community outreach initiatives, managing social media and website marketing, and coordinating client related programs.

I am proud to be an “Eagle”, and my degree and experiences while an EMU student have absolutely played a vital role in helping me to shape my career path and future goals!

To learn more about me and Smith’s Professional Management, LLC, visit my:  Website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

GOLD Professional Profiles offer graduates an opportunity to share a bit about themselves with our alumni community (the post is shared in the LinkedIn Alumni Association group), offer career advice and provide feedback to us about what form of career programming would be helpful. It’s quite simple… fill out the information above, answer the four questions and provide a picture to Dan Mathis at dmathis@emich.edu.

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GOLD Professional Profile: Antwan Harris

Our eighth GOLD Professional Profile is on Antwan Harris – TV anchor and CMTA grad. Read more below and consider submitting your own GOLD Professional Profile.

Name: Antwan Harris

Grad Year: 2003

Your fun EMU fact: I helped charter the Lambda Chapter of Pi Psi Fraternity, Inc. on EMU’s Campus

E-mail: antwan.harris@gmail.com / aharris@wrcbtv.com

Twitter: twitter.com/antwanharris

Facebook: Antwan Harris

Tell us about yourself and your career. What is your greatest achievement so far?

I currently work for WRCB-TV 3 in Chattanooga, TN (NBC Affiliate) as an Anchor/Reporter. I’ve been involved in the media industry since I graduating in 2003. I’ve had the opportunity of reporting on numerous stories of just about anything you can think of! I’ve always had an interest in the news and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting several celebrities, traveling to different cities, even meeting the President of the United States. There is nothing more rewarding than doing a stoty that affects the lives of my peers and perfect strangers. I feel as if this industry is one of the few that bring us together as a people, because news is all around us and there is always a story to tell.

My greatest accomplishment thus far has been the constant progression in my field and the many opportunities that are to follow. Stay tuned!

Share three career-related lessons you have learned after graduation from EMU.

I learned that networking is a must. Always have information about what you do in life and what your hope to achieve handy. From working in media, I’ve learned word of mouth is somthing that travels fast. You want to make sure you’re always on top of it and the one everyone is talking about.

Another thing I’ve learned is learning to fail. Failure is a part of life and every process. You can avoid it with planning and proper execution, but sometimes, things don’t always go right. Be prepared for failure and always have a plan to jump back. Sometimes you have to in order to win. Trust me, I’ve had several, but it’s only made me stronger.

Lastly, always keep learning. There is a Biblical verse that says “My people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge.” You will never know unless you ask or find the knowledge yourself. Try to educate yourself on a wide variety of topics so you can have more insight on the things that matter most to you. You never know how far knowing a little about a lot will take you.

What challenges are you facing professionally? What support would be helpful?

The biggest challenge I face is getting adjusted to a new area. After signing on with a new station in a new city, you have to learn what is important in that area. What is a big story in New York is not always the best fit for Charlotte. Getting involved in the community is always a good way to find out what people are talking about and it helps you get adjusted much faster to where you live. Also as I move around, I’m sometimes further from family than I’d like to be. Thank God for Skype and cell phones!

How has your EMU degree influenced your career decisions?

The Communications program at Eastern Michigan University is by far one of the best I’ve been involved with. We touched on so many different areas during my classes so it allowed me to see so many different areas I could go into. My instructors helped me in my decisions because they all had some experience in their fields and were very good educators. Their passion to teach helped me believe while learning. Many of the media classes are hands-on and they helped greatly in picking a career choice. Any job that is fun, is worth doing a lifetime.

GOLD Professional Profiles offer graduates an opportunity to share a bit about themselves with our alumni community (the post is shared in the LinkedIn Alumni Association group), offer career advice and provide feedback to us about what form of career programming would be helpful. It’s quite simple… fill out the information above, answer the four questions and provide a picture to Dan Mathis at dmathis@emich.edu.

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GOLD Professional Profile: Beth Doane

Our seventh GOLD Professional Profile is on Beth Doane – entrepreneur, designer, author and CMTA grad. Read more below and consider submitting your own GOLD Professional Profile.

Name: Beth Doane

Grad Year: 2004 (Communication and Theatre Arts)

Your fun EMU fact:
I started an art program at EMU called MECAA – which stands for Motivating and Educating Children About the Arts. The children joined EMU volunteers for after school programs focused around music, dance and creating art. It was so much fun and highly rewarding to see the children benefit from the time we had together. Many of them had art programs cut from their curricula and came from low income situations so this was the only opportunity they had to experience art as movement, painting or singing.

Tell us about yourself and your career. What is your greatest achievement so far?

I created a fashion line called Rain Tees, in 2008 by raising funds to donate school supplies to thousands of children living in our worlds most critically endangered tropical rainforests. The children were asked to illustrate what they see happening in their world every day and with a design team in the United States we then incorporated their artwork onto apparel. Every Rain Tee features the children’s designs, countries and names and a tree is planted to replace one that has been destroyed for every tee shirt sold. Rain Tees launched at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and in its first year was sold internationally. It’s now a favorite of celebrities such as actress Rosario Dawson and supermodel Kate Dillon who is also a contributor to the brand. I speak nationally about my work in the Amazon and my time spent with the indigenous tribes there and in other areas of the world who have lost so much of their native land to illegal oil practices, agricultural use and deforestation. I also wrote a children’s book last year which is in the process of being sold for distribution worldwide about some of the kids I have worked with in these severely endangered areas.

Share three career-related lessons you have learned after graduation from EMU.

Tenacity. So many really successful people are simply the ones who made a choice not to give up when everything seemed impossible.

I also learned that two things that can really make a huge difference in business are a great attorney and a great concept that tells a powerful story. Luckily I had both of those things.

What challenges are you facing professionally? What support would be helpful?

The price of materials is increasing globally and the materials we use are already quite expensive because they are eco conscious and designed for their sustainability. The global economy is changing dramatically and consumers are becoming more aware -which is great- but I think even more consumer education is needed about where the products we purchase are coming from, who is making them and how they are treated.

How has your EMU degree influenced your career decisions?

I had some incredible professors who definitely influenced how I run my business today. Some of them had worked in Communications, Marketing and PR for major corporations and I learned so much from the personal experiences they shared. I also took an ethics seminar during my last year in undergrad that was by application only at the time and that was such an honor and powerful learning experience. We studied a wide range of ethics issues in business and some of those corporate case studies I still reference today.

• To see Beth’s designs and learn more about her business, visit: raintees.com

• Read more about Beth: http://www.andiraintl.com/team.html

• facebook.com/raintees

• twitter.com/raintees

GOLD Professional Profiles offer graduates an opportunity to share a bit about themselves with our alumni community (the post is shared in the LinkedIn Alumni Association group), offer career advice and provide feedback to us about what form of career programming would be helpful. It’s quite simple… fill out the information above, answer the four questions and provide a picture to Dan Mathis at dmathis@emich.edu.

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GOLD Professional Profile: Hannah Esper

Our sixth GOLD Professional Profile is on Hannah Esper – Senior Editor & EMU Journalism graduate. Read more below and consider submitting your own GOLD Professional Profile.

Name: Hannah M. Esper

Grad Year: 2006

Your fun EMU fact: I held the position of Opinions Editor of the Eastern Echo in 2004-2005.

E-mail: hannah.esper@gmail.com

Twitter: smushybanana

Tell us about yourself and your career. What is your greatest achievement so far?

After graduating from EMU with a BS in Journalism, I moved to Chicago.  I currently work as a Senior Editor at Marketwire, which is a full-service newswire. We distribute press releases on behalf of thousands of clients — public and private companies, as well as non-profit organizations. This position has allowed me to learn a lot about the business world and to work with public relations professionals from some of the country’s biggest companies.  In addition to my role of editing press releases for distribution, I also train and mentor the associate editors. My greatest achievement was being named MVP by my peers this past year.

Share three career-related lessons you have learned after graduation from EMU.

1. You can’t rely on classes alone. Experience is key to nabbing a job post-graduation and everyone should take advantage of the professional development opportunities that are offered while in school.

2. It’s important to keep up with the present. Industries are evolving and we must be knowledgeable about the latest trends and technology in order to remain marketable. Social media was just beginning when I graduated but since then it has completely changed the way things are done.

3. Be flexible. It’s very easy to want to pigeon-hole yourself into one career role, but I’ve learned that in this economy it’s important to be open to positions I may not have considered before.  I’m even finding that I enjoy tasks that I never thought I would, such as training new editors.

What challenges are you facing professionally? What support would be helpful?

I’ve struggled trying to maintain a work/life balance, and living in a city that requires a long commute contributes to that greatly. It’s easy to get wrapped up in your job and neglect the things that bring enjoyment. I’ve begun scheduling time for new hobbies such as running and taking guitar lessons. It would be helpful to learn some time management skills from those who have become successful at maintaining this balance — I know it has to be possible!

How has your EMU degree influenced your career decisions?

Working for the Eastern Echo, the independent student newspaper, solidified my desire to become an editor. My favorite memories of EMU are working at the Echo office — with some of the best people I met during my time at EMU. This experience taught me that I prefer to work on a team and that the people I work with have a big impact on my level of satisfaction in a position.  The Echo also gave me confidence in my writing, as well as my ability to learn any new task I set my mind to. I loved learning the entire editorial process and have used these skills to market myself as a “Jill of all trades.”

GOLD Professional Profiles offer graduates an opportunity to share a bit about themselves with our alumni community (the post is shared in the LinkedIn Alumni Association group), offer career advice and provide feedback to us about what form of career programming would be helpful. It’s quite simple… fill out the information above, answer the four questions and provide a picture to Dan Mathis at dmathis@emich.edu.

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GOLD Professional Profile: Cameron Scharchburg Beyer

Our fifth GOLD Professional Profile is on Cameron Scharchburg Beyer – an up and coming hotel/casino professional  and College of Business graduate. Read more below and consider submitting your own GOLD Professional Profile.

Name: Cameron Scharchburg Beyer

Grad Year: 2010

Your fun EMU fact: I would normally walk 9-holes of golf at Eagle Crest after my last class of the week.  I feel that course is one of the most beautiful treasures of Ypsilanti.

E-mail: Camrc@comcast.net

Tell us about yourself and your career. What is your greatest achievement so far?

I graduated from EMU in 2010 with a degree in Finance and currently work as a Rooms Coordinator at The MGM Grand Detroit hotel.  My biggest achievement was getting

a position with my “dream employer” first thing after graduation.  My dreams involve someday managing a major resort on the strip in Las Vegas.

Share three career-related lessons you have learned after graduation from EMU.

1.  Under promise, over deliver.

2.  Making sure the job is done right the first time.  Sometimes taking an extra 2 minutes can save 20 minutes of hassle.

3.  Always look for new things to do on the job.

What challenges are you facing professionally? What support would be helpful?

Although not a big challenge, the biggest thing for me is my age and the fact that I don’t have the years of experience many of my co-workers have.  Sometimes I feel I am not taken as seriously from guests or employees who don’t work with me on a day-to-day basis because I’m younger.  Being able to ask EMU alums how they handled similar situations would be very constructive!

How has your EMU degree influenced your career decisions?

The biggest influence was a Casino and Gaming class I took at EMU which opened my eyes to the hospitality industry.  This class showed me that Finance does play a role in the industry and how I could use that to market my strengths to a potential employer.  The class also had the opportunity to meet upper management from MGM Detroit and tour the facility during one of our classes.  Without this opportunity, my chances of working at my dream company right away would have been greatly decreased.

GOLD Professional Profiles offer graduates an opportunity to share a bit about themselves with our alumni community (the post is shared in the LinkedIn Alumni Association group), offer career advice and provide feedback to us about what form of career programming would be helpful. It’s quite simple… fill out the information above, answer the four questions and provide a picture to Dan Mathis at dmathis@emich.edu.

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GOLD Professional Profile: Jasmine Lee

Our fourth GOLD Professional Profile is on Jasmine Lee – developing non-profit professional and communicator extraordinaire for the Black Alumni Chapter. Read more below and consider submitting your own GOLD Professional Profile.

Name: Jasmine A. Lee

Grad Year: 2009

Your fun EMU fact: I am completely obsessed with the Summer Incentive Program!  I believe that it has the power to change people’s lives by giving them a 2nd chance at a college education at EMU!

E-mail: jasmineanlee@gmail.com

Answers to the following questions:

Tell us about yourself and your career. What is your greatest achievement so far?

I currently work as the Development Assistant and P.E.A.C.E. Project Coordinator for the Boys & Girls Club of Lansing.  With a two-part assignment, I spend half of my time communicating with donors, planning annual events, writing grants and raising funds for The Club.  The other half of my time is spent planning and facilitating after school programs with a focus on decreasing crime and supporting families as a part of a satellite of the Boys & Girls Club at Hunter Park in Lansing, MI.  Something I am most proud of is having designed the new BGCL-Teen Room website and the corporate BGCL brochure that was distributed all over Lansing.  With formal training in graphic design, web design or the like, it feels good to know that I had an opportunity to learn something new and become really good at it!

Share three career-related lessons you have learned after graduation from EMU:

1) The relationships you build in college can take you to the next level after college! Networking is KEY!

2) Even though your “major/minor” may be what you’re most interested in or most passionate about, don’t forget to sharpen ALL of your skills!  Be as well rounded as possible!  You’ll never know when you have to edit an online video, step in for a major presentation or mingle with donors.  The more that you are good at, makes it easier to transition from one project to the next.

3) As you transition into the professional world, it can be easy to feel as if you do not belong; positive affirmations come in handy!  Not only affirm yourself, but find others who will affirm you as well.

What challenges are you facing professionally? What support would be helpful?

It can be difficult to transition into a world where many of the people you are working with have YEARS more experience than you.  It’s important to believe in yourself, but it has been extremely helpful for me to utilize my mentors for moral support and find peers who may be struggling with the same transition so that we can support one another along the way.

How has your EMU degree influenced your career decisions?

My BSW from EMU hasn’t influenced my career decisions per say, but it has influenced how I interact with people.  The three years I spent at EMU kind of forced me out of my shy shell and into a position of influence and self-empowerment.  Due to the things I participated in within the School of Social work at EMU and within the EMU campus at large, I have become far more outgoing, confident and sure of my strengths.

GOLD Professional Profiles offer graduates an opportunity to share a bit about themselves with our alumni community (the post is shared in the LinkedIn Alumni Association group), offer career advice and provide feedback to us about what form of career programming would be helpful. It’s quite simple… fill out the information above, answer the four questions and provide a picture to Dan Mathis at dmathis@emich.edu.

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GOLD Professional Profile: Sara Cullin

Our third GOLD Professional Profile is on Sara Cullin – a Public Relations professional and College of Arts & Sciences graduate. Read more below and consider submitting your own GOLD Professional Profile.

Sara L. (Witt) Cullin

Grad Year: 2003

Your fun EMU fact: I worked at the Eastern Echo all four years at EMU. The Echo has been around 125 years and is still independently funded through advertising revenue.

E-mail: saralwitt@yahoo.com

Twitter: @saracullin

Tell us about yourself and your career. What is your greatest achievement so far?

For the past three years I have worked as a public relations coordinator for family-owned waste and recycling firm based in Cincinnati. I am fortunate to be part of a growing team that includes the company’s first director of corporate communication, two other coordinators, a graphic designer and an intern. In my previous job I was a one-woman, marketing-PR machine, so I am thankful to be surrounded by professionals with whom I can share ideas and challenges. Last year our team was recognized as Corporate Communication Team of the Year by the Cincinnati Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

I enjoy the opportunity to work on a variety of projects. I spend a significant portion of my time writing and editing but I also provide several tours or presentations each week, in addition to media relations. Last year I spent nine days at a landfill in Indiana where I gave numerous interviews (both live and recorded) to media from Indianapolis and Louisville covering a homicide investigation. Those were some of the most difficult days I have had on the job, and I consider the handling of the situation to be a real achievement.

Share three career-related lessons you have learned after graduation from EMU.

Lesson No. 1: never forget where you came from. Staying connected to family and friends is important (and easier than ever) as careers take us to new places and down different paths.

The second lesson, which I’m still working on, is creating a work-life balance. Like anyone else, family, career and other interests compete for my time. The real lesson came with the birth of my son four years ago. He is a constant reminder of what I am working for.

Another important lesson I have learned is to never lose sight of my goals. It’s easy to become wrapped up in day-to-day tasks. I remind myself to keep my eye on the prize, so to speak, and keep working toward things I ultimately want to accomplish.

What challenges are you facing professionally? What support would be helpful?

Social media has evolved dramatically since I have graduated. I try to stay on top of these changes by reading articles about trends and attending webinars when possible. It would be great to see similar resources developed from EMU. It would also be great to hear how academic programs have shifted focus over the years. (For example, what courses are being offered on social media, and what are current degree requirements?)

How has your EMU degree influenced your career decisions?

When I enrolled at EMU, I declared a major in journalism because it seemed like the most practical path to doing what I love, which is writing. I stumbled into the public relations program later and it was a great fit. My goal has always been to work for an organization that I strongly believe in. Educating people about the importance of proper waste disposal and recycling is a job I am proud of.

GOLD Professional Profiles offer graduates an opportunity to share a bit about themselves with our alumni community (the post is shared in the LinkedIn Alumni Association group), offer career advice and provide feedback to us about what form of career programming would be helpful. It’s quite simple… fill out the information above, answer the four questions and provide a picture to Dan Mathis at dmathis@emich.edu.

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GOLD Professional Profile: Amanda Decker

Our second GOLD Professional Profile is on Amanda Decker – development associate and burgeoning graphic designer. Read more below and consider submitting your own GOLD Professional Profile.

Name: Amanda K. Decker

Grad Year: 2009 (Master’s)

Your fun EMU fact: I am one of the biggest track and field/cross country fans here at EMU. Ask me a question. I’m confident I can answer it.

E-mail: a@michaelamandadesigns.com

Tell us about yourself and your career. What is your greatest achievement so far?

Originally from New Hampshire, I came to the Midwest eight years ago to pursue my undergraduate degree in Sports Management, which I received in 2007 from BGSU. I came to EMU about a week after graduating in August to start grad school and my position as a graduate assistant in the Sports Information Department (now Athletic Media Relations). I was the contact for all things track, cross country and tennis. I truly enjoyed what I did and the relationships that I build during my years here.

I currently work for EMU (well, kind of). I work at the Foundation where I am their go-to-gal for all things design and technology related.

Professionally, I’m still a newbie, but I’ve been designing for years. Even in high school, I found a way to create elaborate presentations in PowerPoint. I’m a self-taught graphic designer and focus primarily on designing for print but am looking towards doing more web-related design.

I started my own side design business, Michael Amanda Designs, with a colleague of mine. I do the design related tasks and he’s the web developer. It’s really a great partnership because together we make up for what we individual lack.  We specialize in print and web design and have hit the ground running. From websites to brochures to logos, we do it all. It’s still a work in progress but we look forward to the future that this opportunity has brought us.

Track and cross country are the loves of my life. I’ve spent over 14 years working in some fashion in the sport. While working for EMU during grad school, I spent a lot of time on the history of the track and field programs here at EMU. I created the first-ever women’s track and field media guide, did the first men’s track media guide in over ten years, and completely revamped the cross country and tennis media guides.

Share three career-related lessons you have learned after graduation from EMU.

1) Create a network of professionals who you can go to when you need help/advice. You don’t and won’t know everything, so it is so important to build those relationships now so that down the road, say you have a technology question, you know who to go to.

2) Learn to not take things personally. It’s something that I have struggled with for years and I take it one day at a time.

3) Do what you love. You’ll be a lot happier and less stressed.

What challenges are you facing professionally? What support would be helpful?

Starting a business can be very difficult. We are both pretty lucky that other than some business cards and a website, we have very few start up costs. I fear that will change in the future as we grow, so making sure that we can sustain our costs is going to be key. Our business is going to rely heavily on word-of-mouth recommendations from friends, family and clients. This is the kind of support that we are going to need to help make us grow.

How has your EMU degree influenced your career decisions?

EMU has made me realize what I really want to do with my life. It has helped reinforce where I am meant to be and what I want to do down the road.

So if you’re in need of some web design or print design, feel free to give us a call at 734.365.6623.

Check us out online at: www.michaelamandadesigns.com

Or on twitter: www.twitter.com/M_A_Designs

My blog: www.akdecke.com

GOLD Professional Profiles offer graduates an opportunity to share a bit about themselves with our alumni community (the post is shared in the LinkedIn Alumni Association group), offer career advice and provide feedback to us about what form of career programming would be helpful. It’s quite simple… fill out the information above, answer the four questions and provide a picture to Dan Mathis at dmathis@emich.edu.

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GOLD Professional Profile: Bilal Saeed

Our first GOLD Professional Profile is on Bilal Saeed – an entrepreneur and College of Business graduate. Read more below and consider submitting your own GOLD Professional Profile.

Name: Bilal Saeed

Grad Year: BBA08

Your fun EMU fact: I claim to be one of the biggest EMU Hoops fans around.

E-mail: bilal@pakmode.com

Twitter: @bsaeed

Tell us about yourself and your career. What is your greatest achievement so far?

In 2008, during my last semester, I teamed up with another EMU alum, Tim Adkins (2006) to start Pakmode Publications, LLC.  We began publishing emYOU! The Magazine and have worked on a number of projects over the years including the College Survival Guide, uSurvive.com, the Ford Lake Frozen Leap, Discilanti Open and iSPY to name a few.  Since then, Pakmode has really went from a college start up to a recognizable small business brand in the Ypsi/Ann Arbor area.  We currently are expanding and launching Pakmode Media + Marketing as well as Pakmode Sports + Entertainment.  Our greatest accomplishment has to be the fact that we have positively impacted the Ypsi and EMU community by employing students from EMU, managing EMU Athletics Corporate Partnerships program as well as having our headquarters in Downtown Ypsilanti from day 1.

Share three career-related lessons you have learned after graduation from EMU.

1) How you measure success directly reflects your character.
2) When in doubt, google it.  If you don’t know something…teach yourself!
3) And my life and business moto: Less Talk. More Action.

What challenges are you facing professionally? What support would be helpful?

Being a young entrepreneur in Michigan presents many challenges but like anywhere, there are pros and cons.  For me, these are challenges I can overcome myself, but more than anything I hate seeing young people leave Michigan.  We need more EMU businesses to hire our grads and we need to network stronger in the b2b EMU community.

How has your EMU degree influenced your career decisions?

Although I always knew I would be an entrepreneur, I never thought I would have started doing things on my own while still in school.  I always imagine starting my own business when I was a little older and more established.  However, all of my friends who had graduated in 2006 and 2007 before me were not finding jobs AT ALL.  If they were finding jobs, it was in sales (mortgages, financial, insurance) and that is not why I went to college.  I decided to put my degree to better use.  It was the advice of Pradeep Chowdhery, my favorite Prof at EMU, that helped me realize the entrepreneurial route wasn’t out of my reach and that if I wanted to, I could do things on my own…the right away.

GOLD Professional Profiles offer graduates an opportunity to share a bit about themselves with our alumni community (the post is shared in the LinkedIn Alumni Association group), offer career advice and provide feedback to us about what form of career programming would be helpful. It’s quite simple… fill out the information above, answer the four questions and provide a picture to Dan Mathis at dmathis@emich.edu.

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