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Celeste Paylor

Celeste Paylor (IMC16)

Content & audience marketing at Amazon Web Services, founder and director of Girls to Queens

Celeste Paylor

 

Why IMC?

I decided to pursue the Medill IMC program because I knew I wanted to grow my career deeper into marketing communications. Prior to the program, I worked at two different companies that challenged me to think outside the box and identify areas that I wanted to improve in myself. After completing my research on various programs, I selected IMC at Northwestern because it would equip me with the comprehensive tools I needed to build an integrated marketing program.

IMC's specializations allowed me to personalize and create a plan to develop the skills I needed to grow. Additionally, I could take what I learned in the classroom and apply it to the real world with my Immersion Quarter project and multiple class projects. IMC provided many opportunities to engage with alumni; one of my favorite activities was participating in an externship where I traveled to California to shadow the CEO of Blaze Pizza! Lastly, the Northwestern campus is so beautiful and summertime Chicago is mind-blowing!

Did you participate any activities while at IMC?

I had the pleasure to make an impact in many ways. One of my favorite student-run organizations was Cause Marketing Initiative (CMI). As a member of CMI, students provide pro-bono marketing advice to local nonprofit organizations. My team and I consulted with nonprofit staff and drafted a marketing proposal to help the organization improve its promotional strategy to attract key stakeholders.

My major takeaways from this opportunity were that I could leverage my IMC curriculum in the real world, think outside of the box and make an impact where it mattered the most—in the community. I also was a member of the Student Leadership Committee where my actions allowed me to directly impact the IMC program and serve as a student voice on behalf of my cohort.

 

How did IMC prepare you for this role?

IMC gave me access to classes in areas that I knew little about. My undergraduate major was business marketing and after completing that degree and working for a couple of years, I felt that this program complemented my experience. I loved how my professors were also working professionals and still engaged with the real world. They each brought their own unique expertise to the classroom and the curriculum.

Lastly, real world projects allowed me to practice what I learned in the classroom with students from different countries, industries and functions.

What was the job search like? What IMC resource helped you in your search?

IMC career services provided me access to workshops to help me network and improve my professional goals. Additionally, I had 1:1 time with a career counselor that helped turn my resume into a piece of paper full of personality and optimized with words that pertained to my job search.

What advice would you give you to a future IMC student?

Whether at IMC or in general, your career is yours, so own it. It’s important to pick classes that you like but also classes that make you an asset in whatever you wish to pursue post IMC.

Research job roles that are most interesting to you, understand what that job requires and find classes that will help you get the experience you need.

Take classes that will stretch you and allow you to have a voice about a topic you are less familiar with. If you have strong career experience in corporate, what can you do to understand how an agency works (and vice versa)?   

I absolutely think the classes that I selected gave me a strong foundation to start my career at Texas Instruments. The IMC program offers a lot of interesting classes, make sure you select the ones that are relevant to your focus.