BA in Communication Alumni

Jillian Craig
B.A. Communication, 2014
Account coordinator, Borshoff: Advertising, Branding, and Public Relations, Indianapolis, IN

Craig began working for Borshoff in Indianapolis, IN soon after graduation in May of 2014. She credits the professors in Trine’s communication major with giving her the hands-on experience necessary to be successful in her career.

“I don’t really have a “typical” day because none of my days are really the same. I support a variety of accounts in all sorts of different industries—corporate, infrastructure, insurance, IT, health, etc. Thus, their day-to-day needs really dictate my to-do list each day. I could be writing press releases, or editing copy for a brochure or PowerPoint presentation. Other days, I’m pitching story ideas to media, updating media trackers or doing research. I also manage and monitor a handful of social media accounts.”

Jason Dafnis
B.A. Communication, Minor in Humanities, 2014
Staff Reporter, The Hillsdale Daily News, Hillsdale, MI

Dafnis turned his passion for video games into the beginnings of a career in game journalism. While at Trine, Dafnis wrote for the Triangle, worked for WEAX, and authored his own blog about video games. All of the activity paid off when he was selected for a highly competitive internship at Game Informer, the largest print outlet for video game news in the country.

Now a staff reporter for a daily newspaper in Michigan, Dafnis explains that “I learned a lot about condensing ideas in my time at Trine. I could write whole essays on a topic that required only a few pages worth of content—and, at first, I would. But even if it might impress your classmates, it doesn’t benefit your writing style to create 17-page diatribes about simple subjects. Writing for the Media was a great class to learn that anything that can be said can be said with less fluff. Art and Culture of Video Games has proven itself invaluable in everyday conversation in a place where video games are the topic dû jour every jour.”

Sarah Darling DeMott
B.A. Communication, Minor in Marketing, 2011
Account Coordinator, Asher Agency, Fort Wayne, IN

Before becoming an Account Coordinator at Asher Agency in Fort Wayne, Sarah DeMott was a Trine student majoring in Communication and getting an eye opened in her theory course.

Variety is a key to her job. When interviewed, Sarah said, "Truly, agency days can vary greatly. Some days I will be in client and staff meetings all day long. Some days I will write a press release and develop media lists, work with the creative department on ad designs, draft website copy and answer emails. I've had all-day photo and video shoots, and I've had days filled with nothing but travel and meetings.

My newest duties include handling TV, radio and traffic for all Asher clients, which means I make sure ads get from creative to the station with all the spot information needed, on time. So some days are packed from start to finish and some are a little more leisurely. I've worked on campaigns for government agencies, retail advertising, QSR point-of-purchase, and public relations for manufacturing companies. I'm very lucky with the position I was given in that I wasn't given one massive client, but numerous smaller one. So I rarely have to work on the same thing all day, which is really nice when we've got a technical project we're working on, whether it is for a medical facility, manufacturing company or government agency."

Amanda Steiner
B.A. Communication, Minor in Marketing, 2008
Event Planner, C&H Events, Boca Raton, FL

A communication major and marketing minor, Steiner started her job as an event coordinator for C&H Events in Boca Raton, Fla., three weeks after her May 2008 graduation.

She plans corporate and celebrity charity tennis events for C&H, working with tennis celebrities such as Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, and Venus and Serena Williams. She completed an internship with the company, finalizing a charity auction and flying to Los Angeles and Florida for events, while taking classes in fall 2007.

Her degrees serve her well in her new profession. "A combination of things helped me. A minor in marketing, and some sales and public relations gave me a broad base of skills that all came together when I started working," she said.

She made her mark by earning the top female scholar-athlete award as a senior. She was a four-year member of the women's tennis team and activities coordinator for her sorority, Kappa Sigma Alpha. She presided over the Panhellenic council and was a member of the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society.