Advertising senior Jessica Baltusis got her first taste of the business world in high school when she participated in DECA, an international marketing association for high school and college students.
When she got to Michigan State and heard about the Advertising program, she immediately decided that is what she would major in.
“You get the business aspect, but you also get the creative side and the communications side,” Baltusis said. “I got all aspects of what I wanted in my career in one major.”
Baltusis put all those skills to work as an intern with Trunk Club this summer. Located in Chicago, Trunk Club is a fashion company that pairs clients with personal stylists.
While at Trunk Club, Baltusis rotated throughout different departments. She also helped work on sales and marketing, shadowed stylists and even worked with her own clients.
“At a startup company, you get so much more out of it,” Baltusis said. “I was able to see how the company works from the ground up and I feel like I actually contributed.”
At the end of the summer, Baltusis and her fellow interns presented an idea to the CEO to expand Trunk Club to college students.
“It was awesome,” she said. “He was actually listening to our ideas as interns. It blew my mind.”
Baltusis first heard of the opportunity at Trunk Club through a friend whose sister was working for the company.
Baltusis also received the Adrienne M. Johns Communication Arts and Sciences Internship Award from ComArtSci, which helped cover living expenses in Chicago. She applied for the award while she was studying abroad in Greece.
“I didn’t even know they had scholarships to help out with internships, and when I found out, I was super happy,” she said.
In her four years at Michigan State, Baltusis has worked for The State News, Westport (an engineering firm) and for her sorority. She’s also a member of the MSU Marketing Association.
“When I first started out as a freshman, I knew I wanted to do advertising and marketing, but I had no idea what I really wanted to do. I think that’s why I started doing so many different things,” she said. “(ComArtSci) has given me all the tools I need to succeed, and I think that sometimes people don’t realize everything it has to offer.”
By Kelsey Block, Journalism and Arts and Humanities double major
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