Meet Social Media Center Intern: Margaret Winkler, BFA Advertising
From student athlete to social media strategist.
There aren’t many better ways to jumpstart a career than by being a part of an amazing internship program. At the Academy of Art University, students get the opportunity to intern with different departments throughout the School of Fashion.
This spring semester, we profile the versatile group of students who are working with Academy staff.
Four years ago, BFA Advertising student Margaret Winkler came to the Academy of Art University to play for the volleyball team. After earning her block record with 270 rejections during the end of her athletic career last year, Winkler is now taking on her next role as a contributing editor at the Social Media Center. The Poznan, Poland, native casually opened up about her milestone as a student athlete, her success strategy and post-graduation plans.
Social Media Center: What brought you to the Academy of Art University?
Margaret Winkler: I’ve been playing volleyball since I was 10. I was a sophomore in high school when I decided to start applying to universities in the United States for an athletic scholarship. I was talking with different coaches online, but I felt the most connection on the player-coach level with the Academy. Also, I looked at different majors and for some reason I felt like advertising was something that I can see myself in. That’s why I flew to San Francisco with my Dad for the official visit at the school, where I met with the team and right away felt it was a place for me.
SMC: Why did you pick advertising as your major?
MW: I love math and that’s why originally I was planning to study economics. Just like math, there is a lot of strategy around advertising and I decided to give it a chance. The first year and a half, I was still trying to figure out if that’s something for me, but I am glad that I stuck with my major. Advertising pushes me to think differently than how I usually do and it feels great to come up with so many weird ideas, since sometimes that’s what the client looks for. There is no limit in advertising.
SMC: What was it like to move from Poland to the U.S.?
MW: I am not from a small town so being in a big city was not a problem for me. However, knowing that from the point that I got here I would need to rely on myself was something that I learned to deal with. I feel that I grew up a lot as a person and I learned a lot about myself. Freshmen year was tough. Being away from my family, especially my nieces, was not an easy part of it. Sometimes it’s just hard to think that I am missing out on stuff but at the same time I am trying to get my life together. Being a part of the volleyball team helped my transition from home to here. There was never a point when I felt lost or lonely because I knew I had a team to rely on.
SMC: How was the experience of being a student athlete?
MW: There was a lot of time management involved. In order to compete, student athletes need to reach a certain level of GPA and attend all classes. Within my team, we had the rule that we cannot miss any class outside the one that we were forced to because of the schedule of our competition. Student athletes need to be mature enough to understand that they are here for a reason. I know that I was in the athletic department for a scholarship, so pretty much for the last four years, I treated it as my job. The school pays me to be here, so I should respect that. I think having that mindset helps a lot.
There were some ups and downs, and it’s harder when the team was not doing well. At the end of the day, I don’t remember if I lose or win; I just remember all the stories and memories from the friendship I made.
SMC: What brought you to the Academy’s Social Media Center internship?
MW: It was actually Stephan Rabimov who asked me if I wanted to do it when I took his blogging class last semester. I knew right away that the internship was something that I wanted to do, since social media is such an important part of any industry today. Knowing how to utilize the social tools and staying on top of social trends will help our success in any field.The internship has been a really good experience so far. Stephan gives us room to improve and chances to learn from our mistakes. I feel that he is pushing us to be the best social media strategists that we can be.
SMC: How has your internship experience influenced the way you approach advertising?
MW: This internship changed my approach to social. When I use social media in my personal time, I look at my feed differently because now I know how much time and thought processes were put into that content. Instead of just scrolling through my feed, I would observe and pay attention to the strategy behind those pieces of content and ads.
SMC: You are taking six classes this semester! How do you manage your workload?
MW: The advertising major usually will take 4.5 years to complete and my scholarship covers only four years, so since day one, I knew that I needed to take more than four classes per semester. I just finished my volleyball career in November. If I was still a member of the team, there would be no way I could take six classes and I would probably stick with five. The student athlete experience definitely helped me develop time management skills that I am using right now. You have to decide what’s really important; that’s it.
SMC: You are graduating this summer. What’s your next career move?
MW: There are three different career paths within advertising: being an art director, a copywriter or a credit strategist. I am focusing on art direction because I love designing. Right now, I am more into smaller companies; I feel that way I will grow more as an artist. If I ended up working at a big company like Saatchi & Saatchi at some point, that would be great, but right now I just want to find a job, get better and learn more skills.
SMC: Any advice for fellow advertising students?
MW: Just have fun and don’t take it too seriously. Advertising is only fun when you allow yourself to be creative and crazy at the same time. It’s such a fun industry to work in and you can play around with different media outlets, from 360 to social.
SMC: Name one thing you can’t live without.
MW: Chocolate and caramel nuts. I am addicted.
If you want to learn the skills needed to be a social media professional, consider enrolling in the Social Media Center courses at the Academy of Art University.
Text by Marisa Tania, BFA Fashion Journalism, and Contributing Editor at Social Media Center, Academy of Art University
