Getting to Know Ari: A Journey Through Marketing, Sports, and Mentorship
Hey there! I’m Ari, and I’m thrilled to share a bit about myself as I begin Digital Marketing. Currently, I’m working on both my MS in Marketing Analytics while working a full-time job in Marketing and Communications at iMentor, a nonprofit championing educational equity.
Let me take you through my world — from my professional life to my interests and what I’m hoping to gain from this class and how I hope to combine all three!
## Making an Impact at iMentor
At iMentor, I love having the opportunity to help tell our story and organize our content. We pitch to major outlets like The New York Times and AP, while also maintaining our blog (check out Jim and Kheyon!) I’m super excited to learn new blogging strategies to test out!
I also work heavily to organize and spearhead my team’s operations. I am always on the lookout to showcase a student’s story and help our team organize it in a manageable way!
This mix of storytelling and advocacy lets me apply my growing MarComms skills to a cause I believe in. I’m eager to use what I learn here to further boost our impact at iMentor.
## Life Beyond Work
When I’m not at work, you’ll probably find me watching a Yankees game or impatiently waiting for next season. I also love hockey and football and spend months prepping for my fantasy football team (yes, I am a 3x champ!)
I also use food and restaurants to connect and engage with NYC. I grew up across the river in NJ but over the last year of living here have been able to learn all about the food scenes. A couple of my favorites are Cote and Shukette.
I also have to give a shout-out to my family’s coffee shop, the Twisted Tulip in Livingston — best spot in Northern NJ!
I also love to watch movies and read. While I’ve always found it impossible to choose a favorite movie, my favorite book series is the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson (don’t ask me about it — unless you want an unnecessarily long info dump!)
## What I’m Aiming for in This Class
As I kick off this digital marketing class, I’ve got a few things I want to achieve:
1. **Skill Up:** I want to learn everything. I am fortunate in that I have a place I can bring back what I learn and apply it. Whether it’s a new tool or a new style of attention seeking titles, I can’t wait to bring these skills to iMentor!
2. **Flex My Writing Muscles:** While I’ve got experience writing stewardship-focused blog posts, I’m thrilled to test out different styles, that may have different goals. I want to learn how to connect with a larger breadth of audiences and create content that makes an immediate impact.
3. **Find My Niche:** This class is my chance to figure out which parts of digital marketing I love and want to explore further. Knowing where my intrests lie will help me chart my career course and bring more to the table at iMentor.
When this course ends, I’m hoping to have a clear idea of what path I want to go in digital marketing and what skills I need to get there. I’m pumped to learn, grow, and use what I discover to make an impact!
