The Road After North Road: Featuring Ali Mckenna
For Marist College students looking to gain real-world experience and acquire skills that will set them apart in the job market, North Road Communications provides a unique hands-on experience working with non-profit clients in the Hudson Valley. As the fourth largest student-run IMC firm in the US, North Road offers unique opportunities to work with real clients to produce pro-bono work. The firm also provides students with a substantial advantage in the job market. We had the privilege of sitting down with Ali Mckenna, a Product Development Associate at Beekman 1802, to hear about her journey through North Road and how it prepared her for her current role.
Q&A with Ali Mckenna:
What positions did you hold in North Road?
I was an Account Representative for DomHeart21 and an Account Representative for Dutchess BOCES.
Why did you choose to be a part of North Road?
I chose to be apart of North Road so I could gain real-world experience working with clients while I was still in college. I wanted to be able to grow my communication and people skills and get first-hand experience where I could put classroom skills to use. It was the perfect opportunity to be surrounded by a group of motivated individuals while still being able to balance school work and other activities.
What did you learn from North Road?
North Road has been invaluable to me and I learned so much from it. Some of the hard skills I learned were becoming proficient in Canva and Adobe Creative Suite, along with content creation and event planning. I also learned amazing communication skills, business and client development skills, and time management.
How did North Road impact you?
North Road really put me on a great path for my career, even though I’m not directly in a PR position. Interviewers were by far most impressed by North Road out of everything on my resume, because most people have never heard of anything like it. It’s really difficult to gain experience working with real clients and businesses while still in college, and North Road was the perfect opportunity for that.
Did you have any internships during your time at Marist?
I had two internships while at Marist, one doing Marketing for a law firm: Smith, Dominelli & Guetti LLC and another doing marketing and operations management for The Fresh Market.
Were any of those due to your participation in North Road?
No, but these experiences helped me even more with my participation in NRC! Participating in both was such a rewarding experience in the realm of my communication skills.
Where are you currently working?
I currently work as a Product Development Associate at Beekman 1802!
Do you think that being in North Road helped prepare you for this job?
One of the most important things I learned from North Road was how to communicate with other business professionals. I learned so much about how to manage and build client relationships, which I use every single day at my job. I also learned how to manage and set boundaries with business professionals, which is extremely important in any job, especially an entry-level position.