Recognizing that many of our Communication students are set to graduate into one of the most precarious job markets in history, the COM Outreach and Advising teams partnered with select alumni to help our students grow their professional networks and polish their job search skills. Our Alumni AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) Zoom sessions were an excellent opportunity for our students to connect with some of our awesome alumni and, as the title says: Ask them Anything! From these sessions, our wonderful Video Production Assistant, Peggy Peiyao Zhao*, compiled a collection of highlight videos that answers some of students’ most pressing questions:
Armin H. Ausejo is a Seattle native, who graduated from the COM Department in 2001, worked for UW’s Housing and Food Services IT department for a few years, then went back to grad school to attain his Master of Communications in Digital Media in 2006. After graduating, Armin moved to the private sector to develop his knowledge and skills in digital marketing and sales, and then was hired by Fluke Corporation to help lead their first digital marketing team from 2013 to 2016. Armin left Fluke for eBay to take on the role of Global Digital Marketing Manager for the eBay Partner Network, but returned back to Fluke in January 2018 for his current role as the Global Digital Marketing Manager for Fluke Process Instruments.
Marvin Marshall is a proud first-generation college graduate. Currently, he works as the director of a violence prevention program for youth and young adults at the YMCA of Greater Seattle. As a former member of the CCDE (Center for Communication, Difference & Equity), Marvin enjoyed meeting new people and using his voice to bring people together. Since graduation, Marvin has had the privileged of volunteering and working in different roles to help underserved populations. In social services, Marvin is given the opportunity to bring communities together. He advises young graduates to “keep grinding;” your hard work will pay off.
Brooke Simpson is a PNW native and University of Washington graduate with over 10 years of experience working at two of the world’s most well-known companies. After receiving a degree in Communication, she began her career in human resources on Microsoft’s University Recruiting team. Brooke then joined the Amazon Advertising team in 2015 to manage a team of technical recruiters focused on hiring experienced and tenured talent. Ultimately, Brooke returned to her roots in university recruiting at Microsoft to manage a team of campus recruiters spanning across North and South America in 2017. Today, she is responsible for overseeing Microsoft’s Global Intern Program.
Ashely Walls works as a user-experience (UX) writer at Microsoft. Ashley’s role is at the crossroads of content and user experience – how do we take something technical and make it less scary, easier to use, and more fun? She brings empathy, clarity, and humanity to our content as she collaborates with designers, engineers, developers, and product managers to create end-to-end experiences for Microsoft products that will truly delight customers. Ashely graduated from the University of Washington in 2016, where she majored in Journalism with a minor in Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies in addition to completing a Communication department honors thesis.
* Peggy Peiyao Zhao is a content creator who is passionate about crafting stories through cameras and lenses. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, she gained experience working as a journalist, anchor, and content creator in various media companies throughout Asia, Australia, and the U.S. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Communication in Digital Media at the University of Washington. As a person who adores food, Peggy always introduces herself as a hungry storyteller as well as a genuine foodie.