Marketing Role Overseas Launches Karla Jackson's Career
Karla Jackson ’13, a business administration major with a minor in marketing, was attracted to Germany because an internship or research is built into Nazareth’s study abroad program there.
“I always tried to figure out what’s going to take me to the next level,” said Jackson, who spent the fall 2012 semester in Berlin.
As an intern at Sirius Facilities, creator of more than 30 business parks, Jackson helped with social media. She created the company’s Pinterest account to share images of the business parks, although she was new to the platform: “I was learning as I go.” She also improved the wording of slides that had been translated badly by software from German to English.
The best part of the Sirius internship: Learning about Google adwords from a Google representative sparked an interest and provided knowledge that led to Jackson’s post-college job as digital marketing coordinator at a secure cloud hosting company in Richardson, Texas. She went on in 2015 to become social media manager for ReachLocal in the Dallas area.
“Learning about adwords in Germany helped me figure out what I want to do as a profession,” says Jackson, who works to optimize keyword selection so her company pays only for the best-match clicks to its website. “It’s pretty cool. If I hadn’t gone on this internship, I don’t know what I’d be doing now.”
She also believes her overseas experience made her stand out when she was applying for jobs.
Stepping out of her comfort zone by studying and working in a country where she didn’t speak the language opened her up to handling other life challenges. “I’m not afraid to make life-changing decisions, or immerse myself in a new culture, location, or group of people,” Jackson said.
At Nazareth, her job as a resident assistant covered her room and board. Getting a Gilman scholarship made it possible for her to meet the expenses of going to Germany.
Update from Jackson in 2018:
"When I think back to my Nazareth College experience the biggest thing that comes to mind is opportunity. From being the treasurer of my class, to a resident assistant on campus, to studying abroad in Berlin, the opportunities are truly endless! Being a part of the School of Management, I was required to fulfill credits for an internship, but I didn't want just any internship. I chose to study abroad in Berlin because this abroad experience specifically had an internship component. As a business major, I felt this experience would easily set me above the rest. In my internship in Berlin I was exposed to paid advertising and social media management. To this day I believe this internship has paved the way to my career in digital media. Shortly after graduation I uprooted my life and moved to Dallas, Texas. My experience abroad has taught me to not be afraid to make life-changing decisions, or immerse myself in a new culture, location, or group of people. Today I have the pleasure to work at McAfee, the world's greatest cybersecurity company, and I know my education from Nazareth's School of Management and my internship experience in Berlin has helped to prepare me for this role."
Karla Jackson '13
Karla enjoyed sightseeing during her time studying and interning in Germany. Learn more about studying abroad through the Center for International Education.