For a while now there has been a trio of students working behind the scenes to help the marketing department run. Taking care of recruitment event planning, student events, and everything social media to name just a few, they are crucial in the daily operation of the department. The trio consists of three students working under Director of Marketing Strategy & Analytics, Donna Wertalik. Two of the three serve as Marketing Department Associates, while the third serves as a Graduate Assistant. Together, they are responsible for a lot of the things you see from this department. This year, all three graduated during Virginia Tech's commencement ceremonies last week. Trace Broyles and Natalie DePasquale graduated with Bachelors of Science in Marketing Management, while Emily Larrick graduated with her Masters of Science in Business Analytics. Trace joins Atlantic Union Bank Headquarters as a graphic artist and web designer, Natalie joins Otis Elevators as a Sales Development Representative, and Emily joins Cvent in the event management space. 

This is a talented young group of creative minds that have delivered a lot for the department over this past year. In the fall of 2022, the trio launched a redesigned campaign for Marketing's "Soar In 4" initiative, complete with a multi page toolkit, several physical handouts for recruitment events, as well as a mini-series of videos dedicated to helping marketing students with things like resume prep, interviewing, and LinkedIn pages. A project almost two years in the making, Pamplin's first diversity-focused mini-film was launched within the marketing department under this trio just a couple months ago in the spring of 2023. On top of that, the team has launched several successful student focused events, including their most recent Atrium Takeover with the Marketing Advisory Board, offering a unique opportunity for students to ask alumni about their careers and get advice for their own job search. 

This phenomenal behind the scenes team will be missed, but we cannot wait to see what they accomplish in their post-grad careers! When asked about this year's operations, Donna Wertalik said "With this team, it's been our best year yet." Brooke Gannon and Sadie Jeeter have been named as the new incoming Marketing Department Associates, as well as Grayson Lawrence the new Graduate Assistant.