MULTIPLE INTERNSHIPS HELP STUDENT LAND JOB WITH AN ALUMNA MARKETING CERTIFICATE + DESIGN DEGREE = SUCCESS

Graphic design major Anna Brock ’23 wanted to learn how design and marketing worked together in the real world. Since she didn’t have time to add a full marketing minor in her junior year, she opted for the digital marketing certificate from Messiah.

“From the beginning, I could tell that Anna really got it,” said Associate Professor of Marketing Keith Quesenberry. “She was connecting the dots and seeing how understanding the broader aspects of marketing would help improve her design and help her to better communicate with the marketers that she will be working with in her profession.”

He also helped her find opportunities within the marketing department.

“It was really awesome to have him show me how marketing is directly going to affect me as a designer,” she said. “He’s writing a book right now, and I’m helping him design it. It was a good connection I didn’t know I was going to make.”

Through her marketing classes and an upper-level design class called Service Center Design, Brock gained more of an understanding of what it meant to work in the design field.

Students in the Service Center Design class provided free design work for nonprofits in the area. “It was kind of a two-way street, where I was getting experience and they were getting design work. In that way, it was awesome because we got that client work and the business side of things, but a lot of the studios are more geared toward learning the craft rather than applying it in a business way,” she said. this class. All of the graphic designers are so thankful. It was such an amazing class,” said Brock. “You can get all of the praise in the classroom, but, once it’s coming from a client, it’s a confidence booster. It’s like, ‘Oh, I am doing the right thing, I’m in the right place.’” graduation as a full-time associate design pioneer.

Adjuncts were crucial in Brock’s ability to pursue internships and gain design experience. In the fall of her senior year, she worked as a digital design intern at JPL, a marketing agency in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, because of her connection to adjunct Mary Kintzi, a JPL creative director. At JPL, Brock designed ads and social media posts. She also worked on professional photo shoots and created simple animations for their social media.

“I really like working for local clients. I can actually walk into a client’s business and talk with them,” she said.

A certificate provides an easy addition to many majors to make students more marketable once they graduate.

Brock also connected with the adjunct teaching the class, Alicia Settle ‘18.

“She said that she wanted to teach this class because, as a student here, she saw a need for real-world experience, so she wanted to provide that through

“That internship was very affirming for my marketing classes,” she said.

Reconnecting with Settle, Brock interned for her teacher’s design company, Settlers Design Co., based in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania. Brock then accepted an offer to work there after

“We envisioned the digital marketing certificate as a way for our majors to get the skills and signal to employers that they have the skills that are in demand today,” said Quesenberry. “But marketing skills are valuable to many fields and professions to improve individual areas of interest and expertise.”

For Brock, the certificate combined with her degree and valuable internships set her apart from other candidates entering the workforce.

1970s

Kenneth David Musser ’73 wrote a book, “Grandfather’s Enduring Love,” about his family and his experience growing up in Kansas.

1990s

Kurt Werthmuller ’95 works as the supervisory policy analyst at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C.

Jim Becker ’97 and wife Angela announce the birth of Matthew, Nov. 22, 2022.

2000s

Tom Syvertsen ’02 works as the vice president at Mueller Associates.

Sarah (Sanderson)

Watkins ’03 works as a school counselor at St. Mary’s County Public Schools. She and Kevin Watkins married Oct. 14, 2017.

Lindsay Herndon ’07 and husband Ivan announce the birth of Alma, Dec. 28, 2021.

2010s

Rachel Nelson ’12 and Chris Morrison married July 23, 2022.

Rebekah Smith ’15 and Matthew Musselman ’14 married May 21, 2022.

Rebekah works as a software engineer at Avxtel.

2020s

Marisa Harris ’19 and Matthew Sechrist ’20 married Oct. 2, 2021. Matthew works as an investment analyst for PA State Employees Retirement System.

Celebrating Five Messiah Generations

Holding a picture of his aunt Melba Martin Steckley ’24, Lester Martin ’46 (seated) celebrates five generations Messiah students and alumni, which includes (from left) his great-granddaughter Alayna Musser ’25; his daughter Sandra Martin Musser ’72 and her husband James Musser ’72; and his grandson Travis Musser ’01.