I was the first associate to be named Employee of the Month twice.
Dreams of digital marketing
Since sixth grade, Michelle knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to be in advertising and digital marketing. When watching TV, she would focus on the commercials rather than the episode itself.
Hard work journey to success
Michelle was on the traditional path to join the advertising industry: college, degree, internships, employment. But, family commitments changed her path. She needed to take time off from school due to a family emergency. After a few years of working odd jobs, she worried that a gap in her education and resume would keep her from her dreams. That was until she found Catalyte’s digital media apprenticeship.
Quickly proving her skills
After the development portion of the Catalyte apprenticeship, Michelle was hired as a programmatic buying associate. She focused on dynamic creative optimization, tailoring ads to the end user. Her hard work and quick learning style soon paid off. She was the first of the new associates to be named Employee of the Month, and first to win it twice, with a special note from her manager citing that, “You’ve worked really hard the entire time.”
“You’ll work in one of these buildings”
This award was validation of Michelle’s nontraditional path. Just before joining the Catalyte apprenticeship, she was on a walk with her family in downtown Chicago. Her dad pointed up to one of the skyscrapers and said, “Michelle, you’ll work in one of these buildings one day.” Little did she know at the time, but the building her dad pointed at was the exact building where she would launch her digital advertising career just a few months later.
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