Abby Shea, a Merrimack alum, completed her studies in December 2023, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in management and marketing and a minor in communication and media. A proud Double Warrior, Abby enrolled in the business management with a concentration of marketing management graduate program at Merrimack to pursue a master’s degree.
During the spring 2023 semester, Abby participated in the Professional Development Retreat (PDR) hosted by the O’Brien Center for Career Development. It was there that she connected with Kristen Potter and Tom Zuppa from John Guilfoil Public Relations (JGPR), a company specializing in effective communications, media, crisis and leadership training for various sectors. At the Skills Fair session of the PDR, Abby found common ground with JGPR’s work and expressed interest in a marketing and web design internship. Following the event, she reached out to them via email to reintroduce herself and express gratitude for their time.
After undergoing two interviews, Abby secured an internship for the remainder of the spring semester, which eventually evolved into a full-time position that summer. Throughout the fall 2023 semester, she managed to balance work at JGPR with her academic commitments. Abby is now a digital marketing coordinator at JGPR, with a significant focus on website design. She has thrived in her first year at the agency and currently serves as the coordinator of the JGPR academy, which is a branch of JGPR that trains police, fire, government, and school officials in a multitude of areas. Abby coordinates the back end of the website, uploads and regulates classes and zoom meetings, and stays in constant contact with their clients. Despite her busy schedule, graduate-level classes like Marketing Management have assisted her in applying real-time projects to her career.
Abby’s journey in marketing began in high school, and with the guidance of her career advisor at Merrimack, she sought internship experiences early in her college career. Since the PDR last spring, Abby has attended two O’Brien Center career fairs at Merrimack College as a representative of JGPR.
Reflecting on her experience, Abby advises fellow students to leverage platforms like Handshake to secure internships and gain valuable experiences early on. She emphasizes the importance of building a robust resume for increased chances of success.
