As a commuter student, John Kolokithas ’28 has learned to be intentional about how he spends his limited time on campus. Now a rising junior, those decisions are helping him discover the experiences, people and opportunities that can support his personal and professional growth.
John, a business administration major with a concentration in marketing, joined the American Marketing Association (AMA) as one way to explore his interests. But he also made room for something different: serving as a DJ for WMCK, Merrimack’s campus radio station.
The experience complements his minor in digital media production and his certificate in content creation, and gives him another opportunity to develop his skills.
That willingness to explore has extended to his career development.
John is a member of the Warriors at Work Co-op Program through the newly launched Scammon Center for Experiential Learning. He worked closely with Assistant Dean of Career & Experiential Learning, Christina Soto, and Senior Career Advisor, Stephanie Sartori, as he navigated the internship search process. Those efforts ultimately led him to accept a spring 2026 internship with Axis Communications in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
“Christina’s course, Career Exploration & Development [OBR1050] definitely helped me overcome my fear of moving onto the early stages of my career.”
John also found support through Merrimack’s Honors Program, where faculty and courses have helped him balance his academic, professional and extracurricular commitments.
“They’re always open to hear what you’re struggling with or what you’re currently working on, and they’re always able to be flexible and change things around if you have a career event coming up. Those two programs [Warriors at Work & Honors Program] have been extremely helpful in helping me obtain this internship, and hopefully, a co-op later down the line.”
At Axis Communications, John worked with the products, solutions and services team, creating and editing promotional videos, designing flyers and writing social media captions. He has also worked with the public relations team, gaining exposure to data-centered projects including tracking website traffic and promoting the company’s podcasts.
Getting there required John to be deliberate about how he used his time. He spent winter break applying for internships, met regularly with career development staff and participated in AMA events. Once at Axis, he continued to look for opportunities to learn and demonstrate his skills.
When asked what he thought helped him stand out as a spring intern, John pointed to “My willingness to learn and try different things.”
He continued, “I encouraged [my supervisor] to continuously give me different tasks to do to find what I’m strong at.”
That approach paid off. After showcasing his skills during the semester, John received an offer to extend his spring internship through the summer.
His experience at Axis has also helped him better understand the type of work he enjoys. In particular, John has discovered that he likes seeing a project through from start to finish, especially when editing video. He enjoys taking raw footage and slowly, intentionally bringing the pieces together into a finished product.
It is a process that mirrors his own experience at Merrimack: taking time to explore, learning from missteps and trusting that the right experiences and people can help bring the pieces together.
