Jessica Posa graduated from Western Carolina University in the spring of 2022 with a degree in Communication with concentrations in Public Relations and Journalism and two minors in Business Law and Hospitality & Tourism.
Posa was originally a Graphic Design major before mistakenly attending a communication department meeting during her summer orientation. After meeting with Professor Don Connelly, she knew she would choose communication over graphic design.
“I realized I would be too limited with a career in graphic design when what I really wanted was to work with video, social media, PR, and journalism all at once,” said Posa. “Communication was 100 percent the right choice for me and has opened so many doors for me already!”
Currently, Posa works for Terminix in Greensboro as a Marketing Specialist after deciding to move to Greensboro and apply on a whim.
“I can’t say I ever thought I’d be working in the pest control industry,” she stated.
Her work days are never the same as she is responsible for the marketing of 15 different branches, working with recruiting and human resource departments, and managing internal marketing projects and social media accounts.
Moreover, Posa uses the skills she gained from WCU and applies them to her job daily. The most important thing she learned from the Communication Department is to determine the measurements of success in any project or campaign.
“If you can’t measure the success of your efforts, then you can’t know whether you had any impact on the results or if outside factors played a bigger role,” she said.
One thing that surprised Posa when entering the industry was that not everyone is an effective communicator.
“You find out quickly that many people don’t know how to effectively communicate,” she said. “You don’t realize how much you appreciate communication until it’s lacking.”
Additionally, Posa said being the youngest in the office can be challenging, with feelings of having to prove yourself often. Regardless, she appreciates working in an office setting because it fosters productivity and provides opportunities to learn from different people with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Looking forward, Posa seeks to grow in confidence in her professional life, and “a big personal goal is to build a house one day.”
Lastly, Posa advises communication students not to let work define happiness and “if you work from 8-5 p.m. go home at 5 p.m. because most things in the industry are not a make-or-break ‘emergency’ and can be finished the next day.”
Students can reach out to Posa on her LinkedIn and Twitter.