Get to know some of our College of Media students! Lauren Barjami is a Class of 2026 advertising major.
What interests led you to choose advertising at the University of Illinois?
Prior to coming to Illinois, I knew I wanted to pursue something in business that would also allow me to incorporate creativity. In high school, I started my own business, selling the art I made. When it came time to apply for college, I ended up getting accepted into advertising, which turned out to be the perfect fit for me. I immediately fell in love with the advertising program and the College of Media as a whole. Advertising sort of fell into my lap, and I am so grateful for that because it is a major that allows me to incorporate my personal interests of art and business into what I learn and, eventually, turn that into my career.
In what ways have your aspirations evolved since you began your college journey?
Throughout my time on campus, I have been able to hone in on what I want to pursue through my involvement in different registered student organizations and classes. I have seen such a broad perspective of different opportunities, which has allowed me to find the specific path in advertising that is best for me. Fall semester freshman year, I took Statistics 107 and fell in love with the course so much that I became a course assistant. This class allowed me to discover my interest in the relationship between statistics and advertising, which goes to show how many routes in advertising you can take when you are given a wide array of opportunities. After exploring the science of advertising, I knew I wanted to go the technological route, so I declared a minor in Computer Science and Informatics. I want to work in some variation of an advertising data analyst role or to get into consulting because those are perfect fusions of technology and advertising. I have a summer internship consulting at Baker Tilly, where I hope to further immerse myself in the technical side of the advertising world and navigate what I want my future to look like.
Are there any professors or mentors within the College of Media that have helped guide this journey?
There are so many people I look up to within the college and the list will continue to grow. The first College of Media mentor I had was Daniel Almanza, assistant director of Media Career Services. I was a member of the New Voices Internship program that Daniel coordinated, and that experience gave me a chance to develop my skills in media and familiarized me with multiple resources within the college, which was so helpful as a first-generation student. He also encouraged me to join different RSOs like the American Advertising Federation, which is now a primary aspect of my college career. Having that mentor relationship comforted me and acclimated me into the college environment early on. Daniel is always happy to give back to the students he works with, and he is a great person to have around.
I also want to mention Steve Hall, senior lecturer of advertising—everyone in advertising loves him. He is always running around, doing something, but no matter what, he always gets back to his students and has their best interests in mind. He is such a caring faculty member who is always willing to help students find opportunities and wants them to succeed far beyond graduation.
Which courses within the College of Media have you enjoyed the most?
One class I really enjoyed was ADV 392: Industry Immersion Experiential Learning, with Amazon Ads and Global Overview, taught by Steve Hall. I loved taking a high-level course that taught me about advertising technology. We worked with a real client, managing actual products, campaigns, and budgets, which gave me insights on how advertising careers operate in the real world. The class taught me how to utilize tools for analytics and allowed me to develop presentation skills by creating and presenting pitches to clients. The class is a great balance between technical and personal skills within the field.
Another class I really enjoyed is ADV 480: Social Media Analytics with Professor Leona Yi-Fan Su. This course focused on advertising informatics and taught me how to use different programming languages to run social media campaigns. The content of the course was based on the technological parts of advertising that I find most interesting, which made it a perfect class for me.
The last class I want to mention is ADV 409: Media Entrepreneurship with Terry Kasdan, an adjunct lecturer. This class is essentially like Shark Tank. We split into groups to come up with product ideas and present them, teaching us how to advertise and sell properly. The instructor works in the industry, so we are learning from someone with first-hand experience. This class is a good escape from the technical classes I take because it is solely based on creativity and working with a team, which I find to be very enjoyable.
Do you have any advice for current or incoming freshmen as they start their journey?
Do not put any pressure on yourself at all. Join anything and everything you can. Even for only two weeks, make your schedule back-to-back with trying new things, and then find out what you like most from there. Do not put too much pressure on yourselves over internships, and remember it is okay to get rejected. In college, everyone is on their own path, so don’t be too hard on yourself as you navigate your own. Make it a priority to make friends, join clubs, find hobbies, and have fun. Find a support system that cares for you whether that’s College of Media or anyone else on campus. Don’t focus too much on the past or future, just live in the present and appreciate everything because it all goes by so fast.
—Interview by Brooklynn Hubbard, New Voices Intern
