Ania is the creative marketing coordinator at Jacksonville University. Her days consist of anything from designing event flyers to building entire Facebook ad campaigns to creating content and beyond—if it falls under marketing, it makes it to Ania’s desk. Outside of JU, she uses her eye for design as a freelance graphic designer. Whether it’s promoting the University or promoting a freelance client, Ania loves using words, art and strategy to tell captivating and influential stories. 

The Basics:

Hometown: Brockton, Massachusetts
Current city: Jacksonville, Florida
Alma mater: University of North Florida
Degree: B.S., Communications - Public Relations; Currently pursuing an MBA
Very first job: Victoria’s Secret
Hustle: Creative Marketing Coordinator, Jacksonville University; Freelance Graphic Designer

The Interests:

Babe you admire and why?
Katie Jackson, who is my current manager at Jacksonville University as the Director of Digital Marketing. She currently holds a Master’s degree from USF in Digital Journalism and Digital Design, and she’s currently pursuing her second master’s degree in Visual Arts: Graphic and Digital Design at Jacksonville University. She has always worked full-time while pursuing her degrees and is a fantastic example of how we can accomplish nearly anything with enough motivation and time.

Are you a collector of anything?
Books! I absolutely love building my collection with as much variety as I can. I have everything from a book about the history of Haitian Voodoo practices to a book explaining the harmful repercussions of gerrymandering. 

Favorite fictional female character? Why?
Very random, but it’s actually Lilo from Lilo and Stitch! The way that she is unapologetically herself and passionate about things that she cares about (like her obsession with Elvis) made her one of my favorite Disney characters growing up. She’s definitely underrated. 

What’s your favorite self-care ritual?
Hair care! Black women have such a unique, complicated relationship with our hair. I actually hated my curls growing up and didn’t learn how to properly care for them until college. Now I appreciate hair care so much and try my best to stay on top of it.

What’s your favorite way to start (or end) the weekend?
Every Sunday night, I treat myself to sushi from my favorite restaurant and my favorite wine! Enjoying my favorite things the night before Monday starts is such a great way to start off my workweek in a good mood. 

The Hustle:

Tell us about your hustle, providing a summary of your roles and the work you do daily.
As the creative marketing coordinator at Jacksonville University, I pretty much do all-things marketing! On a normal day, I can do anything from design an event flyer to help build an entire Facebook ad campaign, creative content included. 

Have you always wanted to work in marketing? What drew you to the industry?
I haven’t always been drawn to marketing per se, but on the list of careers that involved writing (something that I wanted to do when I was younger), marketing seemed to be the most attainable to me! After getting into the field, I had a new appreciation behind the strategy and thought that goes into a well-planned marketing or PR campaign. The fact that we can actually influence people’s wants by making a product or service appeal to them in a certain way is really interesting to me!

How have your past professional and academic experiences and lessons prepared you for the work you do today? How have they not prepared you?
While I feel as though my leadership roles in undergraduate prepared me for the workforce, I don’t feel as though the curriculum at UNF is suited to help people find a job in the Communications field. A majority of what I use at work are skills that I learned while interning or things that I taught to myself in my spare time, such as how to create a layout in InDesign and how to create content that fits within a brand guide. What we were taught in the Communications program at UNF was primarily writing-based and did not include any kind of a writing for social media option, as the subject matter always leaned slightly towards the journalism side of Communications.

How have your job, roles and industry differed from what they looked like before the pandemic?
Working from home has definitely been the most dramatic change! Given the fact that I work in digital marketing specifically, I have had the ability to work remotely, as long as I have all of the creative components that I need. I think the pandemic has started to make people think more about whether or not the traditional office practice of working in cubicles is actually necessary. 

What objectives do you strive for in your daily tasks? Why are those important to your work?
I typically strive for quality, especially when I am doing graphic design work! Of course, art in all of its forms is subjective, but I always make sure that my work is consistent with the brand guide at my job and looks as aesthetically pleasing as possible. 

How has being a woman impacted your professional experiences?
Being a woman has impacted my professional experiences in that I feel as though I have to fight to be heard and taken seriously. I don’t believe that women, especially women in their twenties, are given the benefit of the doubt when speaking out about subjects they are knowledgeable in.

Specifically, how has being a WOC impacted your professional experience? What can we do to create more supportive and inclusive work environments inside and outside of your industry?
Being a Black woman in the workforce is just microaggression central. From co-workers touching my hair “just to see what it feels like,” to people switching their usual speech to African American Vernacular when they are addressing me (ex. using “Hey, girlfriend!” when they typically would not greet someone this way), to people just being racially insensitive in general, it’s honestly fairly traumatizing. I’m hoping that with the Black Lives Matter movement finally becoming a mainstream ideology, people will be more receptive to criticism about how their microaggressions make minorities feel. Work should be a safe space for everyone so that we can all show up and do our work properly.

What’s the gender ratio like in your industry? Do you see it evolving? Why or why not?
Marketing is primarily a woman-dominated industry, which I am incredibly grateful for! However, I do feel as though there is a direct correlation between women making up a majority of people in the field of marketing and the fact that marketing is often deemed “less important” than other aspects of the traditional business model. I do see the field evolving, in that society's shift towards social media is opening up a lot of new job opportunities and skill sets that can appeal to people of any gender identity.

In the last year, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your career?
Writing down one thing that I am grateful for daily! It helps me stop and think about how far I have come in my life and all of the great things I can look forward to. 

What’s one thing you’re proud to have accomplished in your career thus far?
I honestly feel like finding a job that I genuinely enjoy is the greatest accomplishment I’ve made so far! Being able to practice different skills that I want to improve upon is such a great way to spend 40 hours every week.

Who are some women in your field that you look to for inspiration?
I honestly don’t follow many people in the marketing industry, but in terms of strong women that I admire, my favorites are Maya Washington and Lestraundra “Les” Alfred. Both of them have helped me in their own unique way, given that they are both strong, unapologetic Black women that I have followed for years.

Career and/or life advice for other babes (both inside and outside of your industry?)
If you are afraid to do something in life, just remember that a lot of times the worst thing that can happen is that people won’t like you. Once you realize that people’s opinions don’t matter, you’ll be unstoppable!

Connect with Ania:

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