Throughout the year, the NIU College of Business has showcased several articles that were written by two graduate assistants: Michaela Dudek, graduate assistant in the MBA Programs Office; and Sam Serpe, graduate assistant in the college’s Impact Lab. Each has done a phenomenal job in their respective roles. NIU College of Business Director of Marketing Michelle De Jean has had the pleasure of working with Dudek and Serpe — providing editorial guidance over the past academic year — and now is delighted to go beyond publishing their work to showcasing these wonderful individuals.
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Michaela Dudek, Master of Science in digital marketing (summer 2022), Bachelor of Science in marketing, certificate in digital marketing (2021). Hometown: Carpentersville, Illinois.
De Jean: It’s a delight for me to chat with you, Michaela. Let’s start by sharing information about the office area you work in at the college and about your range of duties.
Dudek: I work in the College of Business in the MBA office. My focus is on digital marketing content and campaigns for the four MBA program formats offered at NIU. I create content for the MBA social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) and schedule the posts, run text campaigns, write stories on news related to the program, photograph events, run MBA event and recruitment tables, create spreadsheets, and more.
De Jean: That’s a lot. You’ve been a marketer, social media administrator, photographer, event assistant. You’ve tapped into a huge range of skills. How do you think you’ll use all the creative and logistical skills you’ve gained from this position?
Dudek: After writing numerous articles for the MBA office, I’ve realized how important it is to remain on brand as a business and with any other businesses that you are working with. You also want your story to benefit the reader, the other company and yourself. The overall effect of this has helped me remember to put myself in the position of others and to consider how they feel in a situation. Being able to do that — to be empathetic — is important. For me, that kind of skill is related to listening deeply, which is a highly valuable ability to have in an age characterized by a great deal of noise and self-promotion. Being able to continue to listen deeply and to refine that skill will help me to be able to recognize what my peers, clients or business partners are looking for.
De Jean: How would you describe your personal brand?
Dudek: When thinking about my personal brand, I often think of a quote that I always try to live by which is, “Live in such a way, that if someone spoke badly of you, no one would believe them.” I always try to be kind and compassionate to everyone I meet, because you never know how badly they need that from someone. People may not know everything about you, or what you’ve accomplished, but they’ll always remember how you made them feel.
De Jean: You’ve experienced the NIU College of Business at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. You’re quite familiar with the college, yet there’s always room to be surprised. Along those lines, has anything surprised you about the college or the MBA Office as a result of being in this role?
Dudek: Something that really surprised me about the MBA program is the extensive number of opportunities the program creates for its students. The MBA office provides their students with networking events, C-suite speakers, dinners and so much more. Previously, I didn’t know much about the four MBA program formats that NIU offers, but I know now that the program is definitely something any business, engineering, nursing or any student who wants to move into a leadership position should consider.
De Jean: With all that you’ve taken on in this role, have you grown from it? If so, how?
Dudek: I’ve grown substantially. I’ve learned directly from experienced business professionals about recruiting, marketing, writing and education. Throughout the past 11 months, I’ve been able to attend networking events and have seen firsthand how recruiting, marketing and education come together to meet the interests and needs of prospective students. It’s been enlightening. The MBA office doesn’t just want to sell its program — instead, everyone in that office wants to provide individuals with the resources to succeed and better themselves in their field of work.
I also had the opportunity to write numerous articles on partnerships; keynote speakers — such as the impactful 2021 keynote speech delivered by LRS CEO Alan Handley. And other announcements, for example the NIU MBA in-residence program with Motorola Solutions, among others. All of this has helped me learn how to give voice to the incredible individuals and experiences available at NIU.
A key takeaway that I’ve gained from being in this role is that of giving back. After attending events and hearing about ambassadors for the MBA program, I’ve been genuinely impressed by just how dedicated NIU alumni are. It’s been amazing to see how many successful people from a wide range of different industries are eager to talk to students, host events and give their time back to NIU.
This has also reinforced for me the importance of keeping connections and to remember to always actively grow your network. From my work in the MBA office, I hear about alumni who visit the college either for events that the college hosts or to help a current student apply for a job with their company. Even those in a completely different industry may have a skill or asset that could help you. It’s important to remember that it’s just as significant to be sure to offer your skills to help others as well.
De Jean: So very well said, Michaela. If we think about that in the context of NIU students and looking back, what was your main takeaway about your student experience? Put another way, what’s something you wish you knew when you were a brand-new NIU student?
Dudek: I transferred to NIU from Elgin Community College. And as a transfer student, I wish I had known more about the accelerated opportunities the college offers. I was part of the Accelerated B.S. in Marketing/M.S. in Digital Marketing program during the last semester of my undergraduate degree. This allowed me to take a couple of classes that counted toward my undergraduate degree and my graduate degree as well. This was a great way for me to get a head start on my master’s program. I only wish that I had known about it even sooner because I would have taken advantage of the opportunity to be in the program in both the fall and spring semesters of my senior year. I highly recommend that approach (the accelerated program) to anyone who anticipates earning their master’s degree if it is offered for their degree.
De Jean: You’re very focused, which leads me to ask, what’s your personal measure of success?
Dudek: An important question. I’ve put a great deal of thought into this over the years, and I’ve since found that I can define what it means to me quite concisely. My personal measure for success is feeling fulfilled after completing a task or achievement. In a world of comparison, it’s important to remember that success comes with any improvement. As long as I know that I tried my best and put as much effort in as I could, then I succeeded.
De Jean: Nice. And relatedly, what lights you up? What causes you to hit the ground running in the morning?
Dudek: One of my biggest passions is photography. I love keeping my eyes open and capturing any moment that I think someone would look back on and say, “I wish I had a picture of that.” I love the creativity that photography allows not only while taking the photo, but in the editing process as well.
De Jean: I’ve had the pleasure of seeing your work — your photography is beautiful. Mastering brand, storytelling, and photography — you’ve hit a gold mine there. Any thought on how you might incorporate photography into your career going forward? Also do you have a link to your portfolio that you’d like to share?
Dudek: I plan to continue to photograph local clients, build up my brand and hopefully be able to photograph people and/or products for marketing campaigns in the future. It always interests me how any ordinary spot that you see in your town every day can look completely different behind a camera, and that transformation is what I love. I want to take this skill and mindset with me to push my creativity in my career, and hopefully be able to exclusively shoot content for brands one day. Many people think that photography is as simple as pushing a button, but there are many lenses, settings, techniques and a great deal of thought; artistic choices that go behind getting a good image that stands out amongst the rest.
You can view my portfolio at this link: https://michaeladudekphotography.pixieset.com/portfolio/.
De Jean: Your creative work is beautiful, Michaela. Thank you for sharing that. And before you know it, you’ll graduate with your master’s degree, too. I’m thrilled for you, and I join the MBA office in thanking you for all your great work. Personally, I thank you for this conversation, too. It’s really been a joy. As a last question, what are some of the elements that you hope will be in what’s certain to be your brilliant and outstanding career, Michaela?
Dudek: My future goals include accepting a position as a social media or content manager for a brand that I know and love. Besides photography, I love animals, makeup and clothing, and I would love to work for a company that involves any of those. If I could create my own successful photography business sometime down the road, that would be the dream.
by Michelle De Jean, director of marketing, NIU College of Business, in collaboration with Michaela Dudek, graduate assistant for the MBA Program in the NIU College of Business, with editorial oversight provided by Michael Mackey, editor in chief, NIU Institutional Communications.
