Category: Advertising

Get to know some of our College of Media students! Rawan El-Bawab is a Class of 2026 CS + advertising major.

What led you to your decision to major in CS + advertising?

In high school, I really enjoyed math and statistics, but I was also very interested in psychology. When I was applying to Illinois, I came across the CS + advertising major. It immediately stood out because I had never seen a program that combined both sides of my interests so well. Even though I only had surface-level experience with computer science, I knew I enjoyed puzzles and logical thinking, so coding felt like a natural next step. I decided to take a chance on it, and it ended up being exactly what I was looking for.

How does combining computer science and advertising shape your perspective or skill set?

We live in a world that’s increasingly digital and driven by technology, so having a computer science background is incredibly valuable. What makes this major unique, though, is the addition of advertising. It pushes you to think beyond just the technical side and really consider people—their behaviors, preferences, and how they interact with products and platforms. That perspective is useful in any field. Understanding concepts like market research and branding gives you a broader view of how businesses operate. Knowing how to code is one thing, but if you don’t know how to connect it to people, it can only go so far. This major really helps you bridge that gap and develop a more well-rounded skill set.

What has been your most impactful or defining experience during your time in the College of Media?

My experience in AAF, the American Advertising Federation, has been one of the most defining parts of my time here. It played a huge role in helping me find both community and confidence. At the end of my freshman year, I applied for an executive position just to see what would happen. I ended up being offered a presidential role for one of the agencies, On the House. I hadn’t originally applied for a position that high because I didn’t think I was qualified, but the previous executive members encouraged me and saw potential in me. It was definitely challenging at first, and there was a lot to learn, but over time I grew into the role and ended up loving it. I stayed in that position throughout my sophomore year, and then in my junior year, I became president of Midnight Oil, an application-based agency with more experienced members. Through those roles, I discovered how much I enjoy working with people, mentoring others, and creating a supportive team environment. That experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me grow as both a leader and a collaborator.

Do you have any advice for students trying to attain internships?

It helps to identify companies you’re interested in and keep an eye on their websites, because a lot of it comes down to timing. The more you apply, the better your chances. At the same time, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, especially when it feels like everyone around you is doing the same thing. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s okay if you don’t land an internship right away. There are so many valuable opportunities on campus that can help you build skills and experience in meaningful ways. Looking back, I wish I had been a little kinder to myself during that process. Not having an internship immediately isn’t a reflection of your potential, and it won’t make or break your future career. Keep going, and don’t be too hard on yourself.

What are your career plans after graduating from Illinois, and how has the College of Media helped prepare you for them?

After graduating, I’ll be starting a role in tech sales, which I’m really excited about because it combines both the technical and advertising sides of my major. The College of Media has been a strong support system throughout my time here. My advisor, Megan Tucker Zwilling, played a huge role in that. She was always encouraging and genuinely invested in what I was doing. At times when I took on too much, she helped me step back and find a better balance. Having that kind of support made a big difference. She was always there to answer my questions and help me think through decisions, and that guidance really helped me navigate my path and feel more confident moving forward.

What advice do you have for incoming CS + advertising students?

My biggest advice is to get involved in RSOs. RSOs give you the flexibility to explore different interests in a low-pressure environment, whether you stay for a semester or longer. They’re a great way to gain hands-on experience and figure out what you actually enjoy. For me, being involved in AAF helped me realize that I liked the technical side of my major, but didn’t necessarily want to work at a traditional ad agency. Through internships, I also learned that I didn’t want to focus solely on software engineering. Those experiences helped me narrow down what I was looking for and eventually led me to a role that combines both areas. This major gives you a lot of flexibility because the skills are transferable across different industries. Take advantage of that! Try new things, step outside your comfort zone, and stay open to different paths.

—Interview by Alexa Camacho Villicana, New Voices Intern

Get to know some of our College of Media students! Karys Boeriu is a Class of 2028 advertising major.

What made you choose the College of Media at Illinois?

Initially, I was drawn here because of the tight-knit community in the College of Media, but we’re part of such a huge university. There are so many people who you can meet and many opportunities that the college and the university offer. The College of Media is one of the smaller colleges, and as a result, you get to connect with the faculty and your peers. Just stepping into the College of Media, you immediately feel support, but not just academically. The support goes beyond academics—everyone genuinely wants to see you thrive as an individual. Also, the college is structured in a way to make students feel comfortable and heard, while offering a wide variety of different options and tailoring them towards each student individually.

What Media classes and professors have stuck out to you so far?

One class that comes to mind is ADV 290: Experiential Branding, taught by lecturer Penne Heede. In class, we did experiential branding work focusing on putting together creative trade shows and pop-up experiences. Heede’s class really helped bring in an industry perspective to what I knew about advertising. Also, Heede was extremely knowledgeable as she provided us all with good advice on how to get into the advertising industry.

Another class was ADV 222: Copywriting with senior lecturer Shahar Meron. He’s an exceptional lecturer, and he instilled in me the passion that I have for copywriting.

What different Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) are you a part of on campus?

A huge one for me is the American Advertising Federation (AAF). I’ve loved AAF so far. I’ve been part of two agencies in AAF—NSAC (National Student Advertising Competition) and Midnight Oil, AAF’s full-service local client agency. Recently this year, I’ve joined the executive board as well, which I’ve been super grateful for and felt privileged to be a part of. AAF has been a really huge and important part of my life so far on campus. I’m also a student ambassador for the College of Media, which means I help with different admissions events around campus. Working for the College of Media has been really rewarding for me in the sense that I get to give back to the incoming College of Media family.

What’s your favorite media related project you’ve worked on?

Being part of NSAC has brought so many fun projects. We get a brief every year from a Fortune 500 company, and what we’ll do is essentially devise an entire campaign and then compete regionally or nationally by presenting the campaign we made. One of the clients that we had last year was AT&T, and our whole campaign was about helping AT&T show Gen Z that they can discover life around them and see beyond the screen. We played into the idea of fostering better in-person connections with people. I think that’s a good example of why I got into advertising too, because I wanted to use the power of language and understanding people to do something greater than myself.

If you could talk to yourself as a freshman, what advice would you give?

I would say trust that you have made the right decision for yourself, and that every single thing that comes after will fall exactly into the places it’s supposed to. That’s how I’ve felt ever since I got here, that everything is clicking and falling into place. I think it really started with just saying yes to being admitted into the College of Media, and a ripple effect happened—everything just sort of turned out the way it was supposed to. I just genuinely think the College of Media is incredible, and I think my peers are a true testament to that. The fact that it’s a small community within a big university, which allows you to foster relationships with passionate, curious people, is a big part of the reason why.

—Interview by Izzy Phillips, New Voices Intern

Get to know some of our College of Media students! Ryan Hanson is a Class of 2026 advertising major.

Why did you decide to major in advertising?

I was already interested in advertising due to a research paper I did during my senior year of high school, where I had the opportunity to interview OKRP (now BarkleyOKRP), the agency behind the 2022 Burger King Whopper campaign. I spoke to the account director and the two creatives behind the ad, and after meeting with OKRP, I was able to see and learn about the creative process. I saw how free they were to be creative and realized I wanted that experience in my future career.

Tell me about your time at The Daily Illini as a creative developer.

I started working at The Daily Illini in February 2024 and worked on video production during my first year. The Daily Illini gave me another outlet to hone my skills in video editing and content planning. I then moved on to socials management, which involved sending out newsletters and posting on different platforms. During my time at The Daily Illini, I was able to interview Michael DeCoste, known on campus for his karaoke performances. For assignments, we’re usually in groups of two to three, but in this case, I was working by myself—filming on a tripod using my phone, coming up with questions, editing, and putting it all together with graphics and B-roll. This experience taught me that you have to be flexible when you are working on a story.

What advice would you give to an undergraduate student within the College of Media majoring in advertising?

Students should think about what they’re interested in within media and try everything. There are so many classes in the College of Media and with advertising. Advertising is a larger field than you realize, and there are a lot of opportunities. I had no idea there was a social media certificate. I recommend trying to get certificates. They offer so many in the College of Media. See College of Media certificates.

What are your future career goals, and how is your experience at the College of Media helping you with your goals?

I am interested in working on a creative team at an agency. I want to focus more on the digital side, whether that be social media or digital advertising, as I feel that is where advertising is shifting towards. The College of Media has prepared me for how technology is evolving and how advertising is evolving with it. In ADV 360: Innovations in Advertising, we talked a lot about AI along with search engine optimization. I’d say a lot of professors are making a point of AI right now and how best to use it for the creative process, such as storyboarding, drafting, and generating some ideas.

—Interview by Larimar Rivera, New Voices Intern

What led you to your decision to major in advertising at Illinois?

I’ve always been artistically inclined, so I knew I wanted to major in something where I could still be creative. Advertising checked all those boxes for me. Once I realized that was the path I wanted to pursue, I started searching for schools that offered strong advertising programs.

Illinois immediately stood out to me because it has the oldest advertising program in the country, and as someone from Chicago, I liked that it was still relatively close to home. I also liked that the curriculum felt more specialized. It includes a lot of creativity but still gives students the flexibility to shape the major around their own interests. That was reassuring for me because I didn’t want to pursue something that was overly technical or heavily mathematical. I wanted room to explore different creative directions, and the Illinois advertising program gave me that opportunity. Along with the university’s large network and resources, Illinois felt like the best place for me to study advertising.

What advertising course has been the most valuable to you?

A course that stood out for me was ADV 360: Innovations in Advertising, which introduced me to a lot of the technology and strategy behind modern advertising. I also took ADV 480: Social Media Analytics, where we learned about things like Google search, organic search results, and key metrics such as impressions, clicks, and click-through rates. Even though I originally preferred the creative side of advertising, I found myself deeply interested in ad technology and the analytical side of the field.

I also took ADV 392: Advertising Immersion and Experiential Learning, which allowed me to apply what I was learning. We worked on running Amazon advertising campaigns, developed bidding strategies, and analyzed performance data to see whether our campaigns were successful. I found it fascinating because while creativity plays a role in strategy, it ultimately comes down to understanding the numbers and how to use them effectively. These classes opened my eyes to a new side of advertising I knew I wanted to pursue.

What has your experience been like in the American Advertising Foundation?

I joined AAF during my freshman year and was involved for about two years. I was a part of On The House, which is an agency within AAF that allows students to work on real client projects. Our team worked with a local Mexican restaurant in the Urbana-Champaign area, where we helped with rebranding and designed new menus. It was a really valuable experience because it was likely the first time many of us had ever worked directly with a client—already building experience as freshman. Since the owner primarily spoke Spanish, I was able to communicate with them in Spanish and help bridge that connection with our team, which made the experience even more meaningful for me. I was also involved in AAF’s DEI committee; now known as the Pangaea agency, where we planned cultural events and initiatives within the organization. While it was more community-focused, it was still a great way to connect with others in the advertising program and get more involved in AAF.

What are your career goals after graduating from Illinois, and how has the College of Media helped prepare you for them?

My long-term goal is to work in product marketing or product management. I’ve become really interested in roles where you can help take a product from the initial idea all the way through launch and marketing. I like the idea of combining the creative and strategic skills I learned in advertising while also growing into more of a leadership role focused on a single product.

The College of Media has been really supportive in helping me prepare for these goals. The advisors and faculty are very approachable and always willing to talk with students, which makes a big difference. My advisor has been a great support system, and I’ve always felt comfortable reaching out to professors for guidance. The small size of the college allows for more intimate connections compared to larger colleges, where that isn’t as easy. The college also emphasizes hands-on projects and collaboration in many classes, which has helped me build skills that are vital in advertising. Additionally, Media Career Services frequently provides great networking and career opportunities for students. Overall, the college provides many resources for students to grow in their respective fields.

What advice do you have for students trying to secure internships?

My biggest advice is to leverage the experiences you already have. When applying for internships, I talked about the courses I took at Illinois that introduced me to the skills and topics relevant to the role. It’s important to show employers that you’re intentionally pursuing opportunities that align with your interests. I would also encourage students not to limit themselves geographically or professionally. My current part-time role as a search engine specialist came through a family connection with a marketing agency based in Ecuador, which is where I’m originally from. Working remotely with an international team has allowed me to gain more experience while also using my Spanish. Stepping outside your comfort zone can lead to really rewarding opportunities!

What advice do you have for incoming advertising and media students?

I would advise students not to limit yourself based on what you initially think you want to do. When I first started, I thought I wanted to focus purely on the creative side of advertising, like designing billboards and ads. But once I explored more of the curriculum, I realized my interests were actually in other areas of the field. The advertising program offers a wide range of courses across different areas like strategy, technology, and creative work, so I encourage students to take advantage of that. Try classes in different parts of the curriculum and stay curious rather than feeling like you need to decide on a specific path right away. Being open to exploring different areas can help you discover interests you might not have expected and ultimately find the direction that fits you best!

—Interview by Alexa Camacho Villicana, New Voices Intern