The journey
How did I end up here?
My journey into advertising was definitely not planned in a straight line.
It started with microphones, debates and Model United Nations conferences. Then came sales, leadership, public speaking, marketing, websites, social media, film festivals and events.
Somewhere between all of that, I realised something:
almost everything I enjoyed came back to the same thing. Understanding people and finding interesting ways to communicate with them.
- 01Communication
- 02Leadership
- 03Persuasion
- 04Marketing
- 05Events
- 06Campaigns
Here’s how one thing somehow led to another.
Model United Nations
“Where I first learned how to understand a room.”
Delegate → Chairperson
Model United Nations became a huge part of my early journey. I started by attending MUN conferences as a participant and eventually had opportunities to chair conferences myself.
Going from being one voice in the room to managing the entire room changed the way I communicated. As a delegate, I learned how to research, argue, persuade and defend an idea.
As a chairperson, I had to listen to everyone. I had to understand different personalities, manage discussions, make decisions and keep an entire room moving.
“The same message does not persuade everyone.”
I did not know it at the time, but that would later become one of the most useful lessons I could take into marketing.
What it taught me
- Perspective
- Persuasion
- Public Speaking
- Listening
- Leadership
- Reading a Room
Turns out, I really liked microphones.
Then communication became something I had to use outside a conference room…
IIMUN
“When persuasion became practical.”
Sales / Outreach
My involvement with IIMUN gave me experience in sales and outreach. Instead of debating an idea, I now had to communicate an opportunity to real people and make them interested enough to take action.
That meant speaking to different people, explaining value, answering questions and understanding why one approach might work for one person but not another.
It taught me that communication is not only about what you want to say. It is about understanding what the other person needs to hear.
“Sometimes changing one sentence can completely change someone’s response.”
What it taught me
- Sales
- Outreach
- Communication
- Confidence
- Audience Understanding
- Persuasion
Then came persuasion.
Then I discovered that I actually enjoyed arguing too…
Debating
“A lot of arguments. Thankfully, most of them were competitive.”
Multiple competitions (First Rank)
Debating became another major part of the way I learned to communicate. I participated in different debating competitions and achieved first rank through my debating experience.
Debating taught me how to build an argument instead of simply having an opinion. I learned how to structure ideas, challenge assumptions, respond quickly and understand the other side before deciding how to argue my own.
That ability to look at one problem from different perspectives is something I now bring into creative thinking. Because the first idea is not always the strongest one.
“The first answer is rarely the only answer.”
What it taught me
- Argument Building
- Quick Thinking
- Confidence
- Research
- Perspective
- Presentation
Then more microphones.
Eventually, speaking moved from competition stages to a very different kind of stage…
TEDx Speaker
“One microphone. One idea. A much bigger audience.”
While I was still in school, I had the opportunity to become a TEDx speaker. Standing on a TEDx stage taught me something very different from debating.
This time, I was not trying to win an argument. I was trying to make people care about an idea.
TEDx strengthened my confidence as a storyteller and taught me how much thought goes into turning an idea into something an audience can connect with.
“An idea becomes powerful when someone else can see themselves in it.”
What it taught me
- Storytelling
- Stage Presence
- Confidence
- Audience Connection
- Idea Communication
Then responsibility.
Speaking gave me confidence. Leadership taught me what to do with it.
Head Girl
“My first lesson in leadership happened before university.”
Becoming Head Girl gave me one of my earliest experiences of real responsibility. Suddenly, communication was not just about speaking well.
I was representing other students, working with different people, taking responsibility and learning when to lead and when to listen.
It taught me that leadership is rarely about being the loudest person in a room. Sometimes it is simply about understanding the room.
“Leadership is not always about being the loudest person in the room.”
What it taught me
- Leadership
- Responsibility
- People Skills
- Organisation
- Representation
- Teamwork
Then marketing.
Then I moved from representing people to thinking about how businesses represent themselves.
Blu Event Productions
“Where marketing finally started making sense.”
Digital Marketing / Website / Social Media
Blu Event Productions was one of the experiences that changed the direction I wanted my career to take. My work primarily focused on the company’s website and social media presence.
I worked around website content, reviewed SEO opportunities, analysed social media and developed ideas for improving online communication.
I also explored content ideas and ways Instagram could be used more strategically to attract both followers and potential clients.
The questions that changed how I thought
- “What is someone looking for when they visit this website?”
- “Why should they follow this account?”
- “What would make a potential client trust this company?”
- “What happens after someone sees the content?”
For the first time, I realised I was just as interested in the thinking behind the content as I was in creating the content itself.
Because Blu Event Productions operates within the events industry, the experience also helped me understand more about events: how companies position themselves, communicate with clients and build interest around experiences.
“Blu Events taught me to stop asking ‘What should we post?’ and start asking ‘Why would anyone care?’”
What it taught me
- Website
- SEO
- Social Media
- Content Planning
- Audience Thinking
- Digital Marketing
- Events Industry Exposure
Then events.
Then I got to see communication inside entertainment and cultural events.
Mind Blowing Films + Indian Film Festival of Melbourne
“Where film, culture, people and events all collided.”
My experience with Mind Blowing Films and the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne exposed me to a completely different creative environment.
I got to experience the worlds of film, cultural events, entertainment, media and public relations working around one another. It showed me how many things happen behind the scenes before an audience sees the final experience.
Communication, people, timing, media, logistics and creativity all have to come together.
That environment made me realise something else about myself: I like work that feels alive. I like campaigns, events, ideas, people, deadlines and creative energy happening at the same time.
“I like being where things are happening.”
What it taught me
- Entertainment
- Film
- Culture
- Events
- PR
- Marketing
- Audience Experience
- Fast-Paced Teamwork
Now?
And that brings me to where I am now…
Stage 08: the destination
Now searching for my next campaigning adventure.
Okay. What’s next?
After moving through public speaking, leadership, debating, sales, digital marketing, social media, events, film and communication, I finally know the direction I want to keep moving in. I want to build campaigns.
I want to build campaigns.
I am looking for my next opportunity in advertising and marketing, somewhere I can contribute ideas, understand audiences, work on briefs and see how campaigns move from a thought in someone’s head to something people actually experience.
I want to be in the room where someone says: ‘Okay, here’s the problem. What could we do?’ And I want to be one of the people throwing ideas onto the table.
“I don’t only want to market what already exists. I want to help build the idea.”
Especially interested in
- Creative Marketing
- Advertising
- Campaign Development
- Brand Marketing
- Creative Strategy
- Social Media Campaigns
- Experiential Marketing
None of these experiences were planned to lead into advertising. Somehow, they did.
- MUN taught me how to understand a room.
- IIMUN taught me how to communicate value.
- Debating taught me how to argue an idea.
- TEDx taught me how to tell one.
- Being Head Girl taught me how to lead.
- Blu Events taught me how businesses communicate.
- IFFM taught me how creative experiences come together.
- Now I want to learn how great campaigns are built.
Looking for the next place that lets me turn curiosity into campaigns.