Celebrating Our Seniors!

Last Friday, May 13, our very own senior PRISMites graduated from Virginia Tech in a special in-person ceremony. It was an unforgettable day, as 19 of our seniors strutted across the Lane Stadium stage to earn the degrees they have worked so tirelessly for. Between their many contributions to the agency and dedication to their studies, our graduates have elevated the PRISM name in their time here. We are extremely proud of them and will miss them dearly next school year, but we know their futures are bright! 

This week, we’re highlighting some of our amazing graduates for all of their accomplishments!

Without further adieu, let’s applaud a few of our class of 2022 graduates…

Katie Arciero

Major: Graphic Design 

PRISM Role: Pamplin Design Lead, PRISM Webmaster 

Post-Grad Plans: Traveling in Europe and freelance design with plans to find a full-time designer position at an agency.

Quote: “Looking forward to traveling Europe, experiencing new places and culture, while meeting new people with some of my close friends! Excited to see where my design journey ends up.”

Nerissa Baroni

Major: Graphic Design

PRISM Role: Director of Graphics, Lead for The Front Porch and PRISM

Post-Grad Plans: Working as a graphic designer at Life.Church in Oklahoma City!

Quote: “I’m super excited to be working for Life.Church as a Graphic Designer specifically focused on their youth ministry. Life.Church has a large network of churches and also started the Bible App. I am so stoked to live in Oklahoma City doing my dream job designing everything from streetwear merchandise to full event branding.”

Emma Butler

Major: Graphic Design

PRISM Role: Graphic Designer

Post-Grad Plans: Hoping to work on packaging and branding, specifically for alcohol and liquor bottles!

Quote: “I am so excited to apply my design skills to real-world problem solving.”

Katie Howard

Major: Business Information Technology and Marketing Management

PRISM Role: Account Manager

Post-Grad Plans: Advisory Associate at KPMG in Charlotte, NC

Quote: “The past four years have been amazing but I can’t wait to head to Charlotte and see what the next chapter holds!”

Harene Jun

Major: Business Information Technology and Management

PRISM Role: Analyst

Post-Grad Plans: Working at Deloitte as a risk and financial advisory analyst in New York City. 

Favorite Quote: “If you don't fight, you can't win!”

Ali Monahan

Major: Marketing Management, Digital Marketing Strategy Concentration

Minor: Strategic Communication Minor

PRISM Role: Director of Copy, Pamplin CBA Account Manager, PRISM Social Media Strategist, F&M Account Executive, Copywriter

Post-Grad Plans: “Continuing my remote job as a Digital Marketing Associate for a cybersecurity startup!” 

Quote: “PRISM was the first organization I joined when I got to Virginia Tech and it’s so surreal that 4 years have already gone by. I will always be proud to call myself a PRISMite and a Hokie, and I am so thankful for the friends, experiences, and memories along the way. Sad to say goodbye to Blacksburg but so excited to see what God has planned for me next!”

Caitlin Nguyen 

Major: Finance and Hospitality and Tourism Management 

PRISM Role: Multimedia, Account Manager, Content Creator

Post-Grad Plans: Working for BlackRock, an asset management firm, doing Investment Strategy for portfolio managers and investment banks. 

Quote: “Embrace opportunities, and most importantly, your failures.”

Julia Palumbo

Major: Business Information Technology

Minor: Digital Marketing Strategy 

PRISM Role: Chief Marketing Officer

Post-Grad Plans: Visiting Europe for two weeks and then starting a job with the Martin agency in June!

Favorite Quote: “Work hard and you’ll be hard to beat!”

Mallory Reynaud

Major: Marketing w/ DMS concentration

PRISM Role: Account Exec and Content Creator for The Front Porch

Post-Grad Plans: Traveling to Boca West, FL after graduation and then moving into a new house in the beginning of June!

Quote: “The past four years at VT have been nothing short of amazing. PRISM has given me a look into the real-world experience before graduating which I know will help me tremendously. I'm excited for this new chapter in my life and can't wait for what's to come!”

Madison Rountree

Major: Public Relations 

Minor: Leadership and Social Change 

PRISM Role: Pamplin CBA Account Manager

Post-Grad Plans: Attending graduate school at Virginia Tech!

Quote: “I am excited to continue my education at Virginia Tech. I can’t imagine being on any other campus!”

Patrick Ruland 

Major: Marketing Management 

PRISM Role: PRISM Account Manager

Post-Grad Plans: Pursuing a job as an account manager at a creative agency; hoping to be a creative director or a strategist at an agency later down the road.

Favorite Quote: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” - Ferris Bueller

Ruj Tandanand

Major: Graphic Design

Minor: Industrial Design 

PRISM Role: Pamplin and Pamplin Admissions Graphic Designer

Post-Grad Plans: Going back home to Thailand for a few months! Hoping to get a job in Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, or the San Francisco area!

Favorite Quote: “I am the master of my fate and the captain of my destiny.”

Skyler Taube 

Major: Multimedia Journalism

Minor: Digital Marketing Strategy 

PRISM Role: Director of Multimedia 

Post-Grad Plans: Hoping to begin a career in marketing in Denver, Colorado. 

Quote: “This season of college is incredibly bittersweet, I have loved getting to learn and grow in PRISM! I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for both myself, and the other grads.”

Congratulations to all of our graduates–we can’t wait to watch you shine!

Thank you Julia!

PRISM thanks outgoing CMO Julia Palumbo for her hard work, dedication, leadership, and friendship during the 2021-2022 year.

As PRISMites prepare for the upcoming year and senior PRISMites prepare themselves for their jobs ahead, all are left with the bittersweet task of saying goodbye to Chief Marketing Officer, Julia Palumbo. Palumbo has made a lasting impact on PRISM and every member, making the 2021-2022 year majorly successful and memorable. 

Palumbo is leaving behind a long list of accomplishments that helped shape PRISM into the organization it has become today. Palumbo transferred to Virginia Tech her sophomore year of college, spotting PRISM through Virginia Tech as she researched various schools to apply to. After a quick glance over the website, Palumbo saw her future at Virginia Tech through the PRISM lens.

“PRISM was a large deciding factor in why I came to Virginia Tech. Then, once I came to Virginia Tech at the beginning of my sophomore year, I immediately wanted to get involved so I joined and became an analyst. Being in PRISM has absolutely helped to shape my college experience and I don’t think I would be who I am today without PRISM,”  Palumbo said. 

As a sophomore in PRISM, Palumbo was an analyst for OnwardNRV before moving on to be the driving force of action behind Pamplin Admissions as the account manager. Her leadership skills fostered successful campaigns, leading to Palumbo becoming the sole Chief Marketing Officer, managing PRISM with the help of Director of Business, junior Abby Stewart. Working together fostered a lifelong friendship between Stewart and Palumbo.

“Julia truly exemplified extraordinary leadership throughout her entire year as CMO. She is an unbelievable mentor and her dedication throughout the year has allowed PRISM to flourish into what it is. Having the opportunity to travel to Portland with her and the Digital Summit last fall was amazing and I’ve been lucky enough to have had her become one of my closest friends,” Stewart said.

During her time as CMO, Palumbo learned more about herself and colleagues than she could have imagined. While PRISM replicates a real-world agency, our fellow members transform from coworkers to close friends, and Palumbo notes the friendships made with every member of PRISM.

“Being CMO helped me grow into myself more. I feel like I learned how to be both a leader and a friend. Everyone in PRISM is both someone who I led and a friend, so being CMO forced me to learn how to be both a friend and a colleague,” Palumbo said. “Every single person is in PRISM for a reason, and one of my goals was to be a resource for PRISM members and push PRISMites to reach their full potential.”

Among her many goals for her time in PRISM, one that Palumbo feels she surpassed was improving the culture both inside and outside of PRISM. Despite challenges of COVID-19 that forced many events online and threatened to dampen culture, Palumbo was able to foster a positive and friendly work environment where all 60+ members were able to find their place. 

“My goals definitely changed throughout the year but I am so happy with how the year went. I felt like each time my goal changed or I set a short term goal, I was able to hit it! One of my main goals was improving the culture both inside and outside of PRISM and I think I was able to achieve that,” Palumbo said. 

As Palumbo strived ahead to meet each goal that she set, she was faced with challenges. With the mark of a great leader, Palumbo was able to overcome the challenges she faced and lead PRISM into one of its most successful years yet, playing a major role in signing many new clients, including National Settlement Services, Emisshield, and VT Mechanical Engineering. On top of her amazing work in PRISM, Palumbo was also able to win the Pamplin 2022 Caught in the Act of Leadership award.

There’s a long list of incredible moments for Palumbo to look back on with gratitude, but her best memories from PRISM will come from the people.

“I have so many amazing memories from this year. I would say my favorite memory is getting to know so many people. I’ll say it again and again, but my favorite part of PRISM is the people. I feel like I am both coworkers and friends with every person in PRISM and for a different reason. It’s what has made this experience so memorable. My favorite experience, though, is probably New York. I had never been to New York before and it was such an amazing trip. The group of people who went made it even more special and I’m so thankful for the experience.”

After graduation, Palumbo will be working for the Martin Agency in Richmond, VA. 

Palumbo’s extraordinary leadership and years of dedication has improved PRISM in immeasurable ways. From everyone in PRISM: Thank you, Julia, for not only being a powerful leader, but for being a great friend and colleague. We cannot wait to see what you do next and wish you the best of luck as you begin the next chapter of your life.

Two Sides of the PCPH Coin

Among PRISM’s list of clients is Promote Care, Prevent Harm, or PCPH for short, and senior Pierina Galvez has had the honor of working with this non-profit organization for the last year. PCPH runs workshops targeted towards both students and adults to help them learn how to deal with problems in both their lives and the workplace. The name plays on their methodology to help clients; one works to promote care, and the other is to prevent harm.

“PCPH stands for Promote Care and Prevent Harm. It basically stands for having this view from two sides of the coin; one is the positive and promoting care, like targeting the problem based on the promoting care aspect. The other one is by preventing harm. That’s why there’s both sides in the name, and we give these workshops about how to deal with problems and understand which side of that coin [the clients] are on,” Galvez said. 

A senior majoring in graphic design with a minor in marketing, Galvez was the perfect PRISMite to help run the PCPH account. Her time working with client Shane McCarty has allowed her to utilize her design background while getting a dose of marketing management experience. Soon after being on-boarded as the new Account Manager for PCPH, Galvez was offered a summer internship with them.

First on the list was to redesign PCPH’s logo. Originally a shield with a peace sign in the middle, Galvez saw the opportunity to better convey their methodology through the logo design. With a keen eye for strategy opportunities through different design methods, Galvez saw the chance to incorporate the PC and the PH into the logo to portray their theory behind the organization and capitalize on both sides of the PCPH coin.

“[The logo] changed a lot, but their new logo has a much clearer strategy in terms of concept,” Galvez said. 

McCarty was very open to the ideas Galvez brought to the table and was beyond impressed with the changes she made. 

“Shane is willing to help with anything and help you complete your goals. He’s very flexible and is always open to our ideas. He’s able to understand why things work and why some things don’t in terms of design. There are some people that are very particular about what design they want with little reasoning behind it and will disagree with the designer's opinions, but Shane is very open-minded on that aspect and understands the designer’s marketing perspective,” Galvez said.

Alongside the logo redesign, Galvez set to work on creating a new website for PCPH, created an annual report, and assisted in a postcard campaign to encourage donations through a QR code. Their efforts were rewarded with donations, including some who donate vast amounts monthly. 

As for the future of PCPH, Galvez notes that the main focus is on social media and creating content. 

“First, we need to nail what the objective of a campaign is and what their main goal is. We already built out the website, so now the information is more accessible and easier to understand. Everything is much more cohesive now, so we now have a channel to make conversions, so now we need to focus on social media to take people to the website. From there, we need to create their overarching goal and make sure we target the right audience,” Galvez said. 

Galvez appreciates the time she got to spend working with this non-profit organization through both PRISM and her summer internship. 

Simply The Best Scholarship Press Release

BLACKSBURG, Va.— To thank PRISM for its phenomenal work, the outstanding students that run it, and amazing advisor Donna Wertalik, distinguished Virginia Tech alumni James “Jim” Hatch has pledged $25,000 in scholarships to be awarded to the most deserving PRISM members over the course of five years.

“I have had the opportunity to observe the amazing work of the student run PRISM marketing team. Everything produced by this wonderful group of students is professional grade material. The opportunity for students to be a part of PRISM represents the best experiential learning opportunity at Virginia Tech,” said Hatch. 

The scholarship will be known as “Simply the Best,” or “STB” for short. Simply the Best, named after a Tina Turner song as Hatch noted, exemplifies those PRISMITE’s who go beyond the threshold of greatness and show outstanding leadership and dedication to the future of the Pamplin College of Business. This award recognizes members who are extraordinary in their efforts to increase awareness and support of the Global Business and Analytics Complex.

PRISM Chief Marketing Officer Julia Palumbo said, “We feel so thankful to Mr. Hatch for creating the Simply The Best Scholarship. It is such an honor to have this scholarship available to PRISM members.”

Simply the Best recognizes up to two undergraduate PRISM students per year, awarding both with a generous scholarship of $2,500. All undergraduate PRISM members with a GPA of 3.0 or higher are eligible for the scholarship and are encouraged to engage and spread awareness about this new award.

“Without Jim Hatch, who is making all of this possible, we would be lost. This truly reflects the experiential and applied impact of our programs in the college and department,” Donna Wertalik, Founder and Advisor of PRISM, said.

Hatch himself has pledged $25,000 towards this scholarship with a goal of raising a total of at least $100,000 to establish a permanent scholarship for the future of PRISM. Hatch looks forward to other alumni and friends to join him in recognizing and celebrating the great work of PRISM through this scholarship.

“All students who are part of the PRISM team are exceptional,” Hatch said, “but I think that it would be appropriate to, each year, recognize the best of the best.” 

PRISM recognizes how powerful this innovative concept is and thanks Mr. Hatch for his generosity. This scholarship will further motivate PRISM members to apply their real-world digital knowledge and data insights to drive impact and support for the future of the Pamplin College of Business.