Upon graduation, Kelli Kyle (‘17), traded the cold winters of Ithaca for the sun of San Diego.
Kyle started out as Social Media Marketing Specialist at Buffini & Company reviewing all the posts, comments, etc. made on the company’s social media accounts and saving content to repost. On top of all that, Kyle also curated Facebook ads, and occasionally hosted Facebook Live events on behalf of the company.
“Now that I have this marketing knowledge,” Kyle said. “I feel that I have a well-rounded professional presence.”
Kyle decided to mix her newfound marketing knowledge with her already developed journalism skills. In 2019, she became the company’s Marketing Writer. This role has more of a storytelling element. She is tasked with telling the story of her company and its brand through blogs, articles and a magazine that she co-edited. Another part of her job is to compile market statistics and real estate statistics to send out to clients in a digestible format.
“It was a huge jump in responsibility, but my company was very encouraging,” she said. “I also knew that I could do it. I was like, ‘this is this is more suited to my skill set.’”
To continue fueling her passions in podcasting, Kyle said she also does freelance work for a hyperlocal weekly newspaper in North County, San Diego. She began writing in-depth articles for the newspaper and launched a podcast in November 2019.
“It would be nice to focus on one thing, but at the same time, when you want to keep the passion going, do what you can,” Kyle said. “This way I get to have my hands in both of my interests.”
She said it’s helpful to keep a few doors open when one might not be sure where they want to be for the long term.
“Rather than locking yourself into one path, I mean, you just hustle a little bit,” she said. “As long as you're okay, like mental health stays up and all that stuff, it can be really good, too.”
Kyle has defined herself as an innovator in her roles. She credits her success to her Ithaca College experience which inspired a go-getter spirit in her — one that has given her the courage to launch a podcast and pursue marketing.
“Ithaca really taught me to be fearless,” she said. “When you get into the professional world, I think it's very easy to get comfortable with where you are, to stop taking risks and to stop scheming up your next move. And I think that my experience is that Ithaca college taught me that I can handle a lot more than I think that I can.”
A huge part of her journalism foundation comes from the Mobile Journalism Class with Anthony Adornato, associate professor in the Department of Journalism. The class gave Kyle the skills she needed to obtain and succeed in the position she holds today, such as becoming certified in Hootsuite, the same platform that her company uses to produce content.
Kyle was also involved in on-campus media including WICB and Newswatch. Kyle said participating in those programs “gave me the confidence I don’t think I would have gotten otherwise.”
In addition to majoring in journalism, Kyle minored in History, French, and Honors. Her history minor helped pique her interest in world affairs and politics. Learning a new language and going abroad to France gave her experience being in vulnerable yet beneficial situations.
“[Going abroad] makes you comfortable with being uncomfortable,” said Kyle. In the professional world, she found the experience of studying in France comparable to when she dove into the unknown world of marketing.
Kyle was a part of the Ithaca College Chapter of The Society of Professional Journalists, which emphasizes networking and excellent journalism. Working with the SPJ built up her confidence to connect with professionals and ultimately landed her the job she has now.
“Don’t be afraid to network and don’t be afraid to ask for what you want” said Kyle. “SPJ was really helpful for that.”