IC News

As an integrated marketing communications student, Julia Batista ‘22 is no stranger to persuasive communications. That’s why, when given the chance to prove she deserved a spot in one of the most competitive advertising internship programs in the country, she was ready.

Originally established by the Los Angeles Times and American Advertising Federation, the Vance and Betty Lee Stickell Honors Student Internship Program, currently housed at the University of Texas at Austin, pairs 20 highly-qualified students with 10-week summer internships at advertising agencies and media companies. With this honor, Batista becomes the seventeenth Ithaca College student to be accepted into the program since its inception.

In November of 2020, Batista received an email from Scott Hamula, chair of the department of strategic communications, letting her know he was nominating her to apply for the program. Over the course of the next week, Batista collected letters of recommendation, requested transcripts, and wrote personal statements to complete the application package.

“I was afraid that it wasn’t going to get done, but it happened,” said Batista. “After that, it’s up to the program to decide if you’re a good fit, and then they share your application with advertising agencies that can decide if they want to interview you. I had three agencies reach out to me.”

After a lengthy interview process, Batista’s dreams became a reality when she was offered a position as a business intern at her top pick, TBWA/Chiat/Day NY, a highly decorated and innovative agency.

“I remember that day so vividly,” she said. “I was in my room doing schoolwork, and I got an email from Scott with a GIF saying congratulations. I called my dad immediately, and he was so proud of me. It was my first internship with an agency, so it was a big deal.”

When her internship — which was virtual — began, she dove into the work, monitoring project timelines, taking meeting notes, and learning the ins and outs of the campaign processes and client relationships.

Halfway through her internship, Batista became particularly intrigued by the work done in TBWA/Chiat/Day’s strategy department and decided to complete the rest of her internship working with that team. There, she was able to do research on social media and consumer behavior, formulate insights, and produce weekly newsletters to keep the entire department up to date on current media and social trends.

“As a person who wants to be a lifelong learner, I learned that strategy is where I want to be. Throughout all the research, you learn fun facts about random things that you wouldn't just find out about in your free time,” she said. “I was having coffee chats with a bunch of strategists, and the way that they were speaking about their everyday responsibilities, why they chose strategy, and the clients they work with, it really inspired me.”