Our Blog: where do you stand?

How I Started Standing: Maggie Brandt

By: Maggie Brandt | 08/29/2011

When I was preparing to graduate with a degree in communication in May 2008, I thought I would be rolling in job offers... and then the recession hit hard. I quickly discovered that good grades and the resume I had been building for years didn't mean much when competing against too many experienced people for too few jobs.

After several months of searching, I was fortunate enough to intern with Fleishman-Hillard, where I cultivated a greater interest in PR... until I completed my internship and once again found myself job-searching in a job-less city. Determined to do something worthwhile in spite of the market, I returned to school to pursue my graduate degree. While working on my masters I was hired at Missouri State University, where I served as the assistant director of co-curricular involvement in the Office of Student Engagement (what a mouthful!). I spent nearly two years supporting student organizations and student leadership programs, reliving the extracurriculars that so greatly impacted my own college experience.

As much as I loved higher education and the student involvement experience, my skills and interests were once again pointing me to communication. I found ways to build my PR skills, including editing a professional association newsletter and coordinating marketing efforts for student programs. In fall of 2010, I made an extremely difficult and emotional decision to leave Missouri State at the end of the semester to pursue communication positions in St. Louis. I sent my resume to many agencies and organizations, including Standing Partnership, which I knew only by its website. December approached and I was biting my nails, afraid that I would once again face the tune of "not enough experience."

I ended up at Standing by a rare stroke of luck. I learned that a colleague had a personal connection with Melissa Lackey, president of Standing Partnership. He introduced us and Melissa agreed to meet with me and share her perspectives and experiences in the industry after the holidays. A few days later, Maya Lunnemann called to inform me that Standing had an internship opening. After a phone interview, which felt more like a chat with a friend, and a visit to the office, I knew Standing was where I wanted to be.

The Standing team gave me some great opportunities to work on several major clients and participate in client meetings and media events (including some behind the scenes work at Opening Day). In a few short months this impressive group had become family, and I worried about leaving the Standing team at the end of my internship. Thankfully, during the last week in April, Standing offered me the opportunity to join the team full-time. 

I'm so lucky to still be at Standing as an associate - this is a special organization where people truly care about their team and the work that they do. Moreover, I am thankful that I am still standing in general. As a student, I never understood how unpredictable the "real world" could be, and I learned that finding the right job is a job in itself. Now, I am grateful that I had to redirect myself a bit to get to where I am. I still love to talk about higher ed, but I've found that communication is a great fit that continues to challenge me to learn and grow, and I am more determined than ever to keep standing.

Posted in Culture