By Tori Lotz, Class of 2025
Recent marketing graduate Ava Miller’s (’24) career at the Olathe Chamber of Commerce started a year ago when she was hired as an intern. Ava secured an internship with the help of her advisor and chair of the business department, Dr. Lisa Wallentine. As an intern, Ava was able to work on some of the biggest events in Olathe as an event coordinator. Her success in managing the Chamber’s Career Expo, Fourth Fridays, and the Olathe Garmin Marathon led to multiple extensions of her internship and a new position created specifically for her, which she accepted in August this year. Ava works in the Convention and Visitors Bureau within the Chamber to bring in tourists and visitors, and to highlight the city of Olathe through events and marketing efforts.
One of the attributes that Ava likes most about her job is the variety. Whether it’s social media or planning logistics, there is no one “genre” of event planning. She has the leadership and creative freedom needed to do what she’s best at and is trusted to portray Olathe as it should be. Ava finds her job rewarding: “I love creating a space for people to connect.”
While she was originally unsure of her career path, Ava found her passion for event planning through a class with digital communications professor Aaron Bohn. She knew she loved working with people and hosting but didn’t realize how much she enjoyed event planning. Classes like business communications and the MNU professors helped prepare her for a career.
“The business program really wants to throw you in real situations,” Ava says. “Those real-time business experiences really helped me gain the professionalism [ I wanted.]”
To those struggling to know what career they want to pursue, Ava encourages students to connect with professors and get involved in areas on campus that could translate to career experience. After all, she says, “You never know until you ask. Getting a no will only make the yes so much better.”
Part of getting involved on campus is using initiative to find where to plug in. Before she graduated, Ava took the opportunity to work as a student marketer for Mabee Library. She managed events like Late Night at Mabee, which helped her prepare for her internship and current job. Ava also encourages students to “know what you offer.” She stresses that every student has a different viewpoint from anyone else, which means there’s an opportunity for valuable input, and the education provided is meant to equip students for careers.
Visit mnu.edu/undergrad/marketing to learn more about majoring in marketing at MNU. Not sure if marketing is the right fit? Explore MNU’s business programs and see what might interest you at mnu.edu/undergraduate-business.
