With the plethora of marketing positions available in Silicon Valley, it was only a matter of time before a marketing club was established at Santa Clara. UMark, SCU’s undergraduate marketing club, has been at Santa Clara for a few years, but this year marks a turning point. Shannon Donnelly, a senior at SCU and president of UMark, has big plans for the club including field trips, event panels, and resume workshops. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Shannon to talk about her hopes for UMark.
How did you become the President of UMark?
I’ve been a club member since my sophomore year, but I volunteered to be more involved last year when the club was struggling. Together with the rest of the board we tried to put on panels, but it was tough. We got two new faculty advisors last year that I knew from classes. It’s been the three of us working together, and we’ve been bringing students on-board to help out. Erica Chen has been really helpful and Johnny Flanigan, who appointed himself Vice-President, has also helped so much. Together [the five of us] coordinate everything.
What do you all have planned for this quarter?
This quarter we’re having an event panel in which we bring in speakers from different companies and they come and talk about different aspects in marketing. For winter quarter, we’re looking to build more events and set up field trips and resume workshops.
What is your dream company to work with UMark?
When I was a sophomore, we toured Twitter in San Francisco which was really cool. Right now, I think a lot of people want Pinterest and GoPro but I think everyone’s dream is Google or Facebook.
How does UMark differ from other business clubs on-campus?
We listen to student feedback and we’re trying to cater the club towards what students want. Students will say during meetings, “I think it would be cool to see GoPro,” and then the next day we will email GoPro.
Why should SCU students join UMark?
One huge benefit of UMark is that we’re forming so many connections with these companies so it’s a great networking opportunity for students. Internships are just popping up! Also, it’s cool for freshmen because you get to know the marketing professors who you wouldn’t meet until typically your junior or senior year.
Who can join UMark?
Anyone can join! We have marketing majors, engineer majors, etc. It’s open to anyone, you just have to be available to meet for the lectures!
UMark meetings are held every other Wednesday from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. SCU students can check out the club’s Facebook page for more information!