Meet Bay Area Bae, Nicole Camacho, the confident and successful female we all strive to be on a daily. Coming from a family full of nurses, doctors, and other medical-related professions, Nicole decided to take a completely opposite route and pursue a career in advertising. Now, being a senior Advertising/Public Relations major, she is an intern at Specific Media, one of the top advertising agencies in the nation, and just recently got an interview for an internship for this upcoming spring semester at Mcgarry-Bowen, a top global advertising agency. Did I mention they make advertisements for Disney? Well, yeah they do. Put simply, Nicole is slaying in the world of advertising.
Hometown: San Francisco, California
Year: Senior
Major: Advertising/Public Relations
HC: You come from a family full of nurses, doctors, and other medical personnel. With that being your environment, how did you know that you wanted to do advertising?
Nicole Camacho: My generation, everyone either went into nursing or engineering. But not me. Yes, I’m Filipino, but I’m definitely not a nursing major. (Laughs) In high school, I knew I always loved writing; that was always my way of expressing myself. I began journaling, then I eventually took writing classes and my teachers saw that I was pretty good. So that’s when I realized that was where my passion was. I knew that I couldn’t handle working in the medical field because science was my least favorite class. Also, I volunteered at Standford Medical Hospital during my sophomore year of high school. It was a really fun experience and I liked helping people, but I realized that I wasn’t comfortable because I would easily get grossed out by things, such as the sight of blood. I just didn’t have the personality traits that medical personnel needed to have. But, I always knew that I was a people person and my strengths were in my writing classes in high school.
HC: Looking back at your college career so far, what accomplishments are you most proud of?
Nicole Camacho: One big success I had was that I got an internship with Specific Media after my junior year. It’s really surprising because according to my mentors, it’s not very common to get an internship at such an early stage in the advertising world. Most people end up getting internships towards the end of senior year or after they graduate. With this internship I’ve gained so much experience and it has really allowed me to stand out in my classes this year. For example, during the second week of classes this semester, one of my professors already recommended me for an internship with McGarry Bowen, which is an advertising agency that does ads for Disney, Crayola, United Airlines and many more well-known companies. I just recently landed an interview with them for this upcoming spring semester, so hopefully I’ll get that position because who wouldn’t want to work with Disney?
HC: Any plans after graduation?
Nicole Camacho: I’m thinking about staying in Chicago after graduation. I absolutely fell in love with the city and this seems like the perfect place for me to jumpstart my career in advertising. If not Chicago, New York would be pretty cool too. I’m really just hoping that the internship I have and experience that I’m getting right now will help me find a job postgrad. I’m also considering taking a few months off to volunteer with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. But everything is still up in the air! It really just depends on where exactly I’ll be in my life and what opportunities will be available for me once it gets closer to graduation.
HC: Are you involved in any extracurricular activities?
Nicole Camacho: I’m currently serving as the president of Council Pan of Asian Americans, otherwise known as COPAA. COPAA is a student organization on Loyola’s campus that focuses on the needs of the Asian-American community, social justice, and cultural and ethnic awareness of the API community. COPAA is an organization that I hold dear to my heart because it’s a place where I can embrace my Asian-American identity. In the past, I never really paid attention to that part of my life until I came to Loyola. Through COPAA, I learned so much about myself and my heritage, and it has allowed me to gain an open mind.
HC: Are there any upcoming COPAA events that people can attend or get involved in?
Nicole Camacho: COPAA’s International Night is actually right around the corner. We have I-Night every year, and it’s basically a variety show where students on and off campus can dance, sing, perform through spoken word, or do any type of talent that expresses their Asian heritage and culture. I-Night will be on November 14th at 7pm in Mullady Theater and it’s always a fun time! We also have our annual fashion show during the spring semester. That has over 100 people in attendance every year. This past fashion show, we had a really awesome COPAA intern who came up with the idea of getting the Chicago community involved by sponsoring us. They donated clothes, goodie bags, and other fun items for the show. Currently, the show is still in the works, but be on the lookout for any updates!
HC: You’re clearly awesome as evidence by your countless achievements. What is it that motivates you to continue being so successful?
Nicole Camacho: What motivates me is definitely my family, especially my parents and my grandparents. They immigrated from the Philippines, just to ensure that my siblings and I had more opportunities than they did. They wanted a better life for me and they wanted to make sure I was successful. I wouldn’t be at Loyola, getting an awesome education and changing the world without them.
Well, her family must be over the moon because Nicole is honestly changing the world with her creative mind, friendly personality, and well-rounded talents. With her incredible amount of advertising experience and countless successes, we can wholeheartedly agree that Nicole is definitely not a nursing major, but an advertising superstar.