by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
UNM alumna Sheena Gamache said her classwork on a recruitment campaign for the U.S. Department of State prepared her for the real world.
"Before this project, I'd done millions of projects for millions of classes," she said. "But this was the most unique thing I've ever played a part in."
Gamache was part of a promotional marketing class that creates and executes a marketing campaign for the government agency to recruit interns.
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Jennifer Kolker, a student in this year's class, said it is hard work.
The class had about three weeks from the beginning of the semester to present a strategy to the agency, she said.
"We've been going full-swing since the beginning," she said.
John Benavidez, the class's instructor, said last year's campaign created a 355 percent increase in the number of UNM students who applied for the internships.
There are 13 students in this year's class. The group has a $2,500 budget.
Kolker said the class will help her get a marketing job after she graduates.
"It sets you apart for employers," she said. "Everyone's taken classes where you sit around and take notes and read textbooks. This gives you some real experience."
Rochelle Nasab, a student in the class, said she has done similar projects in other classes, but they have been for imaginary clients.
"In this class, we're doing something for a real client, with real money and real expectations," she said.
Gamache said those expectations made her do better work than in other classes.
"I took more pride in working hard, because I was working for someone else," she said.
The class is offered through the Anderson Schools of Management.
