This is Kim Uong. She graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with two degrees: one in business and one in advertising. During her time at Oregon, she was the strategy director for Ad Team and also wrote for different publications in the journalism school. Kim now works at AKQA, a place some of us get the chance to see this week. Kim is an excellent example of networking and making sure that you are always connecting with someone at agencies, and to make sure that you are nice, courteous, kind, and networking with a purpose. 

From Kim, AKQA has offered her the experience, stability, and environment she wanted. Kim also met nearly the entire department through the interview process and knew she would enjoy working with the team and could learn a lot from everyone. 

In her internship, Kim supported a junior strategist who acted as her mentor and was a former intern the year before. Because AKQA has an internship program, they had “lunch and learn” sessions with members of different departments throughout the agency and presented an intern group project at the end of the 10 weeks.

Some advice on how to get the most out of the trip from our very own, who has gone twice:

“Live it up! (Within reason.) New York is one of the greatest cities in the world and your playground for the week. Take advantage of all of the culture around you- go see art, music, that place you saw in a movie; reach out to someone you really look up to and ask to meet; eat good food and have fun.”

“Come in with an open mind and prioritize learning. Absorb as much as you can. Growth, relationships, opportunities, etc. will emerge from having genuine curiosity.”

“Be respectful and express gratitude for the time and efforts people have put towards making this trip happen- professors, agencies, your peers, etc.”

If you are going to AKQA, or want to connect with Kim, give her a shout. She really enjoys giving back and advising what she can. 

-James McAndrew