#WhitmanWatch: Sarah Graham

Editor’s note: This week’s #WhitmanWatch students are all graduating members of the Whitman School’s social media team. They’ve been blogging for the past several months; this time, they are the featured stories. Whitman thanks them for all their hard work and wishes them well as future alumni of Syracuse University! 

Class of 2016
Majors: Marketing Management, Public Relations
Minor: Chinese Studies
Hometown: North East, Pennsylvania
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraheileengraham
Fun Fact: “I have the same birthday as my mom. As the youngest child in my family, having to share a birthday every year kind of negated the stereotype that the youngest kid doesn’t share anything.”

Sarah Graham first was drawn to Syracuse University by its strong programs at the Whitman and Newhouse Schools but after four years she now has lasting memories of a place that has allowed her to challenge conventional thinking and seek out new opportunities and experiences, some of which have shaped her future career goals.

“I was involved in a lot of the back-end efforts of public relations campaigns as a digital analytics intern at MSLGROUP last summer,” she said. “This has confirmed my interest in pursuing a career in market research.”

She is now looking for market analyst positions at media and digital agencies in the New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C. markets.

During her time at SU, Graham has been inspired by the strong sense of community.

“I underestimated the ability of school spirit to connect and motivate the community to rally around a common cause,” she said. “Of course, the most recent example of this would be the men’s and women’s team heading to the final four/championship games, however I think this same sense of community can be found outside of sports and with public issues as well. Syracusans are a thick-skinned, hard working group of people, and I’m proud to say I was one of them for four years.”

One of her most memorable moments was seeing the Dalai Lama as a freshman, the magnitude of which she fully understood, even then.

“I was young and naïve and probably locked myself out of my dorm room three times that week but I knew I should attend that event,” said Graham. She added that the influence of SU not only in the community but also in the academic and professional world was like nothing she had ever experienced and it allowed her access to other prominent figures, as well.

Graham said SU offers so much to students and the faculty are perhaps the most underrated resources.

“When someone tells you to go to office hours just to introduce yourself, that advice shouldn’t be taken lightly,” she explained. “As a research university, the faculty are doing some amazing things and exploring some amazing concepts, opening many doors!”

In developing her own relationships with faculty and staff, Graham said SU has also helped her gain the ability to make an impact wherever she goes, and she’s learned to take initiative, something she will carry with her far into post-graduation life.

That initiative has led her to pursue consideration as a Newhouse Scholar; she was selected as one of 13 scholars out of a pool of 70 applicants!

“I haven’t told my parents yet. I’m still figuring out the best way to frame, ‘See? The tuition was worth it,’” she said.

Something tells us they know now!