Hire Education is a series that showcases stories of student success through experiential learning.
Isabel De Zubiria
The magic was in the details.
When Isabel De Zubiria began researching colleges from her hometown in Colombia, the distinctive features of St. Clair College's Advertising & Marketing Communications Management program quickly made it her first choice.
It was a good choice — an internship she did through the College turned into a full-time job before she even graduated.
"I felt the curriculum was very complete," said De Zubiria, 22, who graduated in 2023. "It was very unique compared to other colleges. I wasn't completely sure what I wanted, but then this program seemed to be a good fit for me. It was not just learning how to do ads. It was learning and understanding the consumer, understanding how to communicate a message. All of that really caught my eye. I'm very a detail-oriented person. So this program being detailed in all those ways, for me it really stood out."
Advertising and Marketing Communications Management, one of the premier programs of its kind in Canada, offers an array of career paths such as public relations, account management, event planning, and relationship management.
St. Clair's dedication to work-integrated learning, combining classroom studies with practical industry experience, helps ensure that 90 percent of the program's students are employed within six months of graduation.
A prearranged monthlong work placement gives students real industry experience and valuable contacts and often leads to full-time jobs.
De Zubiria spent the final month of her program doing an internship with CenterLine (Windsor) Ltd. The company builds custom automated welding and assembly systems and related machinery integration components.
Her internship included marketing and communications work, designing graphics, editing the company website, and helping plan tradeshows.
Before the internship was over — in fact, before it began — she had a full-time job as CenterLine's newest Marketing Support Specialist.
"They told me they were looking for some younger talent with fresh ideas, who knew about the current state of the marketing industry," said De Zubiria. "They offered me the job from the beginning. They saw me as an employee from the start."
During her studies, she also had the opportunity to work at St. Clair's Genesis Experiential Learning and Career Centre, which provides student and employer supports.
The centre offers career fairs and workshops and helps students sharpen resume writing, job interview skills, and job search strategies.
The Genesis job, which was separate from her program, allowed her to apply new skills as she developed them while gaining experience to position her for post-grad employment.
"It was a great opportunity they gave me to work there, to use the skills I was learning in school and apply them to an organization within the College," said De Zubiria.
She said the reputation of St. Clair College, her program, and the work experience she gained while still in school helped open the door at CenterLine.
"They are very involved with what the College does," she said. "They know that St. Clair's graduates are great from any program of study."