My name is Lina Elansary and I am a Senior at Boston University majoring in Finance with a minor in Psychology. Sophomore year, my friend—who’s concentrating in Marketing—, asked me to come with her to the first GMS info session. I initially didn’t want to go since I was not interested in Marketing as a career, so I didn’t think I would benefit from it. However, I decided to go just so my friend wouldn’t be alone. Once the info session began, I was immediately impressed by the hard work and dedication that the Eboard had put into their presentation. I was amazed by the list of clients they were able to work with, so I decided to join GMS for a semester.
What I learned as a general member:
As a general member, I became part of a team that was working on a local app that made it easier for groups to decide on a place to eat. We first started by creating a Target Persona for this app, and I became fascinated with the idea of turning a business into a person. We then did extensive industry analysis and we sent out surveys to further understand the app’s target market. For the first time, I began seeing businesses from a broad perspective and not just focusing on their numbers. As someone who aspires to one day start a business, I was able to see how marketing influences all aspects of a company; I realized that it is the backbone of every business. We then began creating marketing tactics and I enjoyed having a creative outlet after a long day of math-based classes.
As an Account Manager:
The next semester, I applied and was accepted to be an Account Manager. This was a very challenging and rewarding experience. I had a team of seven and I began to explore different leadership styles to see what works for me. I tried to lead by example by working extremely hard on our presentation while constantly updating my client on our work. It was important for me to make sure that my team was learning and benefiting while also ensuring that the client receives all the work they have asked for. I had to make sure that the client understood that we would not be able to deliver work that did not align with GMS’ purpose. During this experience, I learned not only how to lead a team, but also how to effectively communicate with clients.
Head of Operations:
This semester I am in charge of operations and specifically ensuring that there are no conflicts within teams. To resolve any conflict that may arise, I will be sure to use my experience as an AM and delegate the teams effectively to ensure maximum productivity. I am excited for a new challenge and look forward to seeing all the new marketing tactics GMS come up with.
Looking back at my journey at GMS so far, it wasn’t just about learning the technicalities of Guerrilla Marketing; it was about learning how to be a teammate, a leader, an effective communicator, and it expanded my creativity.