Mary “Molly” Rosato is a new grad who feels confident in her future career because of her education and experiences in the public relations program at UL Lafayette.
“While I am still in the very early stages of my post-graduate career, I feel confident in saying that my experience at UL Lafayette provided me with the strongest possible educational foundation that will set me up to be successful in whatever I decide to do,” she said.
“My liberal arts degree required me to take courses in many different disciplines, all of which I have found extremely useful and relevant in my career so far,” she said. “And this is just the beginning!”
Why UL Lafayette?
Molly’s love for Lafayette was a deciding factor in where to continue her education. UL Lafayette was the perfect place to make a change but still feel at home.
“I spent many holidays and weekends in my childhood visiting my extended family in Lafayette,” she said. “In fact, I was living in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and actually evacuated to Lafayette in August of 2005!
“The city has always meant a lot to me and is a place where I hold many happy memories from throughout my life, so that played a major role in my decision when choosing a college,” she said.
The city wasn’t the only reason she came to this decision, however.
“On top of having great affection for Lafayette, I took several tours of UL Lafayette and heard firsthand from then-current students about how the campus just felt like home,” she said. “My older brother was a student at UL Lafayette and always spoke highly of his experience and the people he met there.”
“UL Lafayette puts a strong emphasis on campus diversity and inclusion, so I felt comfortable knowing that I would be exposed to many different kinds of people while still having countless extracurricular opportunities to meet others with similar interests,” she said.
“I take academics very seriously, so UL Lafayette also stood out to me because of the University Honors Program and the many opportunities for learning outside of the classroom,” she said.
“While all of these factors definitely played a role in my decision-making process, I ultimately chose the University because the UL Lafayette community truly made me feel like a valued, important part of the tradition and legacy, which meant more to me than anything else,” she said.
More Than Just Academics
While attending college is ultimately about advancing your education, Molly’s experiences outside of class were just as important.
“UL Lafayette not only gave me the academic resources that I needed to be successful, but also a wealth of opportunities to learn practical skills like interview readiness, leadership best practices, and resume writing,” she said.
Molly appreciated the built-in aspects of the public relations program that helped her build marketable skills in her industry.
“The best thing about the public relations track at UL Lafayette is that is provides so many ways for students to gain real-world experience that will place them a cut above other recent graduates when beginning the job search,” she said.
“In the capstone course, we had the chance to work with a real client, providing them with promotional campaign services that we researched and developed ourselves,” she said. “Additionally, UL Lafayette has a student-run communication firm that allows students to work with real clients.
“Public relations students are required to take the internship course, which ensures that all PR graduates have some level of real-world experience before exiting the program,” she said.
Molly also found other ways to add on to her college experience.
“In my opinion, UL Lafayette provides all of its students with the necessary resources for success in both their careers and in their lives; it is simply up to the students to utilize these resources,” she said.
Molly utilized the resources provided by becoming an active member of the UL Lafayette American Marketing Association (UL AMA).
“Not only did UL AMA provide me with insights into the realities of the working world, but it also allowed me to explore my potential as a leader,” she said.” As a member of the UL AMA executive board, I helped to recruit marketing professionals from across Louisiana to visit campus as guest speakers.
“Our events gave members the opportunity to network with real industry professionals and hear firsthand what to expect from a career in marketing,” she said. “Many members even made connections through which they secured internships or jobs after graduation!
“For me, the best part about being on the UL AMA executive board was learning how to properly market myself and my skills as a young professional to best set myself up for success after graduation,” she said.
Molly’s Career
Molly is currently the development coordinator at UL Lafayette where she works on the University’s fundraising efforts.
“The hope is that these efforts will allow us to implement new developments and projects on campus that will contribute to the overall improvement of the UL Lafayette community and tradition,” she said.
“My goal in this job is to learn as much as I can about the field of development and fundraising because it’s an area I’ve always been interested in exploring,” she said. “I think the role plays well to my strengths as a professional, so I’m looking forward to further refining my strategic communication skills among a team of very experienced development professionals.”
She didn’t always know what direction she was heading in, though.
“I was never sure what I wanted to do after high school,” she said. “I chose to study public relations after being counseled by a member of UL Lafayette’s Office of Career Services, who informed me that the public relations field combines creativity, leadership, strategic thinking, and scientific theory.
“I knew that I would someday want to take an active role in improving or giving back to my community, and a public relations degree could set me on the path to get there,” she said.
“UL Lafayette’s public relations track has a hands-on aspect that you won’t find in other majors,” she said. “It truly shows you what you will do each day in a communication, marketing, advertising, or community relations role, regardless of the industry you ultimately choose.”
Molly’s career path is still open, and the time she spent at UL Lafayette prepared her for what might come.
“No matter how far away I travel in the future or how much time passes, I will ALWAYS be a proud Ragin’ Cajun and will sing the praises of my UL Lafayette education to everyone I meet,” she said.
“I would not be the strong, capable individual I am today were it not for the incomparable faculty, staff, and community that surrounded me at UL Lafayette,” she said. “I will forever credit the university and my parents with any successes I see in the future. Geaux Cajuns!”
