My UShadow Experience at Univision

By Tiffany Kerr, UShadow Participant

This semester I was accepted into the UShadow Program which is a very unique program that matches you with a professional in the career of your interest. I was very excited when I got accepted, because I am interested in many different things and wasn’t sure if it was even possible to match me. I am currently a junior at University of Miami studying Advertising with a minor in Latin American Studies and Entrepreneurship. In the future I plan to go to grad school to get an MBA. When I received the email that I was paired up with Silvina, the manager of programming research at Univision, I was very surprised that I was given the opportunity to shadow a professional at a location that was related to all my interests.

I was introduced to Leidys, the senior programming research specialist at Univision, who coordinated the time and date for my visit to Univision. Leidys stayed in touch with me through email until it was the day of my visit. I could immediately sense I was going to love my experience at Univision before I even visited. The day of my visit to Univision, the first person I met was Leidys. I walked through that glass door and entered a world I could not imagine. The first floor was lightly dimmed and there were televisions everywhere and people working at their stations. Programming research was on the second floor and from there I was introduced to Michael, the programming research specialist, and Silvina.

My day started with Michael showing me a PowerPoint about what programming research is and what they do. I asked a lot of questions and learned something new. The company uses Nielsen, which I have heard a lot about while studying Advertising, and Michael showed me examples of what Nielsen does for programming research. After the PowerPoint session, I sat in on a meeting and the programming research team discussed ratings. Then, I was given a tour of Univision and visited different departments such as Advertising, Radio, and Fusion. I was introduced to a University of Miami alum that worked at Fusion and he joined us for lunch later on as well.

During lunch we all sat together and I got to know everyone a little more. Silvina went to the University of Miami for a semester for the study abroad program and is from Argentina. I mentioned to her how I love to travel and told her about my experience with doing a service trip to Guatemala with the University of Miami. She was very familiar with that trip and we ended up talking about the next places we would both love to visit. Michael, the University alum, and I talked about finals, video games, and they gave me advice on what classes I should take next semester that would help me in the job market. Leidys and I talked about her career and how she loves her job.  I mentioned how I was still trying to find my career path but my experience here is giving me ideas of what I would like to pursue.

After lunch I was introduced to producers in a conference room and sat in on their meeting. They talked about shows and what can be done to improve them. I met with the advertising team who showed me a new view on how advertising works. The team is very innovative and the content they create is unique. I learned about different ways to create ads and that when advertising to a certain demographic, the right spokesperson is important. I met a professional who helps create and designs the apps and I got a chance to look at some new work in development. My day ended with exchanging contact information with everyone and an invite back for another shadow day. I had a wonderful time at Univision and I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity. I learned a lot and the experience was incredible.

Why Everyone Needs to Apply for the UShadow Program

By Madison Bowden, Toppel Peer Advisor

This semester I was accepted into the UShadow Program, a very unique program offered at the Toppel Career Center. This program matches you with a professional in a field of work that you are interested in. The great part about this program is that there is no pressure that comes with an interview but you have the capability of getting to know the professional on a level of an interview and ask as many questions as you want! I got to spend the day at the office of Klique, a new application on the market. I spent the day learning from the CEO, Matt Crown and Marketing Director, Derek Du Chesne about all the ins and outs of creating such a complex application. I was also able to help brainstorm Marketing campaigns and how they are handling their launch coming in a month. This experience taught me how to address a professional setting and learn about pursuing my Marketing Career. Klique is also an innovative application that allows you to meet new people with friends by your side. Klique is one of the first apps that allows for group-to-group social networking. The wonderful Klique team had me acquainted with the app and using it the day of our meet up. I am so grateful about all I learned through the meet up and UShadow Program. Be sure to check out this app and download it! It is a great platform for socializing in groups!

Check it out:

http://www.klique.com

UShadow Program: A Day in the Life

By Marian Li, Toppel Peer Advisor

Setting up a job shadowing experience can be daunting and confusing, especially if you don’t yet have the connections with employers in your field of interest. Job shadowing is a career exploration activity that offers an opportunity to spend time with a professional currently working in a person’s career field of interest. Lucky for you, the Toppel Career Center does all this planning and provides a contact and introduction for you! The University of Miami UShadow program provides students the unique opportunity to connect with a knowledgeable alumni/employer hosts and investigate a potential career field in our local community through a typical workday.

I personally, had the chance to participate in the UShadow twice, both this year as well as last. A little background about me, I’m a junior majoring in Health Science Business Administration. Yeah I know, it’s a mouthful and somewhat difficult of an industry to enter without any help. This year, I had the opportunity to shadow the Clinical Resource Coordinator at Jackson Memorial Systems. The day started off with a tour of the building and introductions to her staff. Right as we were about to head to her office, the hospital had a fire drill; prompting more introductions to other hospital administrators my host hadn’t planned on, life takes you in funny directions. Originally the day was supposed to be focused on the administrative aspect of healthcare, but during the 30-minute drill, I had the chance to pick the minds of many practitioners and their thoughts regarding profit versus non-profit institutes. This is one of the many benefits of shadowing, at the end of your experience, you hear more than one story of how people got to where they are – which in my opinion, is the most enriching part of meeting people.

Every now and then, as students, we lose sight of the long-term goal we have post-graduation: a job we love. Having a chance to speak with someone in a position I hope to be in within the next 10 years was a motivation to work towards what I wanted. Through UShadow, not only do you gain insight, but you also gain a mentor to aid you through your journey. My host, an alumni of the university, and I connected while reminiscing about our time at UM which made conversation flow naturally, and I got to learn more about her. The most important advice I took from my experience was that, no matter what industry, networking is what sets candidates apart, and what better way to network than through a day shadowing!  

The UShadow program is open to all University of Miami students who are in good academic standing with the University and are classified as sophomores or juniors at the University of Miami. Students should also review the timeline of events to ensure they can attend one of the Pre-Departure Orientations. Students from all majors are encouraged to participate! Be sure to check out Toppel’s noteworthy program!

UShadow: Talia's Day in the Life of a...

By Talia Weintraub

UShadow has provided me with an enlightening experience in my continuing search for a profession that best suits my interests. I have been considering many possible careers paths, such as that of a nurse practitioner, a speech-language pathologist, and an industrial organizational psychologist. When I learned about the UShadow program offered by the Toppel Career Center as a chance to obtain a deeper understanding of one of these careers, I jumped at the chance. I was assigned to shadow a speech-language pathologist from the University of Miami Hospital. A speech-language pathologist, in short, is a highly-trained professional who evaluates and treats children and adults who have difficulty with speech, language, or swallowing. I really benefited from my UShadow experience and highly recommend the program for any student interested in learning more about a particular profession. Applying to the UShadow Program can help students gain a better grasp of what their career of interest may entail.

            I started my day of shadowing at 8:30am in the Mailman Center at the University of Miami Hospital, where I met the speech pathologist I would be shadowing for the day. We briefly discussed her type of work as we waited for her first patient of the day, expected at 9:00am. The patient was a young boy of about 10 years of age needing an evaluation for potential speech problems. I observed the evaluation and watched the speech-language pathologist at work with the child, flipping through booklets and asking the child to answer questions about and describe what was occurring in a variety of pictures.

            After the child left with his parents, my UShadow host took the time to answer all of my questions about the field of speech-language pathology, such as why she selected this type of work, opportunities for higher earnings in this field, the possibility of running your own business, and what opportunities exist for part-time work. 

I am quite thankful for the UShadow Experience organized by the Toppel Career Center, as the knowledge gained from my one-on-one time conversing with the speech pathologist could not be matched by any article, blog, or video posted online about the field of speech pathology. Shadowing a speech-language pathologist has helped me to realize that I would like a career that involves a bit more physical activity and more potential for higher earnings. A career as either a nurse practitioner or a nurse anesthetist would be a better fit, and I would still have the option of working with patients in a hospital setting. I highly encourage anyone who is curious to learn more about potential career paths to take advantage of this opportunity. Through the program, I have gained a unique, insightful perspective that has helped me figure out my desired lifestyle and professional ambitions.

UShadow at Zensah: The Employer’s Perspective

By: Ze'ev Feig CEO, Zensah Performance Apparel

As CEO of a fast growing sports apparel company, I need to be very efficient in how I manage my time. When I was contacted by the Toppel Career Center to participate in the UShadow program, I immediately accepted. There are a number of people who help mentor me, and I feel it is important to return the favor.

Daniel Englert came to visit my company, Zensah® Performance Apparel, and he showed a keen interest in everything related to apparel. His time at Zensah® was initially spent with me where he had the opportunity to ask questions on topics ranging from the founding of the company to our current day operations. He was able to gain valuable insights into what it takes to build an apparel company. The heartaches and the successes. I also had the opportunity to ask questions of Daniel, and learn from a young, inquisitive, and talented person. I definitely learned from Daniel.

After speaking with Daniel, I had him spend some time with our Director of Design, which is the area that most interested Daniel. He was able to learn how a product is created from concept to production.

Finally, after Daniel finished his time in the design department, I gave him a tour of our office and warehouse which gave him the opportunity to ask any more questions he might have had.

I believe the experience was mutually beneficial, and I hope to continue to participate in the UShadow program, as there are always opportunities to learn.

Exploring Zensah: My UShadow Experience

By: Daniel Englert

When I arrived at Zensah’s headquarters, I walked inside through the bay door and greeted two staff members who were packaging apparel, who then directed me up a stairway to the second floor of the warehouse to meet the founder and CEO of the company, Ze’ev Feig.

Ze’ev and I began talking about Zensah and the business of compression apparel. At a point Ze’ev asked me what my intentions were in shadowing at Zensah, and I told him about my plans to start a casual men’s clothing brand. This led into a discussion about the best current start-up clothing companies that were currently launching, including Gustin jeans beginning from a Kickstarter, and the rapid growth of Bonobo’s into Bloomingdale’s nationwide. He also shared advice on how to go about working with manufacturers with me, which he had picked up in the nine plus years Zensah had grown from a bootstrapped business into a more professional organization.

After my conversation with Ze’ev, I was taken to the designer of the company, who created both the patterns and the packaging for all the products they sell. I learned that the design process was especially unique at Zensah, since the seamless apparel which they sell requires a one-of-a-kind type of machine. This machine is able to sew a garment directly from computer software into a cylinder shape using multiple needles that can reach the fabric from all around. This, I learned, is different than traditional contract manufactures which are called cut-and-sew manufacturers (where rows of people sit behind tables with foot pedal powered sewing machines).

Following my time with the designer, I was given an entire overall tour of the building taking me through the one man HR department and back down to the first floor to see the inventory, packaging process, and finally the accounting office.  The entire team consisted of no more than ten people, an interesting fact I was unable to predict through my prior online investigation. As five o’clock approached, I bid my farewells to all the members I had met after the three hour all-around immersion experience in the warehouse and left having enjoyed an inspiring UShadow afternoon arranged by the generous people at Toppel.

A Day at Design Miami: My UShadow Experience

Written By: Kathryn Hornbeck

When I learned who my UShadow host was, I did what any curious mind would do and Googled the man, Brandon Grom, and the company, Design Miami. The former was easy to understand – he was a recent UMiami graduate with a business degree who worked a series of odd jobs before becoming an exhibit coordinator at Design Miami. The latter, however, flummoxed me. The website was incomprehensible, and for the life of me I could not figure out what it was they actually did.

Not wanting to sound silly for not understanding his company’s purpose, I readily admit that I went to the office, located in the beautiful Design District, during spring break, without a clue as to precisely what it was he did.

The office was no ordinary office; it was essentially a furniture art museum that was spacious and slightly surreal. Brandon cheerfully greeted me and we began to tour the space. Naturally, the first thing he asked me was if I had researched the company – I had, but I was still lost on what it was they did, and said as much.

I learned Design Miami coordinates two major interior design festivals a year, one in Miami and one in Basel, Switzerland. Galleries set up exhibits in the festivals to show off their couture furniture – it is, essentially, IKEA on steroids. Brandon works with each of these galleries to help them with logistics, dates, times, invitations, etc.

We moved on to the informational interview, which was a casual two-way conversation about each other and our respective academics, extra-curriculars, and goals for the future. Brandon was living proof that you never know where you are going to end up – he had never even taken an art course before working for Design Miami, yet there he was, working with some of the biggest names in the design business on a day-to-day basis.

Due to my interest in graphic design, I was able to sit in on a website design meeting between the company’s website programmers and content editors. Twenty minutes was enough for me to decide that it was not something I would consider doing for a living; if I hadn’t attended that meeting, I would not have realized it wasn’t the job for me, so I’m thankful I did!

I stayed at Design Miami until 3 p.m. and was able to speak with marketing coordinators and budget analysts, learn about some software specific to Brandon’s field of work, and take a tour of the Design District.

I am so grateful for the opportunity UShadow afforded – I would never have even thought about art and showcasing before that day, but it turns out to be something I will seriously look into in the future. I plan to stay in touch with Brandon, as he is happy to act as a resource for any future questions or concerns I might have. We are connected on LinkedIn and via e-mail.

Though I went in not sure what to expect from my UShadow experience, I highly recommend it, as you will without a doubt have the opportunity to discover more about your likes, dislikes, interests, and passions, which is all any confused college student can ask for!