Alumni Update: Andrea Figueroa-Guerrero
Occasionally we get to catch up with Student Work @ PSU alumni and learn about what they’ve been doing since they left PSU. In this Alumni Update, we get an update from Andrea Figueroa-Guerrero, Strategic Project Manager for the American Advertising Federation.
Do you have any special memories or stories about your time in Fir you'd like to share?
Ah! I loved FIR. I didn't know it then, but it really was so alike to the agency experience. After my first agency job, I had so much more appreciation for FIR. I met some of my best friends during my 3 terms with FIR! We used to go to Rogue (closed now boooo!) after FIR on Wednesdays to concept (we were a mix of strategists + creatives) - we even had a painted table there!
How did your time in the program help prepare you for your career?
I met so many industry friends, found creative partners, learned how to talk to clients, created a habit of doing time sheets (which still suck post-grad), and found a group of people with guts, audacity, and hype to cheer me on and encourage me to send that email and ask for that coffee chat.
Tell us what you've been up to since graduating.
After graduating in 2020, I worked as the head of social at a boutique agency in Portland called Rebellious. I left to work at Saatchi & Saatchi on the Toyota and T-Mobile accounts as a strategist focusing on social and Hispanic marketing. After some initial time agency side, I found myself disappointed with the industry. I still love advertising, but am not sure the industry is well-prepared for diverse individuals such as myself. So, I now work at the Mosaic Center, the DEI branch of the American Advertising Federation, supporting DEI initiatives with the hope that our work can not only support the success of multicultural advertising professionals and students, but also educate brands and agencies on how they can better support these multicultural professionals.