Alumni Spotlight: Desiree Santiago

It’s late in the evening and suddenly your cell phone rings. An anxious voice on the other end starts going into detail on something that has just happened. You listen intently, making sure to note the who, what, where, when, why, and how, as you move into action. A few minutes after finishing the call, you have your binder in hand as you gear up for a team briefing. You’ve got sixty minutes to make a comment to the press, and the clock is ticking. Some people would be panicking in a moment like this, but you’ve got it covered. It’s Tuesday, and this is just another day in the life of a PR practitioner.

People don’t always see the communication field as having this level of activity, but speaking with SCM’s 2013 alumna, Desiree Santiago, a practitioner has to be prepared for anything. Behind her smile, Desiree is a dynamic communicator anyone would love to have on the team. Her graduate work to earn her MA in Public and Organizational Relations prepared her for the rigors of a rapidly developing field. Of course, for creative types like Desiree, you can’t just sit on your laurels. Each day as an Account Manager / Media Strategist at Beckerman PR brings new skills to master, new stories to tell, and it’s never the same thing twice.

Desiree’s journey towards the communication discipline started as she sought her next career step. Ever the passionate supporter in social and environmental causes, she wanted something that could unite and elevate her passions. After connecting with friends who had studied communication as undergraduates at Montclair State, Desiree decided the graduate program could be a good fit. As she would learn through the course of her studies, the integrated topics and techniques allowed her to create her educational journey, much the same way she helps clients tell their own stories.

When asked to describe her work, Desiree is on point. The skills of a communicator are vital to any brand or organization. Without a means of managing communication, problems will develop quickly. Recalling the time spent learning quantitative and qualitative analysis, Desiree can take raw data and share the critical narrative information with a client. Describing her skills in telling the story, it’s easy to see how she can paint the big picture and focus in towards the obstacles or opportunities ahead. Managing the communication and relationships of clients with consumers, Desiree definitely becomes the “bridge between brand and consumer.”

Thankfully, late night emergencies are not a daily occurrence, but Desiree reminds those considering a graduate degree in communication to be proactive and to anticipate and adapt in the field. Whether in future academia or with future clients, Desiree takes the time to share what she has learned for the benefit of others. With a word of encouragement to current students to learn as much as they can, she emphasizes the one skill every communicator must attain, the ability to network and, you guessed it, communicate with your connections. In the evolving corporate world, communicators will continue to facilitate the connections we all share, and Desiree’s drive and education will guide her continued success.