Meredith Astles

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2010

As a student, I took advantage of every opportunity I could at St. Mike’s. I worked in the Office of Marketing and Communication at the college when I was a student, and despite being young, my ideas were always heard and valued and that really helped build my self confidence.

I studied abroad in London, England, and had a great experience living abroad and working for a fashion designer; that taught me how to deal with a variety of people to multitask. I had an internship my senior year at Her Look enterprise and got travel to NYC for them. I helped with their market analysis, breaking into marketing plans, and social media.

With MOVE, I was the chair of the Little Brother/Little Sister program, and the founder of International Outreach, which was a service organization to aid new American families. I was elected President of North Campus for the 2007-2008 academic year, Senator for the Class of 2010 in 2006-2007, first-ever Co-Chair for the Residential Hall Association E-Board and I was an active member of the Student Association.

The Enterprise Plan Competition, which seniors can participate in, was right up my alley. For the competition, I created a business that I could see myself doing in the future called Restoration Eco, which is a high-end design and remodeling firm that specializes in converting distressed homes into environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing homes. I have a hearty entrepreneur spirit, so to work through finances, like how to take out loans with a local bank and use different community programs, work with City Hall for permits and zoning, determine the product/service I was offering and then decide on how to market it, wrapped all that I had learned in college into one very practical experience. I spent five months working on my business plan, not because I had to, but because I thoroughly enjoyed working on it. Because of this project, I gained a lot of knowledge about the ins and outs of day-to-day business activities, which I believe really contributed to my landing a great job post-graduation.

Now I’m the marketing coordinator at Truex Cullins and Partners, which is a 25-person architecture and interior design firm right on the edge of Lake Champlain in Burlington. I am responsible for firm’s social media, marketing and advertising. I am really blessed; I love my job and what I do.

I can still recite the personal note that Jerry Flanagan wrote on my acceptance letter from St. Mike’s. It is those kinds of personal touches that I try to apply every day at my work. I want my professional work to reflect the personality and the friendliness of St. Mike’s.