News: Category - Member Spotlight
AAF Lincoln Student Member Spotlight:
Jessica Papp, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
(Monday, February 1, 2010)
Name: Jessica Papp
School: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Year: Senior
Major: Advertising
How did you become interested in the advertising field?
That's a funny story. When I was a freshman at UNO I was an English major in the college of Education and hated it. I thought that I wanted to be a teacher but I learned very quickly that it wasn't for me. One night while watching one of my favorite movies, "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days", it hit me. One of the main characters played by Matthew McConaughey was in the advertising business and was in charge of a large diamond campaign. It looked so exciting to me! I know that movies tend to make the business look a little more glamorous than it might be, but that doesn't matter. When I transferred to UNL and started my advertising classes I knew that I watched the right movie that night. I have loved learning everything there is to know about design and copywriting and everything in between!
What is/was your favorite advertising course/professor?
My favorite class, so far, would have to be my copywriting class. When I started my advertising classes I had no idea which part I was most interested in. Thankfully the sequence at UNL allows students to get a feel for many of the different areas of advertising. The copywriting class let me to do what I love; write. The class teaches students to write various ads for both an in-class organization and an outside product. I leaned to write print ads, radio spots and even a television commercial storyboard. I was able to do research behind a product and possible target audience and write an ad that I though would work. I loved that by the end of the semester I had a campaign that I could say I wrote!
What is your favorite aspect of advertising?
I love that it's changing! The atmosphere is constantly changing, creating new and exciting challenges. Since I was 16 I have been working part time as a server. One of my favorite parts of the job is that everyday is new! I never serve the same food to the same people day after day. I love that the world is changing and that there will always be different clients with different tastes to please.
Describe a typical day in your life?
What I love about my life is that no 2 days are the same. My first priority right now is school. Monday through Friday I spend a good portion of my time on campus, either in class or at various meetings. In addition to being President of Ad Club, I am Co-Fundraising Chair for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Executive Team for Relay for Life. I also work part time as a server at Sam and Louie's New York Pizzeria. When I'm not in class or at meetings, I am usually there. After work or a long day on campus, I finish up my night with whatever homework or projects I am working on. Then up again in a few hours to do it all over again..but I love it!
What are some challenges you face?
Time. There is never enough time in the day to do all I want to do. My family and friends are my world and without them and their support I wouldn't be where I am today but sometimes spending time with them is a luxury. Finding time to finish college, work and be involved on and off campus is difficult and I often find myself putting what is most important in my life on hold so I can be what people expect me to be. I worry that I take on too much to try and become something I am not and that I spend my time in places I don't belong. A guest speaker from one of my very first advertising classes said something that has changed my life forever: "cut out the unnecessary". And that's something that I work on everyday, cutting out the unnecessary to get more of the time that I want.
What's your favorite ad?
My favorite ad is the M&M commercial that features Red and Yellow at the supermarket in the checkout line. Red is trying to run the opposite direction on the conveyer belt when he gets grabbed and scanned and placed into the bag. Yellow is holding up the receipt and is excited that they made the guest list. Red then says that they made the menu. It makes me smile every time I see it!
What do you like to do on the weekends?
I usually spend my weekends working at Sam and Louie's but when I get the chance I love to go home to Omaha and visit family and friends. I am a very easygoing person and have no problem staying in on a Saturday night watching old 80's movies. If I could, I would live in a John Hughes film in a heartbeat.
Do you see any upcoming forces that will change advertising in the future?
With the development of new cell phones making accessing the Internet and the viewing television easier than ever, I think that the ability to create ads for cell devices may be a new way to go.
Tell us something about yourself that others may not know.
I am great at waiting until the very last minute. It is a terrible thing that I do and I'm not proud of it. I like the rush and excitement of pushing myself at the last possible moment. I have been extremely lucky in my procrastination in that everything has worked out for me, but I fear that someday my luck will run out. The start of my senior year of college is the end of my procrastination!
What is your top professional aspiration?
At the VERY top of my professional dreams list is to start my own agency in New York. I know that I am going to have to work extremely hard for many years to get to that point but the days when I am struggling over a project and asking myself why I'm still doing this, I think of my dream. I have never been to New York and I may find that it is not for me, but I want to be able to find that out for myself. If my dream doesn't work out, I don't want it to be for lack of trying.
What is your biggest professional goal?
Next to my New York dream, my next biggest professional goal is to love my job. There are so many people that are working just to work and don't enjoy what they do everyday. I do not want to be one of those people. I want to find something that I look forward to going to everyday. I know that not everyday will be like that, but for the most part finding that perfect job makes all the difference. I love learning everything I can about advertising and if I get a job in the field, then I know I will love what I do!
What is your biggest personal goal?
My biggest personal goal is to travel. I love going places I've never been and learning all about different cultures. I want to see and know everything before my life is over. I know that's not realistic, so I want to see all I can! I want to look back of my life and know that I did all I could. I want to live with no regrets!
What do you want to be when you grow up?
When I grow up I want to be happy. I want to be doing what I love surrounded by people that I love. I want to be successful in whatever life throws at me.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
When I picture my life in 10 years I want to be married and just starting my family. I know that without a doubt I want to be a mom. But I want to be able to see and do things before I settle down. I want to be working in ad agency, being successful in whatever I do. I want to be respected by my co-workers and proud of the work that I put my name and my agency's name on.
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