My name is Ina Peja and I am a former Marketing student at Maynooth University. I started my academic journey in 2017, studying Business Marketing, Geography and Spanish through a Bachelor of Arts degree. I then specialised into a double major, continuing with Business Marketing and Geography from second year onwards. I graduated in 2019 with a 1:1. This was a huge achievement for me as it was a personal goal of mine to finish my degree with a first-class honour. Based on my performance in my BA, I was awarded a Business academic scholarship from the School of Business.
After finishing my undergraduate degree, I developed a strong passion for Marketing, and was eager to learn more. I decided to complete a Masters in ‘Strategic Marketing’ in the School of Business at Maynooth University in 2020. During this time, I had the opportunity of working on some amazing projects with real life clients. This gave me a real insight into the corporate world and what I should expect going forward. As well as this, we had the option of completing a work placement in the final semester of the masters. Earning a place in the placement class was very competitive. After securing my position in this class, my next big challenge became, securing work placement in a global pandemic.
After applying to over 80 job advertisements, I began to think outside the box and turned to my network. One of the clients in the Marketing Consulting module was Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). MSF is a non-profit organization, which provides life-saving health services in over 70 countries. I reached out to the head of fundraising and volunteered as a digital marketing assistant. After my work placement, I was promoted as a full-time supporter services assistant. In more business-like terms, my role is heavily focused on CRM (customer relationship management). Seven months later I am still here and I’m loving it.
This year I also took on the role as a member of the Industry Advisory Council for the School of Business, I am absolutely honoured to be working alongside such experienced professionals from many different industries.
I look forward to what the future holds as I remain openminded, and welcome opportunities with open arms. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”- Eleanor Roosevelt.