LUMA internships: Khalfani Myrick

Textbook learning is only half the equation--the sum of knowledge is putting those newly acquired skills to work in a real-world environment. According to recent graduate Khalfani Myrick (BBA '08), Loyola is just the place to do that.

"My teachers at Loyola were extremely knowledgeable, and brought their personal experience in the industry with the strategies needed by marketing professionals to the classroom," says Myrick. "Our projects included hands-on experience by taking on real clients."

Myrick also took that experience a step further as a marketing intern at the Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA). "I was able to take marketing theory and put it to use, refining my skills in a creative way," says Myrick. To spread the word about Art Smart for example, Myrick distributed flyers in places to attract the event's target audience, Chicago's young professionals. "We also personally invited up and coming 'taste makers,' those individuals who help define opinions." As a result of the team's efforts, attendance at the event doubled.

Now with his degree in hand, Myrick is looking to new horizons. He's already landed a job at a pharmaceutical company and is a marketing consultant to several Chicago-area bands and start-ups. Next year, his goal is to join Teach for America, which sends recent college graduates into economically underdeveloped areas to raise the education level.

"Getting my degree at Loyola was a great experience," says Myrick. "The teachers were wonderful, the city of Chicago presented a lot of opportunities, and working at LUMA was one of the greatest things I've done. I loved it!"