Alum of the Month

Jimmy Miguel

August 2015

London Program

August 2012 Intake

What and where did you study before your Mountbatten internship?
Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, USA.

What made you apply for the Mountbatten programme?
I was always interested in International Business and was fortunate to have studied abroad in undergrad in China and India. A couple weeks were nice, but I always wanted to experience “life” abroad by living somewhere. I remember sitting in the Café at Seton Hall with Francesca LaRaque saying, "Wait, a program that offers academic advancement, a reputable job AND a year abroad?!...sign me up!"

Describe your sponsor company and your role within it.
I worked for Forrester Research as a Marketing Analyst. I was responsible for managing the logistics and creating content (one—pagers, online promotional buzz, speaker biographies, etc.) for various speaking events for our analysts across Europe and Asia.

What was the highlight/most memorable moment of your working experience during this year?
It would have to be my business trip to Paris. The event was in the morning and my train back to London was at 20:00. I figured it was plenty of time to sightsee with my buddy Mark after the event and then make the train. As fate would have it, the event scheduled till 13:00 ran till nearly 15:00. I had no time to even change, so all my Paris pictures are of me sweating in a suit holding a Forrester Research folder. Great marketing, huh?

What was the social highlight/most memorable moment during this year?
It might sound cliché, but the most memorable highlight is the comeraderie with my fellow Mountbattens and the relationships I made while abroad. We went through such a unique experience and we will always have a special bond because of it. To this day I still speak to Dan, James, Brittany and Julia on nearly a daily basis and I wouldn’t change our friendship, travel adventures and the multitude of memories I have with them for a Super Bowl ring. #SoulRebs

Please share a little wisdom/philosophy that you acquired during your internship.
You will always remember where you’ve been in life, but you’ll never remember how much you spent to get there. Travel and get involved with as much as you can. We have/had an opportunity that many people dream of – make the most of it. I moved back to New Jersey with roughly $250 to my name, but the experiences abroad have thought me lessons and enriched me in ways that simply can’t be replicated. After marriage and kids, the only vacation is the Disney Cruise, so enjoy the opportunities you have now.

If you could change anything about your internship, what would it be?
I would have ensured that my team "HOLD THE BALLS!!" during our championship game in the Shoreditch Dodgeball League would have won. Not having that otherwise deficient piece of plastic hanging on my trophy mantel at home still burns me to this day!

What happened after completing the year - what did you do next?
I moved back to New Jersey and started working for NBCUniversal as a Sales Associate for their Telemundo division.

Where are you now in your working life and what do you do?
I currently work as a Sales Planner in New York for a London based digital advertising company called Unruly. My job is to build compelling RFPs and Excel flight decks that we present to clients informing them of how Unruly can help get their viral videos watched, tracked and engaged with on the open web.

Do you have any future plans that you would like to realise & what are they (career & social)?
Ray Lewis once said, "Success in one thing, impact is another". That quote always resonated with me and I believe that if you put in the hard work, possess a positive attitude and are intrinsically passionate about what you’re doing, career success is inevitable. Impact though is my primary focus. I’ve been fortunate through my time spent with organizations like the Boy Scouts of America and Maximo Nivel to make that impact on other people, and my future plans are to continue doing so on a larger scale.

Is there any other information that you would like to be included?
Sure, Unruly is hiring for many positions across New York, Chicago and London. Check out the site (Unruly.co) and if there is anything that you’re qualified for, please let me know. I would be more than happy to pass a resume along for a fellow Mountbatten.