GROWING WITH YUPRO: MY PHM APPRENTICESHIP EXPERIENCE

By Ashley Velasquez, Analyst, Media Tech, Publicis Health Media

As a visual learner, I appreciate an environment where I can combine technology and business—and thanks to Year Up, I’m getting to do just that at Publicis Health Media (PHM). 

I am a Colombian-American based in New Jersey, currently attending Hudson County Community College to earn an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts and Business. During my first year of college, I joined a learning and development program for young professionals called Year Up. Their mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by ensuring that young adults gain the skills, experiences and support that will empower them to reach their potential through careers and higher education. 

During my first six months in Year Up’s Business Fundamentals track, I developed professional skills through presentations, projects and coursework in order to be prepared for a six-month internship. Year Up provided me with the right resources to be career ready. I prepared for interviews, updated my resume, practiced professional Zoom etiquette, constructed an elevator pitch and networked with peers and co-workers. 

My first internship, at Salesforce, lasted nearly a year. Then I embarked on a new phase in my career. I began my second year of college and converted from the Year Up program to YUPRO, whose mission is to place Year Up Alumni in full-time jobs with employers committed to an inclusive and equitable workforce. 

I began working in my current role as a Media Tech Analyst at Publicis Health Media in January 2022. I received a warm welcome from a great team that has guided me through my onboarding by sharing notes, allowing me to shadow calls, taking me through 101 training sessions and helping me review decks. I was introduced to the platforms I use every day, including Jira, Double Verify, Microsoft Teams and Campaign Manager.  

PHM has a friendly, helpful culture and is driven by a supportive team that has encouraged me to strengthen the hard skills I came in with. I have had the opportunity to expand my knowledge and learn more about healthcare media while working at PHM. I’ve advanced my Excel skills by gathering and facilitating reporting insights on campaign performance and trafficking campaign updates. Through working at PHM, I’ve earned certifications in Big Data Foundations, Data Science Foundations, Agile Explorer, Campaign Manager and Software Development. 

Creating connections with co-workers has been exciting, even with those outside of my team. Understanding my role at PHM has helped me grow as an analyst and become eager to learn more about the other teams at PHM.

Now that I’m nearing the end of my apprenticeship, I am excited to continue as a part-time employee at PHM while transferring to Montclair State University to pursue Business and Marketing. I will finish these last two years of school and receive my bachelor’s degree but didn’t want to leave PHM to do it: I enjoy PHM’s fast-paced environment that highlights the importance of organization and teamwork. I am eager for my future and see myself expanding my network, growing into my new position at PHM and continuing to learn new skills.