Branding panel invites students to grow in the media world

By Caroline Haviland

As four professionals took the stage in the Rue Auditorium to share insight into the fashion, sports and media world, two words were continuously vocalized by each panelist: authenticity and consistency. 

“The Power of Image: Branding Through Fashion, Sports and Media” panel on March 3 in Sweigart Hall brought together creative individuals, three of whom were Rider alums; Megan Ramirez ’10, Al-Fuquan Green ’14, Ariana Palmer ’17 and Vanessa Wong. The panel shared with interested students the differing aspects of their careers that guided them to their current positions.

The stage was set with three chairs facing the audience and a projector screen featuring a Zoom call that brought Palmer into the discussion all the way from Florida. With alert faces ready to answer a plethora of questions, the panelists were ready. 

Professional insight

Bringing a marketing perspective to the table, Ramirez shared her journey to becoming the director of marketing and communications for Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society, a professional nursing association. 

Ramirez graduated from Rider as a communications major and credited her transition to a career in marketing to the connections she made over the years. She said to get started in this field, one has to be “authentic and not afraid to make mistakes.”

One of her first internships in undergrad was with the American Cancer Society as a communications intern. From there, Ramirez said she networked her way up the chain to different companies and positions. 

“Just putting yourself out there and talking to people and just making those connections is going to make a world of a difference,” she said.

Coming from the world of fashion, Green urged audience members to always present themselves to onlookers authentically, marking that as a key factor to the success in his career. 

Green graduated from Rider with a double major in journalism and public relations, and attributes the knowledge he gathered on how to brand himself within the fashion industry to his schooling. 

“I feel like when you come out of college you’re just putting yourself out there. You have to believe in what you’re selling, what you’re offering, the skill set that you have,” Green said. 

Even though Rider does not offer a fashion program, that did not stop Green from getting experience for a career in the industry post-grad. He shared the importance of getting internships outside of school, which he did by working for organizations during New York Fashion Week and taking a train whenever possible to New York City to be around the fashion community. 

“Rider’s a good college, but it just wasn’t giving me that creative juice. Obviously I needed it, I was yearning for it. So just interning and being able to take that early train to New York and make it work,” Green said. “You got to put yourself out there. New York is like the capital of fashion.”

Following a question regarding how to stand out in these competitive industries, Green answered to be consistent and do things “that speak to you creatively,” because there are people who will align with multiple creative visions. 

Ramirez bounced off the idea of consistency and echoed how important it is to maintain a strong brand, calling herself “a stickler for branding.”

“On my team, the way that looks is we have internal brand guidelines, which is something that we’ve evolved in the last few years. It’s something that we really try to stick to,” Ramirez said. “That’s everything from our mission vision for our organization down to the imagery we like to use on social media … down to the tone of voice that we use on socials, blogs and emails.” 

Palmer, a former member of Rider’s swimming and diving team, gave the audience a look into the aspects of sports branding. As the senior associate athletic director for marketing and brand at Florida Atlantic University, Palmer shared key elements to breaking out in the sports industry: “set yourselves apart early and make connections.” 

In order to find numerous professional opportunities, Palmer advised audience members to take any opportunity provided to them because it could lead them to somewhere else in their career. Being closed-minded, she said, does not expand one’s branding. 

Creating a professional social media account, following brands that one aligns with and posting in a skillful manner can help shape a person’s image, Palmer added, due to the weight social media has on a person’s career. 

Palmer’s advice to the audience was to use online platforms as a way to build a portfolio. Palmer said she has seen younger aspiring individuals find success in their careers by utilizing their online presence to exhibit their hands-on work by showcasing campaigns that have been both effective and ineffective in sports marketing, 

Each panelist echoed the same sentiment of social media’s prevalence in today’s professional world, as it offers an opportunity to network outside of work and present creative skills. However, for Wong, social media became work “accidentally.” 

After living in Jersey City, New Jersey, for nearly a decade and working in the corporate world of New York City, Wong had to move back to her suburban hometown. She explained that by sharing her raw experiences on social media, and treating her platforms as a “personal diary,” she eventually gained a following of over 6,000 due to her relatability. 

“Show up the way you want to show up, like the way you talk to your friends. Don’t overthink it,” Wong said. 

From planning to execution

Senior communications major Lauren Kelson brought the branding panel to fruition through a communications internship opportunity with the Career Development Success Office. Kelson said Karl Craft, the office’s director, was very adamant about “getting her hands dirty.” 

With that nudge, Kelson got to work and started brainstorming a possible event. She initially sent out an email to all students in the department of communications, journalism and media, asking what events they would like to see on campus. Using that information, the panel came to life. 

Kelson reached out to about 15 people through LinkedIn, asking them if they would be interested in sharing their insights through this event. After the event, Kelson said she was very pleased with what the four panelists shared with the audience. 

“Even if one thing that someone said helped someone or they thought about it a little more afterwards, then it was worth doing it,” Kelson said. 

With each professional coming from different backgrounds and career fields, the shared sentiment of being genuine and passionate was felt throughout the entire event. 

Green said, “Especially in 2026, it’s about being authentic, just being yourself, putting yourself out there, just being consistent, be annoying. You never know what’s going to be introduced to you.”