Mallory Strand

My name is Mallory Strand, and I am a fourth-year student attending Oregon State University.

This past year, I worked at the Walt Disney Company in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. I participated in the Disney College Program, an internship where I got hands-on experience in merchandising, hospitality, and guest service. I worked at The Emporium, which is the largest merchandise retailer in a theme park in the United States, and would assist between 57,000 to 90,000 guests daily. My role prioritized five key values; Safety, Inclusion, Courtesy, Efficiency, and Show (maintaining visual merchandising and remaining on theme with the Disney brand). Through this experience, I was able to gain kinesthetic knowledge of the retailer multiattribute model and how The Walt Disney Company caters its performance to the relevant attributes of its target market. I learned and researched the importance of those attributes to specific customers. Through this experience, I was able to understand how retailers can be more actionable, identifiable, substantial, and reachable to customer segments.

As an Oregon State Athletics Marketing Intern, I have had the opportunity to create a Marketing Plan for Oregon State Men’s Basketball. I was independently creating strategies and making iterations to the plan was challenging, but throughout the various drafts, I created a document that was able to display the process and timeline of the athletic season. I am proud to have had the opportunity to explore the creative and digital marketing process.

Due to the timing of the program, the pandemic resulted in the cancellation of in-person live sporting events. I have taught myself how to use Photoshop to create various pieces of promotional media for marketing Men’s Basketball despite the lack of in-person events. The opportunity to work through the pandemic was a surprise but became a great sense of purpose for me. Being an intern allowed me to have the opportunity for hands-on experiential learning at a time when it was not readily available.

I have always had a passion to share stories through a visual medium and express my creativity in the projects I am involved with. I developed a passion for visual design through the Nordstrom Fashion Ambassador program that I participated in during my high school years. Through retailer guest speakers and exposure to their visual merchandising techniques, I developed a passion for retail management. I have taken multiple courses throughout my college career specializing in this platform both at Oregon State University throughout my business and Design core as well as courses at Portland Community College and during my Disney College Program.

I believe I can be a creative and resourceful asset. I am drawn to companies notable for their devotion to a sense of wonder and creativity while being committed to genuine and excellent service. I appreciate being considered for a role within this legacy. Thank you for taking the time to consider my submission. I look forward to hearing from you regarding this position.

Sincerely,