Advisor Cab Vol.2
Hello and welcome to Advisor CAB, the place to connect, achieve, and belong! Thank you for taking the time to read the second edition of our newsletter. Our goal is to shine a light on WWU's incredible marketing advisors and highlight what you may not know they can help you with. We hope that this will help students in the major and those looking to join the program to connect with their advisors and their marketing peers.
Hear excerpts from professors and testimonials from students and alumni as they discuss how their advisors helped them to navigate the marketing program!
Tejvir Sekhon
Tejvir Sekhon is an Associate Professor at the College of Business and Economics at Western Washington University. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management. Tejvir Sekhon currently teaches MKTG 475 - Brand Management, where he explores brand strategies and concepts including brand identity, brand equity, and the branding process. Outside of school, Tejvir loves dancing, reading, hiking, and watching reality TV. Come schedule a meeting with him today!
Office Location: PH411
Email: Tejvir.Sekhon@wwu.edu
Scroll down to read the interview!
What is a piece of advice or insight about marketing that Tej believes every student should know?
Tej believes that marketing is a very interdisciplinary major. Most students interested in the field have originally taken a liking to sociology, pop culture, math, statistics, data analysis, design, or communication. This broad spectrum of interests and ideas helps create limitless value in the workforce. He believes that you can from any of these disciplines and still succeed.
However, you must learn to be interested in some of the other areas listed above. You must pay attention to current events and trends. Networking will allow you to discover your true niche within the marketing world. He explains that doing it while at college will help prevent future costly mistakes if you go into a field you end up disliking. Interested in learning how to network or discover your true marketing passions? Schedule a meeting with Tej today!
What resources does Tej believe to be underutilized and important in the marketing program?
Tej stated that above anything else, empty chairs in professors' offices are the largest underutilized factor in the marketing program. He understands the hesitation of meeting an advisor for the first time, but now is the time to overcome that fear. The vast wealth of knowledge and experience you have to gain works wonderfully when students choose to use it. He also stated that the large alumni network does not receive the attention of many current students. Having gone to the same school as anyone reading this, they would love to assist and guide in any way they can as they would have loved for someone to do that for them while they were in school. Any questions about meeting alumni? Set up a meeting with Tej!
What challenges do students commonly face and how does Tej help them overcome these challenges?
Tej believes that students do not know what the larger challenges are. During most of his meetings, he receives administrative and class scheduling questions. While he loves helping students plan their schedules and school careers, the students who ask Tej only these questions are not getting the most out of the help and resources he offers. He believes that there are core-focused, career-focused, and admin-focused questions. Career-focused questions should be the focus and what are asked. He confided that he wishes all of his students would ask him these questions as he has a lot of advice to offer. Explaining to him one’s career goals or marketing interests will go a long way for that student. Looking for advice regarding finding a job? What consulting is like? What location you should work in? Come ask Tej!
What sector of marketing fascinates Tej? What is his expertise and how can this translate to helping students?
Most of Tej’s research and expertise are in branding or brand management roles. Aside from this, he also researches the intersection of marketing and culture and the integration of the two. Tej claims that we must pay attention to culture to be better marketers. What are the positive and negative impacts of marketing related to culture? He is also very open to discussing the potential opportunities that come with obtaining a PhD, marketing academia, or conducting your own research! Interested in any of these awesome career opportunities? Tej would love to walk you through them!
WWU Students
Keenan Kulpanapat
My meeting with Tej assured and reconfirmed to me that I was on the right track and I was making good decisions.
“So I actually just met with my advisor Tej and in terms of how helpful he was, I really liked that he was personable and approachable...I felt like I could ask him any question. When we met for our meeting, he was interested in getting to know me as a person and what my goals were. In doing so he was able to offer me personalized recommendations and advice regarding classes to take in the future. In general he is really easy to talk to and understand. "
WWU Alumni
Jovani Ramirez
Jovani found Tej to be very helpful. Just like other students, he was very anxious to first meet with Tej and realized he had to put effort in to reap the benefits. Once he passed this barrier, he was never nervous again.
Jovani found himself in a situation in which he needed to take a digital marketing class as well as a PCR class in the same quarter to graduate on time. Unfortunately, these classes were at the same time. Tej linked him to Morgan Widden and Mark Staton, both respective teachers, and assisted Jovani by ensuring he would be able to graduate on time, saving him countless time and money.
Sara Slone
“He gave me real-world advice and guided my decision to choose a grad school that was in accordance with my goals. He was very honest with me during the whole process and was more than happy to connect me with people who also chose to take the MBA program here”
Events
SMA in PH 244
Wednesday 6:30 - 7:30pm
SMA aims to enhance members' knowledge of marketing, educate them on its various aspects and trends, and foster connections with industry professionals.
Activities include a range of events such as speakers, networking, community engagement, fundraising events, and hands-on projects for educational experiences.
IMC Network Nights
Every other Friday at 7:30pm
Network Nights are put on by IMC and contribute to our vibrant community of marketers.
They serve as a great opportunity to connect with fellow marketing students as well as professors and alumni. These generally take place at various eateries and breweries downtown, with the most recent one at Schweinhaus Biergarten.
Case Competition
February 24th, 2024 marked the annual Marketing Case Competition, featuring 16 teams. These teams presented innovative and data-driven marketing solutions to marketing professors and alumni.
This event provided students with the opportunity to showcase their hard work and engage in networking. Kaitlin Simpson, Gavin Bohling, and Justin Casper claimed first place, making the Marketing Program proud. Congratulations to them for their outstanding achievement!
Thank you for taking the time to engage in our newsletter! We hope this information has provided valuable insights into WWU's Marketing Program and the support available through Advisor CAB. 🚕
To students, we encourage you to take advantage of this resource by scheduling a meeting with your advisor. They are here to guide you, offer support, and help you navigate your academic and professional journey.
Check out what other IMC squads have been making!
The Viking Network (LinkedIn Alumni Blog)
CAMERA 📸(YouTube Student Videos)
Viking Vision (YouTube Student Videos)
MICE 🐭(Instagram Student Videos) Need advice? Watch MICE!
Connect with the Advisor CAB team!