Heather Gaskell, KLN ‘20, is proof that determination can lead to a meaningful career. Her experiences as an advertising major with a copywriting concentration at Klein College of Media and Communication led her to her current position as a junior copywriter with marketing and advertising agency RAPP. 

Gaskell, who grew up in Massachusetts and transferred to Temple University from a small college in Rhode Island, used Philadelphia’s urban setting and pace as inspiration to “balance it all” and hustle toward her goals. Although she began her undergraduate studies at her previous institution as a business major, she took inspiration from her older sister who worked in art direction to pursue advertising, which melds creativity and business together in a unique and exciting way. 

At Klein, Gaskell appreciated that many of her professors still worked in the advertising industry as well as teaching at Temple. Their up-to-date knowledge helped her realize just how much work the industry still has to do for its women professionals. This understanding was the basis of her website and podcast Bitches with Pitches, which she started in 2018 as a website creation assignment in her data analytics class. The website features information for and from women in advertising, especially those in the Philadelphia area. The podcast, which Gaskell says will relaunch this fall, features women in advertising who discuss the unique challenges they face as well as their successes.

In 2019, Gaskell was accepted into the Marcus Graham Project, a competitive summer opportunity for underrepresented media students. Her sister is an alumna of the program, which gave her insider knowledge of its prestige. Although she was concerned during the application process that she was too young to participate, Gaskell thrived in the fast-paced environment. She says that the program is a crash course in advertising that provides students with valuable insights and mentors, which she believes is helpful in an industry that lacks diversity.

“I think in advertising it’s hard because it’s a very cut-throat industry, so people don’t necessarily want to mentor people or help other people out,” Gaskell says. “So I think with that — the mentorship opportunities, the speakers they have come over and talk to you — really just helped me find a group of people who I loved and who could support me and I could support them.” 

Joe Glennon — associate professor of instruction, Advertising Department chair and fellow Massachusetts native — helped Gaskell with her application for the Marcus Graham Project and has supported her throughout her professional journey. He is confident that her success stems from her showing up as herself.

“Heather has done a great job just rounding out the rest of herself as an interesting person who’s collecting experiences, stories and associations that just makes her work better and makes her a better addition to the company culture,” Glennon says.

This summer, Gaskell’s mentor, who is a Marcus Graham Project alumnus, reached out to see if Gaskell would be interested in applying for a remote copywriting internship with RAPP. She applied and was accepted, transitioning into her full-time remote position with the agency in August. She looks forward to her future with RAPP and is hopeful that she can relocate to Dallas, where her position is based, when conditions caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are improved.