Fiona Kuo 26Ox

Fiona started her journey in higher education marketing by creating content for the Oxford College TikTok page. While she was (and continues to be) unsure about her career aspirations, Fiona wanted to learn more about the marketing field, specifically in higher education. Given this incredible opportunity to continue working with the Marketing and Communications beyond creating TikToks, Fiona endeavored to develop her marketing skills in graphic design and article writing. 

Formerly an avid writer, Fiona rekindled her connection with words by writing informational articles for the OxHub and alumni spotlight articles. By writing articles for the OxHub, Fiona can share her honest experiences and recommendations with her peers, which complements her work as a Peer Advising Network (PAN) member for incoming first-years. She has also been steadily improving her public speaking skills by interviewing alumni, and appreciates the lessons these alumni share. 

“One resounding message that most of the alumni I’ve interviewed touch upon is the importance of trying new things, even if you stumble along the way. Especially at Oxford, we get the chance to explore and practice new skills through experiential learning in ways others don’t get until their later college years. Seeing how these Oxford alumni maximized their time at Oxford to build up toward their successful post-grad career is truly inspiring.” 

She thanks her boss, Julia Kim 18Ox 20C, Communications Specialist, for introducing her to the various aspects of marketing. Most importantly, however, she is grateful for Julia’s Boston recommendations, endless support and insight into working in higher education.

Furthering her interest in higher education, Fiona has immersed herself in higher education programming as a Program Assistant at Harvard Summer School. While Fiona has a wide range of experiences in event planning from her various involvements on campus and prior to coming to Oxford, Fiona’s strength was detailing and executing events. 

Working in a team of eight, she helps coordinate the student activities for the Secondary School Program and the General Program. Her favorite event thus far has been a volunteer cleanout at Y2Y, a local homeless shelter. 

“During our welcome week orientation and in the first few days in the office, students kept asking us what volunteering opportunities we had. It surprised me because I assumed students would have preferred to take advantage of the trips we offered. But these kids seem really keen on giving back to the community, which made me work even harder to coordinate this volunteer opportunity,” she illustrates. 

This experience has given her a glimpse into the complexities of event coordination in higher education, including logistics and email marketing. Given that many of her co-workers are pursuing careers in higher education and her event coordinating experiences through this job, she now has a better understanding of higher education. She hopes to bring her new experiences in her other upcoming leadership roles and enhance activities planning at Oxford while learning more about higher education along the way.