From classroom to career
Ariella Ciuraru (BSBA ’23, MSMAR ’24) has a passion for people and business and decided to pursue that passion at the University of Florida.
“While my classes shaped my foundation for business principles, [my] involvement beyond the classroom truly defined that experience,” she said.
Ciuraru joined the Florida Leadership Academy and over the course of three years, she progressed from a mentee in the program to spearheading the leadership retreats on the innovation team and eventually serving on the director board.
“The Florida Leadership Academy program [introduced] us to what the real world looks like,” she said.
“Stepping out of the classroom and getting to spend time with real businesses across Miami, all while working on a marketing consulting project with a team, was incredible,” she said.
While pursuing her degrees, Ciuraru interned as a Data Analyst for Speckin Forensic Laboratories, a Human Resource Specialist at PepsiCo and Operations Intern at Marsh McLennan Agency.
“Throughout college, I always updated my LinkedIn presence, upon recommendation from my first ever Warrington class,” she said. “My internship with PepsiCo. Beverages North America came directly through a recruiter on their HR team who discovered my profile and reached out.”
From her internships, Ciuraru learned that success goes beyond completing tasks or working hard. To be successful, Ciuraru believes connecting with colleagues is essential.
“Building relationships is one of the most important things you can do, especially during your time in an internship,” she said.
Ciuraru is inspired by the following Maya Angelou quote: “At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”
She now serves as a Business Insurance and Employee Benefits Advisor at Marsh McLennan Agency where she works with different businesses to help enhance their business insurance programs and employee benefits offerings.
“While many people say the transition from college to full-time work is difficult, I found it exciting and seamless,” she said. “What made the biggest difference to me was being intentional about staying busy and finding joy outside of work.”
One of those joys is coming back to the University of Florida. In the last year, Ciuraru has guest lectured in the Careers in Marketing Course for undergraduates and attended career events.
“Some of my most memorable experiences in the classroom when I was a student were of the alumni who took the time to return and share their journeys beyond college,” she said. “These individuals made me so excited for my future career [and] I hope to create that same spark and excitement for today’s students,” she said.
Her biggest piece of advice for students is to start conversations and ask questions.
“You’ll be surprised how much you can learn in a conversation, and how willing people are to have those conversations if you take the initiative.”
