Work-Life Balance with Shayni Shecter
On Tuesday, MCMP members were visited by Shayni Shecter, an Associate Strategist at The Collider Lab. The Collider Lab is a marketing consultancy firm that uses strategy, branding, and innovation to transform popular brands. Shayni is an alum of the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
Shayni’s journey at the University of Michigan began in the college of LSA. With Michigan being such a large community, Shayni searched for a smaller community to be a part of. She quickly realized her interests lie in how sports teams could profit off of sports fan bases and decided to transfer into the School of Kinesiology, switching from the major of Undecided to Sports Management. After exploring the team to fan dynamic more, Shayni learned that this phenomenon was not unique to the sport and transferred to the business school to pursue a fifth year as a BBA. At Ross, Shayni found a particular liking to taking classes with Professor Marcus Collins.
Through mutual connections with Marcus, Shayni landed an internship at Doner at the end of her senior year. At Doner, she worked with brands like Zyrtec and Fairlife doing market research, which she discovered was what she wanted to do. Upon graduation, she returned to Doner full-time as a Strategy Assistant. Shayni didn’t have a set role in the beginning and had to reach out to colleagues for projects. In the end, Shayni realized it wasn’t what she was looking for at that point in her career. Around the same time, Marcus Collins reached out with an opportunity through another connection at The Collider Lab. Shayni communicated that taking any internships that come your way, even if you don’t think it is of interest to you, is pivotal in helping you figure out what you are interested in pursuing long term.
Shayni emphasized never losing sight of your passions. She explained that throughout her interviewing processes, she stood out by clearly and distinctly showing what she is passionate about. To stand out, Shayni mentioned her love of knitting, which became an immediate conversation starter. Shayni wanted MCMP members to know that life is not all about work and you have to figure out who you are and what you are interested in. Managing a work-life balance is especially important in today’s climate when navigating work from home.
—— November 9, 2021 by Kristina Gurgone
