Ashley Sipe graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2023 with a degree in Media and Journalism on the Advertising and Public Relations track with a double minor in History and Spanish. She now lives in Raleigh, N.C. where she works as a social media specialist for HIFI agency, a digital marketing firm specializing in the financial sector. In her role, she works on Meta, LinkedIn and other social media platforms and also writes blogs for the firm’s internal marketing.   

Joining the Brand Studio in the Fall of 2021, Sipe was seeking an informative experience that would serve her well in her career after leaving UNC. She said, “I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do in the advertising/marketing field before I started working at the brand studio, and then I feel like there were a lot of opportunities to explore things.”  

Working at the 1893 Brand Studio and being a team member on both the storytelling and campaigns team helped direct Sipe to where she wanted to end up post-grad. “What I’m doing now is very similar to what I was doing at the brand studio, which I really enjoy.”  

Sipe recounted how her time at 1893 Brand Studio, especially in her client-facing work, helped her with her career search post-grad to land a position that she enjoys. While discovering that she especially enjoys social media because it combines both her love of writing and social media marketing, she was able to take advantage of opportunities in the area of her work at the Brand Studio. By being on both the storytelling and campaigns team, she was able to specialize in skills within both functions to help her focus on a career path.   

Sipe said, “When I realized social media and writing could be a career, I got a ton of opportunities at the brand studio to focus on that and build those skills.” Sipe reflected on how her work at the brand studio helped her apply to jobs post-grad because she “already had a lot of real-world experience with real clients and businesses to put on a resume.”  

One of the most valuable aspects that 1893 Brand Studio offers to students is being able to see the ins and outs of a real agency, which helps students see the creative process come to life from start to finish. “Seeing how the designers, copywriters and everyone else work together really sparked an interest, and I think it’s why I ended up at an agency now.”   

In her current role, she combines creative aspects while learning the financial sector market. When asked what advice she has for students wanting to pursue a career in the marketing industry, Sipe says to, “take any opportunity that’s given to you while you’re at UNC to learn a new skill, make a new connection, or just figure out what you want to do. There are a lot of opportunities at the Hussman School and on UNC’s campus to take advantage of.”