As a first-generation student at Rutgers, Jaylynn Cardona COM‘22 said she has long relied on her strong work ethic. Raised in a single-parent household, her SC&I Communication degree was something she navigated by herself, without the connections or support her peers may have had.

Yet Cardona never let this stop her or hold her back. “I didn’t know what communications was, and when I got into the major, I was late and didn’t know where to start or go,” said Cardona. With the help of her SC&I professors, Cardona built herself into a success, at Rutgers and now in her career.

Today, Cardona works as the NCAA partnerships coordinator at Warner Brothers. To get here, she gained experience working in public relations at The Syndicate, Rutgers Athletics, Philadelphia 76ers, and the New York Rangers.

In our interview, Cardona discusses the work it took her to get earn her job at Warner Brothers, what a typical day on the job is like, and more.

Please introduce yourself to us - what did you study at Rutgers and what have you been doing post-graduation?
JC: I graduated from Rutgers in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and a public relations specialization. Post-graduation I took an internship with Madison Square Garden and I was a public relations intern with the New York Rangers.

For around 10 months, I was job searching and interviewing for so many different positions and companies. It was really tough, there were a lot of tears and losing hope, but eventually I found a job at a public relations agency working as an account coordinator.

After working there for 8 months, I knew it wasn’t the right fit for me and applied at other jobs. I applied to Warner Brothers and after two interviews I got a job as a NCAA partnerships coordinator. I had applied to over 50 jobs at Warner Brothers within the past couple of years, so this was surreal to me.

Could you describe to us your position at Warner Bros Discovery and what a typical day in your life looks like?
JC: There is no typical day and that is why I love this role. I work on all things NCAA, especially March Madness. Now I am gearing up for the tournament and I am working on tracking all communications from Warner Brothers and our partners who help us sponsor March Madness each year.

Since we have many different partners, I am also in charge of overlooking different contracts and extracting the numbers to make sure anything they request aligns with their budget.

I also work on different research projects and with different departments to make sure March Madness comes to life each year.

How did studying at SC&I prepare you for your professional career? What skills have you transferred over that you learned in your time at SC&I to your professional field?
JC: SC&I helped me by providing me with the correct classes that helped me in my career. For example, Principles of PR helped me with my first job in public relations and helped me when it came time to pitch different journalists and write press releases.

SC&I led me to Professor Beal who helped me kick start my career. SC&I also had many events to network and connect different people together. Through this, I was able to meet different people in my major and who had graduated and connect with them.

As a first-generation student, how did SC&I support and uplift you to where you are today? Did you have any notable professors that particularly encouraged you?
JC: Professor Beal was definitely the main professor at Rutgers who helped me. I come from a single mother who only had a GED and who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico.

I didn’t know what communications was, and when I got into the major, I was late and didn’t know where to start or go. Professor Beal uplifts all his students and if you use his resources, there's no reason to not be successful.

Tatiana Rodriguez, who teaches public speaking, also guided me a lot. She became a mentor and friend to me and is such a valuable educator at Rutgers.

What advice would you give to other first-generation students? What do you wish someone had told you in your time in your undergraduate studies?
JC: If I could go back in time and tell my younger self something, it would be that it’s ok to make mistakes and not know what you want to do.

As a first-generation student I had zero connections, and I wish someone had told me how important that truly is when searching for a job. When my peers who had a connection immediately got a job while I waited almost a year, it crushed me. But it’s ok, start making connections as soon as you can.

Most importantly, a job is not everything and it will eventually come. Accept whatever you can because it will help you in the future. And always be grateful for where you are, even if it isn't where you want to be, someone would kill to be in your position.

Learn more about the Communication major at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website.