By: Carly Nelson

Karen Toussaint is a senior majoring in advertising with a minor in hospitality. As a member of Arrowhead’s digital/social team, Karen researches current trends, brainstorms campaign ideas, and creates mock-ups for the team’s ideas. Besides Arrowhead, Karen is extremely involved on FSU’s campus. Karen is a co-founder of the FSU Nolettes, a FSU majorette dance team, a director’s ambassador for the School of Communications, a member of FSU’s chapter of SISTUHS, Inc., and a member of FSU’s Center for Academic Retention & Enhancement. 

Karen aspires to become a digital advertising specialist or a strategist within the beauty industry. In the fall of 2024, Karen will continue working towards this goal as she starts FSU’s integrated marketing communications master’s program. “This program focuses on comprehensive marketing communication techniques and strategies at a greater level than undergraduate classes.” Says Karen, “I’m excited to delve into real-world curriculum and further my knowledge in multicultural marketing communication, project management, and social media campaigns.”

The feeling of already having academic credits at the beginning of her studies was overwhelming for Karen, “I felt like I had no time to figure out what I wanted to do or how I wanted to do it.” Karen credits her time in Arrowhead as an eye-opener to her career passions and one of the best decisions she’s made at FSU. Being a member of Arrowhead allowed her to gain hands-on experience and apply classroom knowledge to real life. “Arrowhead has enhanced my research skills and deepened my passion for digital and social campaigns. It has even helped me become more social because everyone on the team is so welcoming and eager to work!”

Out of the many memories Karen has made through Arrowhead, one in particular stands out. “We had a social event called ‘murder mystery’ before winter break and it was so much fun. It was a great time getting to hang out and learn more about each other outside our Arrowhead classroom.” This social dynamic allows the Arrowhead team to collaborate on their campaign seamlessly, without missing out on building friendships. 

The skills and experiences Karen has gained from Arrowhead will undoubtedly carry over into her future roles and endeavors. “Arrowhead has truly demonstrated the importance of productivity from a professional standpoint.” Karen states, “It’s given me valuable insights on initiating and executing social media campaigns, identifying effective campaign launch timings, and understanding our target audience and their motivations. Although I am not particularly fond of conducting research, Arrowhead has shown me the importance of thorough research. No matter how well-versed one might be in a subject, real-world research demands extensive groundwork.”

Outside of Arrowhead, Karen has many passions, “I love to dance in my free time, in different styles such as majorette, hip-hop, Afro-dance, and more. I have a love for cooking and always try to find new recipes!” Karen also enjoys painting from time to time, though she doesn’t consider herself an artist.

Karen’s experiences and insights gained from Arrowhead and her drive for involvement will undoubtedly lead her to many future successes — in graduate school and beyond. 

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Carly Nelson, a Sophomore in FSU’s advertising program, wrote this article for the team’s blog.