True Life: I'm a marketing communications co-op

As some of you may or may not be aware of, both of our last days are approaching quickly. This brings mixed emotions leaving us sad to leave our current positions but excited to start a new chapter in both of our careers.

It’s much more bittersweet than I had originally imagined. In my current role I have grown immensely and this experience has led me to gain confident business skills that will stay with me forever. I could not be more thankful for this opportunity and for the people who have become amazing mentors to me.

My future goals are slightly uncertain. Personally, this is a strange feeling for me. I am always the one with a plan and I am always reaching for the next stepping stone. Oddly enough, I have this new found sense of “let the pieces fall where they may” and have trusted fate to guide me to my next opportunity. I will be moving home for the summer with my family and working on building my resume in retail, aiding my apparel merchandising minor.

This new experience will bring change, yes, but if I have done nothing but discover something in myself, it is that I love the marketing communications field and it is exactly where I see myself in my future years. My standards for myself and my accomplishments within my public relations major have only increased since I started as a co-op one year ago. I hope I will have the pleasure to remain connected with everyone in the office and I cannot send enough thanks for the opportunities this role has granted me!

Best wishes,

Jennifer McNairnie

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Working at Dow Corning the past 2 years has been amazing. I’ve met so many great people that have changed my life. It’s crazy to me that starting May 7,I won’t be badging into the back tunnel of DC2. The last 4 years have been stressful yet wonderful. I am very happy to be starting this next chapter in my life. Especially since I won’t have to be in school anymore ;)

Since my senior year at Bullock Creek High School I’ve been working at a corporate. I started at Dow Chemical and three years later moved to Dow Corning. Now, I’m happy to announce that I’ll be heading back over to Dow. I’ll be working for AVI-SPL on-site at Dow Chemical, working on a social media team. This is something that I have always wanted to do and feel very grateful that all the hours spent both at school and work have paid off.

My last day of college, ever, is in 5 days. The first thing on my after-school bucket list is: Read for FUN! What a concept. J

I hope everyone has an enjoyable experience and I thank you for the support and mentorship you’ve provided.

Jennifer Kreucher

In the spirit of craft month (March), I’ve chosen some of my favorite craft ideas found on Pinterest. I hope everyone can relate to at least one! They are quick and easy and ready for SPRING!!

1. Makeover your miss-matched kitchen utensils

http://www.littlebitfunky.com/2012/03/painting-wooden-spoons.html

2. A cute bookmark for your springtime read

http://nicety.livejournal.com/1096421.html

3. For my fellow fashionistas on a budget

http://madeinpretoria.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/blair-eadies-shoes-diy-black-toe-pump/

4. Sweet treat

http://easter.tipjunkie.com/birds-nest-cookies-recipe-how-to/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%253A+TipJunkieAllSites+%2528Tip+Junkie+%257E+Creative+Inspiration%2529

Enjoy :)

- Jen McNairnie

So in honor of March being National Craft Month… I thought I’d show you a few DIY’s I’d love to try! (didn’t mean for that to rhyme). I found them all on Pinterest, but I’m giving credit to the blog/website I found them at!

First is the after school snack!

I love this. If I ever get to babysit anyone after school, this is totally the snack I would make :) Just cut your apple into slices, coat one side of each with peanut butter and stick mini marshmallows in between. I found this one at:

http://family.go.com/food/13-creepy-halloween-treats-pg/#Apple%20Smiles;8

The second DIY I’d love to try is the recipe book. I’m actually currently making this! I found a photo album at Target for $1.90 (super clearance) and am making the recipe cards in Microsoft Word from the template at the Plucky Momo blog… The cards are formatted to 4x6 so they’ll fit in the photo album perfectly!

http://www.pluckymomo.com/2011/01/guest-tutorial-template-recipe-cards.html

The third DIY I really want to try is this amazing rainbow cupcake! I am in love with making cupcakes and this one doesn’t seem to difficult. Just make standard cupcake batter, and separate it into four (or however many) colors. Fill the foils with random colors and voila! rainbow cupcakes :)

http://daintysquid.blogspot.com/search/label/baking?updated-max=2010-09-23T06%3A52%3A00-04%3A00&max-results=20

The last (well, not last, but last for this blog posting) DIY I want to try is the bucket list! I am a bit obsessed with bucket lists. I think it’s so fun! Yet again, I am a little bit OCD with planning things. My bucket list contains places to travel, activities to do, etc. But it’s all in my head. This would be a perfect way to keep it all organized, and visual. (This one didn’t have a link… was just posted on Pinterest through a photo site.) Pin all your bucket list ideas up with clothespins, or something similar, and then place them in the bucket when you do them! Awesome.

I hope you enjoy National Craft Month as much as Jen & I are!

p.s. 51 days until graduation. 46 days until my last ever undergrad exam… not that I’m excited or anything ;)

- Jen Kreucher

A week from today should be the last day of February, however, because of leap year we get to extend the lovely month of February for an extra day.

People are always saying there aren’t enough hours in the day or days in a week. So I think we should take advantage of this extra 24 hours we’ve been handed and celebrate!

Below is a list of 29 different things you can do on February 29:

1. Ditch the e-reader, spend time in your local library browsing old (and new) books
2. Take pictures of every part of your day
3. Play Indoor Mini Golf
4. Set up a tent in your living room for kids or girls night in
5. Build a time capsule
6. Make mixed CD’s for your car/work from old songs you used to listen to
7. Have an indoor picnic
8. Create a Family Recipe Book
9. Invent  a game
10. Bake some chocolate chip cookies
11. Have an in-house movie theater
12. Host a tea party
13. Pamper yourself
14. Write a hand written letter, and send it in the mail (with a stamp, not e-mail)
15. Make chocolate chip pancakes (or whatever you fancy) for breakfast in a fun shape
16. Go to the open skate time at your local Ice Rink
17. Decorate a picture frame or make a collage for your desk at work of your favorite people, pets or vacation destination
18. Make a home video
19. Google restaurants in your area and try one that you’ve never tried before (even if it’s in the middle of nowhere)
20. Attempt to sew yourself a new lanyard or pillowcase (you can buy fat quarters for ~$1 at Jo Ann fabrics and Hobby Lobby, these are great for these kind of projects! )
21. Locate your nearest flea market or antique shop
22. Make a quilt out of your old t-shirts or blankets
23. Start a blog!
24. Start a 1,000 piece puzzle (or however many pieces you want J)
25. Have an indoor S’mores Bar, summer is only a few months away!
26. Play Twister with a group of friends, or family
27. Create a care package for soldiers over sea
28. Go through the old clothes you don’t wear and donate them to Salvation Army or Goodwill (or sell them back to Plato’s Closet). A fresh closet can make a world of difference!
29. Create a binder for your old, favorite greeting cards or repurpose them!

As for me, the last day of my undergrad is only 69 days away! Hope you have a great February 29!

-Jen K :)

ATTENTION: Spring break is in 10 DAYYYSSSS! Twenty-five friends and I will soon be whisked away, thanks to Delta Airlines, to Ft. Myers, Florida to enjoy six days of fun-in-the-sun.

So in the spirit of fun, here are 10 of my favorite fun facts to count down each day until my boots turn to flip-flops and the snow turns to sand. :)

1.       Twenty-nine percent of women spend more time shopping for shoes than they do looking for a lifelong mate.

2.       Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

3.       Your thumb is about the same size as your nose.

4.       The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. It was the fashion in the Renaissance Florence to shave them off.

5.       The average person spends three years of his or her life on a toilet.

6.       Men who kiss their wives in the morning live five years longer than those who don’t.

7.       The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.

8.       Standard paper cannot be folded in half more than 7 times.

9.       Scientists estimate that laughing 100 times is equivalent to a 10-minute workout on a rowing machine.

10.   ‘X’ became symbolic for a kiss because in the Middle Ages when a lot of people were illiterate they used to sign documents with and ‘X’ and then kiss it for sincerity.

Happy belated Valentine’s Day, Happy Fat Tuesday, Happy SPRING BREAK, Happy FEBRUARY :)

- Lani Kai Resort- Where I will be staying!!!

Catch ya on the flip side, Jennifer McNairnie.

It’s finally here. The last day of my undergrad is 98 days away.

But between now and then, I have quite a bit going on. The spring semester at CMU started January 9. I’ll now be attending class on Monday’s and Wednesday’s from 10-4:45 and working 27 hours on the opposite days. I also started my internship January 9, with the same group, but now I have more concentrated projects. The internship is a requirement to graduate.

I’ll be thankful to be done with school for a lot of reasons, but one is to get rid of the 45-minute drive to and from campus. Surprisingly, this hasn’t been bad lately because of the weather. If you don’t like the snow, or cold, then you’d consider Michigan to be very lucky up until about a week ago. We were experiencing a wonderful 40-50 degree winter. My little car, which my family and I nicknamed the Silver Surfer, quite enjoyed it. (It’s a Pontiac Sunfire… it’s still beyond me why they sell a car like this in Michigan, but it does the job for meJ)

Speaking of cars… I’ve been on the hunt for a new one. I’ll be replacing the silver surfer when I graduate with hopefully something a little more snow-friendly. A Black Chevy Silverado, extended cab, regular box with gray interior (no, I don’t ever think about this ;)).

Now, on to another topic that has caught my interest. Jen M and I decided to blog about the recent SOPA and PIPA bills that are currently before Congress. If you are unaware of what the two bills are, please view this website on Google.

Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, and Pinterest would be affected. Wikipedia, among many websites, had a 24 hour blackout on January 18, 2012, to bring awareness to the subject. Losing any of these websites would be a tragedy.

Personally, I don’t think that the government is going about this in the right way. I agree that the regulations need to be more stringent but I do not think that attacking all websites is the right answer.

My absolute favorite website, and recent addiction, is Pinterest. It’s a website created for people who love to craft, travel, bake, cook, throw parties, etc. It lets you take ideas from websites and blogs and “pin” it on your virtual cork board. It’s an amazing way to keep track of ideas that you want to do now, or in the future, and it allows you to share them with others.

The catch: you have to attach the link to the website you got it from to give credit where credit is due.

I believe that Pinterest is going about it the right way. And I think that others should follow suit. If the bills are passed and made into law, it will greatly affect the jobs of Journalists and PR professionals, and hurt the chances of finding a job for Jen and myself, due to the effect it would have on social media.

Ok, I probably should mention that I do not follow politics, the thought above is just that, a thought. I don’t mean to offend anyone if you think differently, or if Google and Wikipedia are giving me the wrong, or skewed, information about the subject. I just feel kind of heated up about the topic and it affects all of us.

Well, I hope you all have a great Thursday/Friday and a to those who are celebrating next week, a wonderful and enjoyable holiday season.

- Jennifer Kreucher

HAPPY NEW YEAR! -Looks like we couldn’t escape the snow after all. Michigan, you never cease to be the WEIRDEST state ever when it comes to weather. Luckily, I have lived in the lovely mitten state my whole life so I knew eventually we’d be shoveling out our cars and ice skating down the drive way.

For a second I had a minor brain malfunction and began to think I missed the snow….I was VERY wrong. But if I can’t make it disappear I guess I’ll use it to my advantage and hope for snow days where I can find the nearest sledding hill or snowboarding slope.

This semester I’m really putting on my big-girl-pants and taking classes that will be relevant to my portfolio and professional experience.   So moral of this story is, I need to be on my A game at all times- did I mention they start at 8 a.m.?! Hello coffee! Thank goodness the grand opening of Starbucks in our University Center was yesterday, premium coffee is now at my finger tips whenever I please. :)

….we’re getting pretty serious.

In the pocket of my big girl pants, I found these things called current events and the news- CRAZY concept. I’ve taken a serious notice to the SOPA and PIPA acts that are threatening my favorite websites and possibly my future career.

These acts mean well, I agree, but imagining someone taking away my access to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Pinterest makes me more than a little upset. The whole goal behind these acts is to make sure that credit is properly given to the person/company that deserves it, right? So regulate away, but don’t punish everyone for others mistakes—easier said than done, I understand.

Personally, I think the internet was made to share ideas and connect the world on that much of a closer level. The discussion about special agents being hired in and millions of dollars spent to eliminate domains should be redirected to create a regulation system that makes what you publish more secure to you personally. I don’t have the answers either, but I don’t think it’s fair to punish those who use the internet as their career and constantly connect the world on so many different levels.

If I were a congressman my vote would be no.

—-While we’re on the topic, let me close by saying I don’t really follow politics much but I understand the severity of this issue. Everything I said above is purely   my opinion and I am open to others as well. My main concern is, my generation runs on social media and the internet.  Taking it away from us is going to leave us all in a state of confusion and a whole lot of debt, since I will be jobless. Let the internet be the internet and go Tweet or something. :)  —-Jennifer McNairnie

Someone pinch me, finals are actually over.  My time as a college student is FLYING by!  One minute I’m graduating high school, I blink, and then I’m in my second semester as a college Junior. Mom, and all the rest of the adults out there, you were right, time only goes by faster as you get older- but please don’t get confused, I can hear the choir’s Halleluiah chorus celebrating this semesters end.

Over the next month there are LOTS of things to look forward to:

1.       Christmas- I love Christmas time because people are always in a great mood and I think the Holidays bring out the best in people.

2.       Florida- My family ALWAYS celebrates Christmas in the Florida Keys. Most people find this odd and picture Christmas morning surrounding a large decorated tree with the perfect snowfall covering the lawn (so picturesque, I know) but my memories of Christmas morning take me straight to the beach.

3.       Family- Since I am away from my family during the school year, I treasure the time that I get to spend at home.  I can also guarantee I will get to see my relatives- which will obviously includes lots of food and fun games.

4.       My half- birthday- It’s official I’m 20 and a half!

5.       New Year’s Eve- I love the buzz (and the sequence) that constantly surrounds New Year’s Eve. It’s the perfect ending to break and it’s a great chance to dress up and get together with both friends and family and celebrate the beginning of another great year. This coming year will be extra exciting for my family beacuse my baby sister is graduating high school in 2012 and will be joining me at Central Michigan Universtiy- FIRE UP CHIPS!!

I know I will have to go back to school sometime, but until then I’ll continue running the world as a Dow Corning Co-op and soaking up the sun on some Florida beaches.

Happy Holidays-

Jennifer McNairnie

The McNairnie children fom left to right:

Daniel (14), Kaitlyn (17), ME! (20 and a half ;) ) 

After 108 days, countless hours of studying, panicking, and studying some more, the fall semester at CMU is finally over. And I can say I’m one happy girl.

I really enjoy school, but to have 4 weeks off to do whatever I would like, without worrying about my homework getting done, will be very relaxing.

So what will I do with all of this free time?  

1. Craft – I’m a craft-a-holic. I’m turning a room in my house into a craft room!
2. Learn to sew. (Yes, I’m a craft-a-holic and I have zero idea of how to sew)
3. Start a quilt… (I know, I know, that requires knowing how to sew, which is part of the reason for number 2)
4. Read a book, (Have A Little Faith by Mitch Albom is first on my list)
5. Start training for the half marathon that will be taking place in Midland in May
6. Catch-up with friends. School and work take up a lot of my time, so I need to spend some quality time with friends and especially my family.
7. Babysit – I love kids, but don’t have much free time to spend with the kids I babysit during the school year – I already have a few nights lined up.
8. Searching and applying for jobs. I graduate in May so I want to get a head start on the hunt!

Also, Andrew and I are hosting a dinner party next week with a group of our friends from work, outside of work and my sister and brother-in-law. It should be a lot of fun! We’re having ham and lots of desserts (thanks to my new addiction, Pinterest, I’ve found lots of neat party ideas J)

For Christmas, I plan on spending a lot of time with my parents, grandparents and extended family in Davison, where my parents grew up.

Lastly, to bring in the New Year, Andrew and I, along with a group of our friends, will be venturing down to Midnight on Main, a new tradition in Midland with a ball drop, beverage tent, country band and much more to see the date on the calendar change to 2012. The year I have been looking forward to since I started my freshman year of high school. The year I’ll be graduating from college.

So, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or the fact that we have NO snow in the middle of December, I hope you have an enjoyable time off of work and a great New Year!

*Sorry the picture isn’t very clear, it’s from my phone*

Bottom: My Dad (Tom)

First Row L to R: Brett (Brother-in-law), Andrew (boyfriend), Jason (brother)

Second Row L to R: Ashley (Sister), My Mom (Annette)

Top Row: Me

- Jennifer Kreucher

I am a 21-year-old college student. But I’m no where near the “typical” 21-year-old college student. And I love it.

I’m at work every day at 7 a.m. and leave halfway through the day to make the 40 minute commute to campus. 

I’m almost done with my last fall semester at Central Michigan University and will shortly be starting my last semester, ever, of my undergrad. I will graduate May 5, 2012 (171 days to be exact, not that I’m counting) with a Bachelors of Arts, with an Integrative Public Relations major and a Marketing Minor. On campus, I have been involved in PRSSA and the Alliance for Women in Media group. Outside of work, I am the Executive Secretary for the Social Media Club Great Lakes Bay Region. We recently put on an event at the H Hotel in Midland, MI with 8 speaker sessions to choose from. I’m excited that social media is starting to become more popular around Midland!

I’m pretty sure I’m addicted to pop. When I have time, I enjoy running. I never thought there’d be a day when I actually said, “I enjoy running.” My boyfriend and I are going to start training for a half marathon (he wants to do a full marathon… that’s not happening).

And I love baking! I mainly like “creating” things. My favorite cake I’ve made was a snake cake, made out of two Bundt cakes.

I’ve been a co-op at Dow Corning since April of 2010. Previous to that I worked at Dow Chemical for 3 years, between Compensation & Benefits and Workforce Planning.

I’ve lived in Midland my entire life, and would love to stay here. In 5 years I see myself working within a corporation and enjoying life here in this small, but amazing town.

“Posts expressed on this blog are only our personal opinions that have not been reviewed by, are not endorsed by and do not represent the opinion or viewpoints of Dow Corning.”