Madeline Alger

Madeline Alger is marketing alumni from Pensacola, Florida

Hometown: My hometown is Pensacola, Florida, and I now live in Frederick, Maryland.

Class of: 2018

Where is your hometown, and where do you live now?
My hometown is Pensacola, Florida, and I now live in Frederick, Maryland.

What is/was your profession? And, if applicable, what is your current title and employer?
I work in marketing as director of off-page SEO at BluShark Digital.

What year(s) did you complete degrees from NIU?
2018

Why did you choose to attend NIU?
While attending DeKalb High School, I was in an entrepreneur class at Kishwaukee College, and we came to NIU for an afternoon. We listened to Dr. Tim Aurand's lecture on personal branding, and I was hooked. I decided then and there that I wanted to be an NIU business student and decided against going to a university in Chicago.

Did NIU's location near Chicago shape your professional opportunities and network? If so, how?
I was living in DeKalb already, having attended middle and high school there. So, while NIU was not originally on my list due to proximity, it made my decision very easy.

What role did NIU's alumni network play in your career journey?
My father is a Huskie and loved his time at NIU! My aunt is also a business school alum, and NIU helped fast-track her career.

How did NIU's emphasis on experiential learning (like internships, research and hands-on learning) impact your career readiness?
I was specifically hired because of my client-facing projects through classwork and the organizations I was involved in at NIU, most prominently TEDxNIU.

Which NIU resources or centers (like career services or specific labs/facilities) were most valuable in preparing you for your current role?
The resume reviews and tutoring opportunities within the Department of Marketing were the most useful for me.

How did learning alongside people from a variety of backgrounds influence your professional perspective?
It helped provide alternate ideas I would never have come up with. Working with other marketing and design students at Barsema Hall and the School of Art and Design helped me think outside of the box and solve problems in new ways.

What unique opportunities did your academic program provide that helped launch your career?
NIU was one of the only schools in the Midwest to have a digital marketing certificate at the time. This helped differentiate me from other potential hires whose universities did not have such a program. Now that NIU offers the master’s in digital marketing program, there is so much more they offer in the realm of digital marketing!

Describe a specific project, internship or class that directly impacted your professional success.
My internship, which I landed from an NIU job and internship fair, was at a restaurant in Chicago. But I was brought on for a second summer to help open their new location in D.C. Because of that internship, I moved to D.C. after college and found my dream job at a start-up agency that I have been at for almost seven years.

How did faculty mentorship or networking opportunities influence your career path?
Dr. Tim Aurand was my mentor before, during and after my time at NIU. His dedication to students and overwhelming knowledge of marketing and personal branding was integral to my career at NIU.

How did your education prepare you for your current role in ways you might not have expected?
A specific class I thought I would never use that I think of almost daily was a business communications class. Drafting and redrafting emails, memos, notices, etc., was tedious at the time but has helped my communication skills stand out from my peers.

What aspects of your student experience influenced your career path or proved most valuable in your professional life?
I took a graphic design class and had a project to create a book design. Because of that project, I have now helped design, edit and publish two books. The latest launched on Oct. 24, 2025.

What skills or perspectives did you develop at NIU that set you apart in your field?
A grit mentality is a soft skill I bring to the table that was refined during my time at NIU. This skill normally must exist in a person already, but being very busy with my classes, extracurriculars and work schedule (sometimes three jobs at once) helped me bring my A-game to work every day. If I can do all of that and not only stay afloat but succeed because of my support system at NIU, I can accomplish most everything else life throws at me.

What advice would you give to someone considering NIU?
Specifically for the College of Business: If you're looking for a university that stays at the cutting edge of business trends, NIU is the place to be. My education was the perfect mix of standard classes and real-world experience to tie principles to reality.

What advice would you give to a student who is currently attending NIU?
Think outside of your college: Take an extra class you're interested in or sign up for an organization that doesn't “match” your career path. There are so many opportunities at NIU that will not only build your resume but also make you a more well-rounded individual.

How would you describe the return on investment of your education?
NIU has provided me with more opportunities than I could ever have imagined. It completely changed the trajectory of my life in a way I couldn't even dream of.

How did your education prepare you for changes in your industry?
I was one of the first students in the digital program. So, in its infancy, there was a lot to cover, but also a lot missed. While the digital marketing program is robust now, I learned most of my niche job once in the role. However, what NIU taught me was to ask questions, think strategically and take a ton of notes, all of which have helped me continue to learn every day and be successful in my career.

What made you decide to complete this survey and share your NIU story with other Huskies?
I am reaching out with news of a new book that exists in part because of my time and education at NIU. If I didn't learn design techniques and marketing tactics at NIU, I wouldn't be a part of this publication, and I wouldn't have been able to do the research to find this form to begin with! Letters of a Traveling Architect was written by my mother, a local DeKalb author, and it was published on Oct. 24, 2025. Because of my education at NIU, I was able to design her cover, typeset the 500-plus page book and create numerous illustrations, as well as develop a yearlong marketing plan to advertise the novel.