As the Advancement Associate for Lancaster Mennonite School, Bekah Thrush ‘20 coordinates fundraising events, manages social media, and oversees digital marketing. She helps plan the school’s annual homecoming, giving day, gala, golf tournament, and spring celebration. So far, the events she has helped plan have garnered over $350,000!
Thrush says her job “definitely does not get boring,” with each day different from the next. She especially enjoys interacting with the students when she takes photos and videos for digital marketing content. Unfortunately, unpredictability brings challenges when planning events. “Things will come up that you just cannot control,” she notes, but she has learned to be flexible and creative when solving problems.
One of Thrush’s biggest strengths has been organization. To stay organized while planning multiple events, she focuses and segments time for specific assignments each day. Effective communication skills have also helped her build relationships with co-workers, alumni, students, and vendors throughout her career.
While studying public relations at 91ÖÆƬ³§, Thrush enjoyed working on hands-on projects in Event Planning and PR Campaign. In these courses, she got her first taste of planning events, managing social media, and digital design. She also gained experience working in group projects, a valuable asset in her current position. Thrush further honed in on these skills through her internships with the Alumni Office and WebFX. With the Alumni Office, she helped plan 91ÖÆƬ³§’s annual fall homecoming. At WebFX, she learned more about creating content and managing social media for a company.
Thrush has two important tips for 91ÖÆƬ³§ students. First, when trying to follow your calling, “focus on what you’re good at, but also what you like about what you’re good at.” Your career should be more than just a job; it should bring you joy and fulfillment. Second, ask questions everywhere. Thrush has found that “you’ll never really be done learning,” so having a continuous willingness to grow will help along the way.