From Mizzou to Manhattan: Alumna Jenn Ott’s journey to her dream city and beyond
Jenn Ott standing with a flag in Antarctica, completing her journey of traveling to all seven continents.
By Sydney Perry
After successfully setting foot in all seven continents and over 50 countries, with no intention of slowing down any time soon, University of Missouri alumna Jenn Ott credits her initial desire and ambition to travel directly back to her alma mater. With a degree from the Missouri School of Journalism with an emphasis in Strategic Communication as well as a degree in Marketing from the Trulaske School of Business in 2018, her appreciation for the opportunities presented to her at Mizzou continues to grow.
During her time at Mizzou, Ott was involved in everything she had time for. From being an account executive on MOJO Ad — the School of Journalism’s student-staffed ad agency — working with a team of students to promote Dairy Queen nationally, to serving as the creative director for the School’s National Student Advertising Competition team, Ott felt that the time she spent at Mizzou was significantly beneficial.
“Overall, one of the best things about Mizzou was how much experience you got within school itself and within the extracurriculars provided,” said Ott. “It was easy to translate both things from class and from the clubs and study abroad programs because it truly was as close to real world experience as you could get.”
Ott’s passion for creativity truly took flight when she signed up for the McCann internship program, completing internships in Hong Kong and Prague. From the cobblestone streets of Prague to the bustling metropolis of Hong Kong, she immersed herself in diverse cultures, fostering friendships and connections that she is still in contact with today. After overcoming culture shock, she quickly realized her passion for exploration.
“I think these programs helped me grow as a person,” said Ott. “They really just pushed me out of my comfort zone and truly changed how I think about the world overall and I definitely caught the travel bug. It kind of forces you to have a deeper connection to yourself and the places you are visiting, which I think can translate over to our industry really well.”
After her globe hopping internships, she returned to Mizzou, lending her skills to a local toy company and to the MBA program at the Trulaske School of Business, helping them with their internal and external marketing strategies. Throughout these positions and her classes, she quickly started to decide where she wanted to work in the future.
“I had quite a few internships and communication jobs during my time at school and I think all of them really helped me figure out what I wanted to do after graduation,” said Ott.
Right out of college, she found herself in California for the beginning of her career. Choosing to start her post-graduate career on the client side rather than the agency side, Ott was hired as a product marketing manager for news at Facebook. Five years later, she is now a global integrated brand marketing manager at Instagram, working from her dream apartment in New York City.
“What’s been most impactful in terms of growing professionally and feeding my curiosity over the years is that I’ve actually gotten to work in many different roles including brand strategy, integrated marketing and product marketing,” said Ott. “This has allowed me to tap into creativity and strategic thinking in different ways and understand how each brings unique value to building a brand.”
As Ott continues to learn and grow in her position at one of the biggest social media platforms in the world, she encourages students to put themselves out there and go for any opportunity that comes their way.
“When I was looking for a post-graduation position, I cold-applied to a LinkedIn post from Facebook and I have been with the company for five years now,” said Ott. “Sometimes you just have to go for it and, with a little luck, you’ll get it.”
Updated: March 19, 2024