Addison Irish, Class of '22

Get to know Calvin junior and the newest member of Symposia Labs, Addison Irish! Read on to learn about her journey to Calvin, and the next coffee shop you need to visit:

What year at Calvin are you and what are you studying? 

I am a junior at Calvin studying Marketing Management and Entrepreneurship!

Why did you choose Calvin? 

I have an older sister, Sydney, who is a student here at Calvin too. When we began the search for colleges, we did all of our visits together. Sydney and I embarked on a Fridays at Calvin visit. Our day started with Chapel, followed by a behavior psychology class and a lunch with Calvin faculty. Calvin had successfully checked off all the marks for me in terms of a small liberal arts school that had a Christ focus in all it did; however, what pushed me to choose Calvin was how my sister and I finished our Fridays visit. We were asked by one of the admissions counselors to attend the David Crowder concert that was on campus. That Friday night, three years ago, I sat in the front row praising Jesus with my sister at my side — that night, I knew Calvin was my home.

What has been your favorite class so far? 

My favorite class has been Marketing 301 with Professor Risner. In this class, we have the opportunity to develop a marketing plan for a real client, which has been a great experience. In addition, this class is full of collaboration and is heavily reliant on applicable learning.

What aspect of marketing interests you the most and why? 

I love the problem-solving aspect of marketing. I think marketing has the potential to completely transform a business, but in order to do so, it must be looked at through a customer relationship lens. I believe marketing is about building customer relationships so that one can identify and solve problems in the business. 

Have you had any jobs or internships in marketing and what did you learn from them?

My family and I own 317 Coffee in Hudsonville, MI. My senior year of high school, I was empowered to begin and operate this business. Because of this, I learned how to fail fast and move forward. A lot of the lessons I learned from running a business have been helpful to apply to my current internship at Symposia Labs.

What have you learned already or hope to learn working with Symposia?

In my first few weeks at Symposia, I have learned how fast the environment is in the marketing world. Furthermore, I have learned that collaboration is key, and courage is the first step to success. In the future, I hope to learn how to develop client relationships. 

Where would you like to work after graduation? 

Someday, I would love for my dream to own a women's clothing boutique to come true; however, in the meantime, I hope to work for a company where I am able to use my skills in both marketing and entrepreneurship.