CATLab Blog Alumni Profiles: Alexa Gatiss
Here at CATLab, we’re so proud of our graduates! Many of the students who came through CATLab during their time at app have leveraged the skills they learned in the program into exciting roles in the technology and software industries. We recently sat down with Alexa Gatiss ’23, who participated in CATLab in 2021 and 2022, to hear more about her current work and her advice for future CATLab students.
Since she graduated from app, Alexa has worked as a marketing coordinator at DHD, a reseller of networking hardware that focuses on providing strategic IT procurement and maintenance solutions to clients around the world. She is the only employee at the company whose sole role is marketing, so her job includes event planning, graphic design, web design, social media, email marketing, and CRM management. “I couldn't have asked for a more perfect job straight out of college,” Alexa says. “I feel like I can truly bring my authentic self to work.”
Alexa says that CATLab prepared her well for a role at a small business like DHD: “We had to learn so much through doing at CATLab and make many decisions on our own, which has been a valuable skill for my role at a small business.” As a member of the creative team at CATLab, she also gained experience in many of the areas that her job touches now: graphic design, web design, event planning, and more. She says, “I remember my coworkers being surprised by my preparedness for my first trade show, and I remember saying, ‘not sure if you knew this…but it actually isn’t my first rodeo!’”
Alexa believes that CATLab leaders should emphasize these sorts of transferable skills, especially at the end of the summer. Students could, she says, “create a chart with transferable skills that show which skills they learned over the course of the summer, how they could transfer to a job, and how they could be presented on a resume.”
When asked what advice she has for app graduates entering the workforce, Alexa broke it down into three pieces of advice:
First, Alexa encourages students to leverage their connections to find the right opportunities for them. She reminds them that “referrals aren’t cheating; they’re about recognizing and utilizing the value of relationships to uncover opportunities that align with your skills and ambitions.”
She recommends that students prioritize finding a job that is the right fit for their skills and personality. A small business was perfect for her, she explains: “I have found so much joy in working for a small business. They have entrusted me to be a go-to person for marketing projects, which has really made me feel valuable! I would recommend looking for a role and a boss that needs and values your skillset!”
Lastly, Alexa calls app graduates to “love and care for others well in whatever role you take on. We are called to love our neighbors like ourselves, and the people we sit next to everyday at work are some of our closest neighbors! Know enough about the people around you to love them well. I’m daily reminded of Hebrews 10:24, which asks us to ‘consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.’ I’m grateful to have coworkers who walk this out—I have been surrounded by role models who show me how to bless others in small and big ways: bringing people together, being responsive to emails, and celebrating others well, to name a few.” To sum it all up, Alexa declares, “faith doesn’t get left at the door of the office.”