Meet Kaci Waugh, AAF Nebraska Student Member | Bailey Lauerman Social Coordinator and Graduate Student, Chadron State College
Student member, Kaci Waugh recently joined the Bailey Lauerman (BL) team as a Social Coordinator following a summer internship. A connection made at the AAF Nebraska’s Meet the Pros, is a testament to why the federation continues this two-day conference for area students.
Waugh was encouraged by Chadron State College professor and advisor of The Big Event, Dr. Shaunda French-Collins, to attend Meet the Pros. In March 2021, Waugh joined graduate and under-graduate college students from across the region for AAF Nebraska’s two-day conference. She engaged with area professionals during conference sessions, which later helped her land a spot on the coveted BL Summer Internship Program and current position.
Waugh, originally from Chadron, NE is no stranger to goal setting and executing outcomes with positive accomplishments. She graduated from Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA) with Summa Cum Laude distinction, earning a BS in Strategic Communication. During her time at Old Dominion University Waugh was a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society, a member of the Old Dominion University Perry Honors College, on the Dean’s list from the fall of 2017 through the spring of 2020 and served as the Chapter President of Alpha Phi International Fraternity (Epsilon Eta Chapter). Waugh currently holds a 4.0 GPA pursuing her Master’s in Business Administration at Chadron State College. She anticipates completion of the MBA program in May 2022.
Waugh was already on a solid path to becoming an advertising professional prior to Meet the Pros. During the event she heard from many local, regional, and national advertising professionals. BL’s CEO, Greg Andersen sparked her interest in Bailey Lauerman during a panel discussion featuring Andersen and other Nebraska agency owners. “I was really impressed by Greg Andersen’s story and the company. I took it upon myself to do a little more research from there,” Waugh said. During Meet the Pros, she was matched with Abby Meyer from BL for a portfolio review and one-on-one discussion. Waugh reached out after Meet the Pros connecting with Meyer via LinkedIn and later learned about the BL Summer Internship Program. She applied to the program and after several rounds of interviews landed a spot on the BL summer intern team.
Working for four weeks with a team of interns and professionals at BL, Waugh assisted in creating a pro bono proposal for one of the agency’s existing clients where she gained hands-on real-life work experience. The story doesn’t end here, at the time of writing this article, roughly a month after completing the BL internship program, Waugh was hired by BL and had completed her second week of employment. Waugh said, “the internship was a valuable experience that supplemented her classroom work and allowed her to show the team at BL her strengths to support their values and mission as an employee.”
As she settles into her new position Waugh said, “At BL, I get the opportunity to work alongside high-performing advertising professionals who bring creativity and strategic thinking to every task. The company’s emphasis on culture encourages friendship inside and outside of the office, so my coworkers are not only a huge source of inspiration but have also become a second family to me.”
AAF Nebraska congratulates Waugh on starting her career at Bailey Lauerman and wishes her well as she completes her MBA through Chadron State College’s online classes.
About Meet the Pros
Meet the Pros is an annual conference sponsored by AAF Nebraska. It is designed to give college students an opportunity to explore careers in the advertising industry, discover what trends are developing in the industry and ignite their careers by making professional contacts. Meet the Pros offers direction in academic studies, work options and extracurricular activities that will assist students in achieving their career objectives. The two-day conference includes skill-building workshops, portfolio reviews, agency tours and professional round table meet and greets.
To learn more about Meet the Pros visit Meet the Pros | AAF Nebraska. And if you are interested in volunteering to work on the Meet the Pros planning committee, contact the AAF Nebraska office, or Board chairs Kevin Olive or Erin Buhrman.
-Teri Hamburger, Executive Director
AAF Nebraska
