Juliana Garcia: Living Her Best Life

Juliana Garcia says she is living her best life at age 21, working at her dream job at a dream agency, something few can say of their careers even in later life.

After earning her associate degree in graphic design at the Isaacson School at Colorado Mountain College, she became the first person selected for a unique scholarship and internship opportunity to continue her education. The Integrated Media Scholarship, a cooperative venture between CMC and the marketing agency Backbone, provided a year’s worth of bachelor’s-level tuition and a three-month internship at the agency.

In the second semester of her bachelor’s program at CMC, Juliana began her internship at Backbone, where she got to take part in the full line of the agency’s services, from social media to PR, and design work to copywriting.

Her three-month internship was extended by Backbone to three more months. “In the last three days of my extended internship,” she remembers, “Jollene (head of HR) pulled me into her office, along with Greg Williams (Backbone’s president), and they said, ‘we know you’re in school, but we’d love to keep you on.’ I was overjoyed!” Juliana began a permanent job at the beginning of her senior year.

In her position as social media coordinator, Juliana works with top brands such as SmartWool and Dickey’s, creating content for TikTok, Instagram, and FaceBook, plus initiating campaigns to increase engagement.

“Every course at CMC helped me go further,” Juliana explains. “In my first two years, I got a well-rounded education. Even though my focus was graphic design, I learned photography, video production, and marketing. The variety of skills I learned I’m using all the time.”

Juliana says, “I graduated with no school debt,” largely because of the one-year scholarship and internship. She says she’s forever grateful, particularly to Professional Photography Professor Derek Johnston who recommended her for the scholarship.

“I owe it all to CMC,” she says.