CSC Alum Shares Global Marketing Career Path with Students

by CA 133 Media Writing Class

Students in the media writing course at Chadron State College connected across a seven-hour time difference to hear from alum Leana Tajkov, gaining insight into careers in marketing, communication, and creative strategy from a global perspective.

Tajkov, originally from Serbia, first came to Chadron as an international student. What began as an opportunity to study in the United States eventually became the foundation for a career built on communication, storytelling, and adaptability across cultures. Today, she lives in Serbia and works as a Marketing Communications Specialist for IKEA, where she contributes to campaigns designed to connect with audiences in meaningful and authentic ways.

While at CSC, Tajkov was actively involved on campus, including working as a staff member for The Eagle, the college’s student newspaper. She reflected on how those early experiences helped her build the skills she now uses professionally.

During the Zoom session, Tajkov shared her journey from student to professional, emphasizing that her path was not always straightforward. Instead, it was shaped by taking opportunities, trying new roles, and developing a strong understanding of how communication works in different contexts.

“Communication is really about understanding people,” Tajkov said. “You have to know your audience and what matters to them.”

Tajkov explained that in her current role, she is responsible for developing content and campaigns that align with both brand goals and audience expectations. This includes writing, collaborating with creative teams, and thinking strategically about how messages are delivered across platforms.

She also noted that modern marketing has shifted away from simply promoting products and toward building relationships with audiences. Effective communication, she explained, requires not only strong writing skills but also the ability to listen, observe, and adapt.

“People don’t respond to content that feels forced,” Tajkov said. “They respond to something that feels real and relevant to them.”

Her perspective on communication is shaped in part by her experience navigating different cultures. As someone who studied in the United States and now works in an international environment, Tajkov emphasized the importance of understanding diverse audiences and being mindful of how messages may be received in different cultural contexts.

For the students in the CA 133 class, Tajkov’s experiences reinforced many of the concepts they have been working on throughout the semester. Topics such as audience awareness, platform-specific writing, and strategic communication were no longer just classroom ideas, but real-world expectations in a professional setting.

Tajkov also encouraged students to take initiative and build experience wherever possible. Whether through internships, campus involvement, or class projects, she stressed that hands-on work is one of the most valuable ways to grow.

“Try different things and don’t be afraid to take chances,” she said. “You learn a lot by doing.”

She pointed back to her time at CSC as a key part of that growth. Opportunities like working for The Eagle allowed her to practice writing for an audience, meet deadlines, and develop confidence in her communication skills. Those experiences, she said, translated directly into her professional work after graduation.

The session offered students a clearer understanding of how communication and media writing skills can be applied in a variety of career paths, including roles that extend beyond local or even national boundaries. Hearing from a CSC graduate who began as an international student and now works for a global company highlighted the wide range of possibilities available to students.

For many in the class, Tajkov’s story served as both a practical example and a source of motivation. Her message was consistent throughout the session: strong communication skills, combined with adaptability and a willingness to learn, can open doors in ways students may not initially expect.

As students continue developing their own work in media writing and public relations, Tajkov’s visit provided a timely reminder that the skills they are building now have direct applications far beyond the classroom.

Student Reflections:

• Dustin Blehm – What I learned from Leana as a guest speaker was that working hard, using different skills, networking, and reaching out to friends and classmates are important. Learn skills that will help in life. She was very knowledgeable, worked hard, and used a variety of skills to sell herself to everyone to get the job. Show up to events and work on networking at the events, maybe bring someone with you to help, and have someone to talk to, just to have someone to talk to. We can take what she was talking about and practice writing and building a portfolio to help get into the jobs we want to do. Life takes a different path, twisting and turning, but it will get you to where you want to go. Take every job you can get and any help you can get. If you know someone who is at a job you are applying to, put in a good word for you. Take it because that will get your foot in the door and always say yes to more work; the more you do; the more chances you get to show them what you can do. Leana inspired me to restart my show, and I thank her for reigniting the fire in me to get back to it.

• Faith VanDeMark – Leana offered insight into real life application of communication, public relations, and marketing. As we listened to this guest speaker, three values stood out to me. Right from the get-go, Leana emphasized the importance of being versatile as both a person and a worker. She explained strengthening yourself in many areas helps you to be adaptive towards different situations or job tasks in the real world. Secondly, she integrated the value of being persistent. She encouraged our class to chase opportunities and hustle for what we want. In tandem, she explained being persistent comes with pushing aside discouragement. She mentioned taking a more non-traditional route filled with occupations like waitressing and taking over a family business, but through it all, having perseverance helps to get you where you want to be through grit. She explained one “no” doesn’t dictate your future and encouraged us to fight until you find a “yes”. Thirdly, Leana left us with the advice of building your community. Finding and connecting with people can help you stay afloat in uncertainty. She mentioned finding a classmate from elementary school helped give her an advantage of landing the current Marketing Communications job she has now. Connections that seem little can help in the long run if you put energy into those relationships. Through her experience, there’s a line of connection to Leana’s life and our class work. She mentioned the importance of staying consistent and showing up. In our current public relations assignment, where we are tasked with working with real people in real businesses, consistency has been key. I have reached out to my business repeatedly to lock in a plan to discuss their communication, audience, and background. Through this process, I have taken a page out of Leana’s book and kept trying, despite discouragement. In this example of real-world communication work, I have had to chase the opportunity and not rely on the opportunity presenting itself to me. Further into building your skill set, recognizing every assignment helps you grow, follows Leana’s advice. From analyzing platforms to rewriting for different audiences, classwork like this helps to develop and hone my skills. When Leana explained the importance of being versatile, growing skills through practice in class helps further me as both a writer and communicator.

• Daphne LaVigne– Leana’s presentation was really inspiring as a journalism major. I loved it when she talked about her time as a waitress. She said that this field is high-paced and it’s ok to need to take a break, and that it really helped her. I also thought it was admirable to hear her pushing through advertising, with English not being her first language, and wanting to go into the communications field. I think my biggest in-class takeaway from what she said was just to be bold, persistent, and to take up space. In my experience, the hardest part of writing stories was always reaching out, because it felt awkward and like I was burdening them and taking up too much time. I really liked the fact that she assured us that that is what we are supposed to do, and being persistent got her to where she is now. It showed me that I need to gain more confidence in reaching out multiple times and “bugging” people to get the outcome that I want. She said, “Take up space, especially as a woman,” which I really liked. Especially as a woman going into sports reporting, which is very male- dominated, that is a cool thing to think about.