Samantha Blanken

Samantha Blanken has a diverse range of work experience in various industries. Samantha started their career as a Host at the Michigan State University - East Complex Dining from 2009 to 2012, where they greeted and served dining hall visitors. In 2011, they became an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant at the Michigan State University Department of Zoology, assisting in seminars and introductory courses. Samantha then interned as an Audience Research Intern at Brookfield Zoo in 2012, where they distributed surveys and conducted their own research project. Samantha continued their role at Brookfield Zoo as an Audience Research Assistant in 2013, collecting surveys and coding responses.

In 2013, Samantha participated in a study abroad program at the University of Cambridge, taking finance and comparative business law courses. Samantha also worked as a Study Abroad Participant at Magdalene College during this time.

From 2014 to 2018, Samantha worked as a Barista at Starbucks, providing personalized service to customers. Concurrently, they joined Beachbody as a Team Beachbody Coach, offering support and encouragement to individuals through social media.

In 2014, Samantha also had a brief role as a Production Intern at Ravinia Festival, assisting visiting artists and fulfilling pre- and post-production needs.

From 2015 to 2018, Samantha worked at ZS Associates as a Market Research Assistant. In this role, they managed vendor logistics and conducted qualitative research for consulting projects primarily in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.

Most recently, Samantha joined Mediafly in 2018, starting as a Marketing Coordinator and being promoted to Marketing Events Manager in 2020. Their responsibilities included event planning, strategy development, and coordination of internal and external stakeholders for various in-person and virtual events.

Samantha Blanken obtained their Bachelor of Arts degree in General Management from Michigan State University, where they studied from 2009 to 2013. Additionally, they earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Lyman Briggs Zoology from the same university, completing their studies from 2009 to 2012.