When new Bobcats arrive in Athens, they are immediately told about Ohio University’s strong alumni network.
Often, it can be stressful for a student to figure out what their degree can lead to post-graduation and seeing successful alumni can be inspiring for younger students.
Among the several thousand Bobcat alumni stands Riley Farber, who graduated in December with a degree in communications and marketing minor.
From Hudson, Ohio, Riley Farber currently works as a digital marketing specialist in Nashville, Tennessee.
Riley Farber’s sister, Mackenzie Farber, is a graduate of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and also fell into the marketing field. With just a two-year age gap and significantly older siblings, the Farber sisters wanted to work together from a young age.
“We always talked about maybe starting a boutique,” Riley Farber said. “When she (Mackenzie) graduated college, she went into marketing, and then I just kind of followed along after her.”
Riley Farber initially studied elementary education, but switched to communications after her first semester of courses at OU.
“I was like, ‘I just don’t think this is for me,’” she said. “I just fell in love with marketing and the classes I was taking for communications.”
Although she graduated in December, Riley Farber chose to walk in the spring commencement ceremony with her friends. As June rolled in, Riley Farber and her sister decided to establish their own legacy.
“After I graduated, we were like, ‘Now is the perfect time. Let's see if we can start this company together,’” she said.
Building a business from scratch is no easy task. The pair began by creating a brand kit, which included the planned visual elements of the company and decided to rope their mother into the project for behind-the-scenes work and finances. From there, Riley Farber traveled from Nashville, Tennessee to Ohio to help design the website and do a brand photoshoot.
Riley Farber said she enjoys working with her family and bouncing ideas off one another. She said the company has brought them closer together, regardless of her living in Tennessee.
“We all have a pretty similar taste and style,” Riley Farber said. “So, I feel like that’s super helpful ... we call each other all the time, so it’s awesome being able to talk to them so much now.”
Riley Farber’s hard work and dedication can be motivating for Bobcats who are pursuing similar careers. Erin East, a junior studying international business, is involved around campus as a member of the professional communications fraternity, Kappa Alpha Zeta.
East is also pursuing minors in Spanish and marketing and said she hopes to travel.
“I think OU does a really good job … I like how they require business majors to have an internship,” she said. “I think internships really play a good part in getting experience because I think that’s a huge thing.”
East said it is inspiring to see alumni succeeding in the world of business.
“It’s a good way to help you choose a path for yourself and see if someone’s already doing the job that you would like to have (and) what you have to do in order to take those steps to get there,” she said.
Carly Kunkler, a freshman studying journalism strategic communications, said her dream is to be a sideline reporter or run social media for an athletic team. Kunkler said OU helps prepare students to pursue successful careers.
“They’re (OU) very thorough with it, they try to prepare us as much as they can,” she said. “But, we kind of have to learn that stuff on our own sometimes too.”
Similar to Kunkler, Riley Farber said she credits the courses she took at OU with preparing her to establish a company.
“They were all so educational, and I feel like it was all real-world stuff that I was learning ... they taught me a lot of what I still use today, which is awesome,” she said.
