Graduate Profile: Betsy Pilon
Betsy Richards Pilon’s liberal arts education at Alma College prepared her for a wide variety of tasks in the field of communication.
“Depending on which communication track you choose, you are required to take classes from other disciplines that complement the communication classes,” the 2003 graduate says. “I have extensively utilized the graphic design skills that I learned in the art class that I was required to take for my major, something few other communication professionals can lay claim to.”
The Ferndale resident also credits the professors within the program and the required internship for creating opportunities for her success.
"I have extensively utilized the graphic design skills that I learned in the art class that I was required to take for my major, something few other communication professionals can lay claim to. "
“The internship was a springboard to launch a career from,” she says. “I not only felt prepared on how to interview for post-graduate positions, but having solid experience in the career field was crucial. During my internship, Dr. Micheal Vickery visited to get a feel for what I was doing, and that cemented just how truly invested the professors are in what you are doing.”
Pilon is now a senior market communications consultant for Henry Ford Health System in Detroit. She was attracted to Alma by its small campus and sense of community.
“You could tell something was very special about Alma,” she says. “Alumni that graduated several years earlier could relate easily to current students’ experiences - that still holds true today.”
While at Alma, Pilon was a member of Alpha Xi Delta, the Alma Symphony Orchestra, the Alma College Dance Team, and the Orientation, Little Sibs and Homecoming committees. She also worked for the public relations office.
