With graduation looming, Graduate Student Senate President and Graduate Center Communications Fellow Jillian Atwood M’25 is ready for what’s next.
“I’ve been a full-time student working 45 hours a week,” she said. “It’s been crazy balancing everything. At the same time, I’m also ready to go into the next thing that’s waiting for me whenever it comes.”
Atwood came to Merrimack this year after earning her bachelor’s in communications from Rollins College in 2024. She will graduate on May 15 from Merrimack’s School of Arts and Sciences with a master’s degree in communications and an integrated marketing concentration.
“A master’s degree is the new bachelor’s degree,” she said. “I wanted to get it done immediately and go into the job market to stand out from the crowd. The fellowship program really helps with professional development and Merrimack’s communications department is really great.”
As a presidential fellow, Atwood worked 25 hours a week doing communications, marketing and event planning for the Graduate Center. Some of her duties include running the office’s Instagram account, overseeing the Graduate Student Record newsletter and organizing marquee events such as Mack-a-ritaville and Graduate Grad-itude Week.
“It’s been the best job I’ve ever had,” she said. “I definitely had one of the best fellowships. The student engagement part was great. I loved that I was a graduate student myself and also served the community around me.”
After a few months in her role, Atwood applied for a position on the Graduate Student Senate. She expected she’d be appointed director of communications – it was a pleasant surprise, she said, when she was chosen as president.
“In both of my roles (in the GSS and Graduate Center), I gathered opinions and worked to make sure everyone’s experience in graduate school was the best it can be,” she explained. “We have such a diverse graduate student body – online students, different age groups, some have families to support.”
As Merrimack’s graduate online programs continue to grow, Atwood said the GSS found some students struggled with engagement and a sense of belonging. In response, under Atwood’s leadership, the GSS appointed Meredith Ivy M’25 as the new vice president of online students. Ivy implemented a Discord server (chatroom and video conference application) so online graduate students can connect with each other, ask questions or participate in remote social events like virtual trivia.
“We were also successful in issuing professional development grants this year,” Atwood continued. “Those grants helped students across different programs attend conferences and get required certifications. We were able to reimburse the full or partial amount for five grant recipients.”
After graduation, Atwood hopes to one day land a job at a federal agency. For now, however, she’s looking for jobs in marketing and communications.
“My faculty advisor, Andrew Tollison, and all of my professors have given me so much insight into what post-grad life is like,” she said. “I feel very well-rounded in my communications courses – I have a little bit of experience in every sector. It’s exposed me to all the different career paths I can explore.”
