By Jessica Lien
Elizabeth Wickham (BA ’21) helped bring major musical artists to college campuses, coordinated influencer partnerships at New York Fashion Week, and worked on marketing campaigns for nationally recognized brands.
Today, the University of Iowa communication studies alumna works as a senior talent partnerships manager at Fashion Nova, connecting the fashion retailer with influencers, agents, and talent managers from her office in Beverly Hills, California.
Her career took her from college marketing to the fashion and entertainment industries, but Wickham traces much of her professional growth to the opportunities she pursued as a student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS).
For Wickham, the key was learning not to rule herself out before she even tried.
Finding her people and confidence
Although Wickham grew up outside Washington, D.C., Iowa already felt like a second home. Her father grew up in Epworth, Iowa, and both of her parents attended the University of Iowa. Family visits, holidays, and Hawkeye football games made choosing Iowa an easy decision.
Choosing a major required more exploration.
Wickham had long been interested in writing, media, and filmmaking, but she wasn't certain what career she wanted. Communication studies appealed to her because it offered opportunities to explore those interests while developing skills she could use in different industries.
Courses in interpersonal communication, political communication, and media history helped her understand how people communicate, how relationships develop, and how media influences society.
A media history course taught by Kembrew McLeod, professor in the Department of Communication Studies, was particularly influential.
“Understanding the history and foundations of media helped make sense of an industry that's constantly changing. That context is still useful,” Wickham said.
But some of her most valuable learning experiences took place outside the classroom.
Wickham describes herself as shy growing up. At Iowa, as she became more comfortable and developed a close circle of friends, she began challenging herself to pursue opportunities that interested her.
By her sophomore year, she was looking for ways to turn her interests into practical experience.
She became a brand ambassador for companies including Victoria's Secret PINK and Express, helping execute campus marketing activities. She also worked as a social marketing assistant in the university's Admissions office, gaining experience creating content and collaborating in a professional setting.
Through the Communication Studies Student Association, she helped refresh the organization's social media presence. She also explored opportunities beyond her major, including an application-based course focused on social media strategy for Iowa Athletics.
When her partner dropped the course, Wickham completed their group project independently, developing a comprehensive social media strategy for the Iowa rowing team. She drew on audience analytics and campaign planning and later included the work in her professional portfolio.
The combination of academic learning, student involvement, and employment strengthened her creative and professional skills. It also gave her examples of her work to share with prospective employers.
Wickham also valued learning to work with supervisors and colleagues in an office environment, an experience that prepared her for professional roles after graduation. Together, those opportunities built her confidence and gave her a foundation for pursuing a career in national marketing.
From campus marketing to national campaigns
After graduating from Iowa, Wickham secured her first full-time position with fashion retailer Princess Polly, where she worked in college marketing and creator partnerships. Her experience as a student brand ambassador gave her firsthand insight into how companies could connect with college audiences.
She helped expand the company's student affiliate creator network from approximately 50 to more than 2,000 members and developed its first collegiate experiential marketing strategy.
Her career eventually took her to Tinder, where she worked on high-profile talent partnerships and live events. One of her most memorable experiences was helping organize a national campaign featuring hip-hop artists Gunna and GloRilla.
Wickham had a vision from the beginning for the faces of the campaign, but she knew getting leadership on board would take some convincing.
“But, honestly, getting approval on the best talent just came down to a lot of patience and coming to them with facts,” she said. “It was going to be a different pitch to my direct manager versus pitching to leadership and executives, so I adapted my message to each audience.”
Working alongside a colleague, she secured approval for her preferred headliners. Her persistence paid off. Student attendance at the concert doubled compared to the previous year, and the campaign attracted new users to the app. Wickham credits the success to a broader team effort, but the experience remains one of her favorite professional accomplishments.
Now a senior talent partnerships manager at Fashion Nova, Wickham works with talent agents and managers to develop collaborations between the retailer and entertainers or online creators. Much of her day involves conversations, negotiations, and coordinating with colleagues to move partnerships forward.
Explore widely
While at Iowa, Wickham applied for hundreds of internships, including opportunities in major cities far from campus. She noticed that some friends who eagerly supported her by liking and sharing her content still hesitated to apply for positions they considered out of reach for themselves.
They dismissed opportunities before giving themselves a chance.
"The worst I can get is ‘no.’ I just want to put everything everywhere, and then what is for me will come to me," she said lightly, describing the attitude that drove her throughout college.
Her willingness to pursue opportunities also broadened her perspective. Growing up on the East Coast, attending college in the Midwest, and establishing her career in Los Angeles gave Wickham experience with different regional audiences and markets. That knowledge proved valuable when planning college marketing campaigns. Even something as familiar as a Big Ten football Saturday could influence when and how a brand connected with students.
For students currently in school, Wickham recommends exploring widely, gaining practical experience, and avoiding the temptation to dismiss opportunities before applying. A communication studies course, a campus job, a student organization, or an elective outside one's major can all build skills that become valuable later.
“Working for a fashion website is super different from working for a dating app, and I've been able to adapt and flow in both environments because of having that foundation in communication studies,” she said.
Wickham hopes to share her experiences through mentorship and career conversations with Iowa students. She believes communication studies prepared her to navigate industries she couldn't have predicted entering as a first-year student.
Her advice comes back to the approach that carried her from Washington, D.C. to Iowa City and then Los Angeles: don't decide an opportunity is out of reach without trying first.
“Why would I tell myself ‘no’ when persistence is what I've seen modeled for me my whole life?” she said. “It doesn't matter where you're from. Give yourself a chance.”