Grace Comilla

Background

About Grace Comilla

I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago in a family that did not take competitiveness lightly. Whether it be in sports, academics, personal achievements, or even family game nights, everything was a competition (well, at least I made it a competition). This environment shaped me to build a strong work ethic, implement balance into my life, and develop strong leadership skills. Over the past few years, I’ve found most of my motivation stem from my morning routine. I love considering myself part of the “5 AM Club.” I enjoy waking up at 5:15 (close enough right…) and starting my day off at the gym so that throughout the day I can focus on school work and extracurriculars. I started to implement this lifestyle into my routine 3 years ago when I got my first job working at Plato’s Closet. Little did I know, this job would inspire my current education and future career aspirations. Three years ago, I became a sales associate at Plato’s Closet, and a little less than 3 months after starting, I was promoted to Key Holder by my co-workers and store manager. In this position I was responsible for our accounting information including filling out the opening/closing Excel databases, managing the money that would go into the cash registers for that given day, and calculating our sales goal. I also was able to implement many of my leadership skills that I gained from my mentors growing up and throughout my sports career. Everyday I divided daily tasks amongst my co-workers, oversee customer issues, and manage the overall store operations. Although, what really stood out to me in this position was our social media activity. At the time, Instagram was our main social media page that we used to promote items, make online sales, and update customers. We posted clothing items daily on our page to increase sales, and around once a month, our store location did an Instagram Live Show where we featured many of our nicer items. During these shows, I was in charge of talking to customers over the phone to finalize sales and take their payment information. Having the opportunity to see and experience how social media can impact a store’s sales and exposure even if it’s on the local level, sparked my initial interest and passion in marketing. I’m currently looking for internships and general networking opportunities. If you think I’d be a great fit for your company, reach out to me at grace.comilla@gmail.com.