By Caroline Barnhill
As an NC State student studying communications in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Carson Shanahan’s public relations case studies professor recommended she apply for an internship with Poole College of Management in their marketing and communications team.
“I was very excited to be able to work on campus and learn something about another college at NC State. I worked under [former Poole College chief marketing and communications officer] Christine Ferrell until the summer of 2019 when I transitioned to a part-time role as a communications specialist,” Shanahan says. “After spending the summer with the marketing and communications team, I was asked to join Poole College as a full-time employee and have been here ever since.”
Today, Shanahan serves as the college’s marketing and communications manager, where her role is centered around internal and external communications through newsletters and articles, event communications planning and general college branding.
Q&A with Carson Shanahan
What is a project in your current role that you are particularly proud of?
Each semester I am most proud of our digital magazines. I know how much time and effort our team puts into these publications and I usually contribute two to three stories to each magazine. It also allows you to explore your creative side when we build the stories in WordPress using different templates, imagery and block tools.
What’s the most memorable Poole College event you have attended?
Definitely Packapalooza 2022. Kara Rodriguez and I manned the Poole College booth on Hillsborough Street and it was amazing to see such an NC State tradition come back in full force. Also, the lines for the Poole table were WILD for the stress squish wolves we were handing out and we got to meet so many students and alumni throughout the day. I even had to break into Nelson Hall on a Saturday to get more swag for the table because it was going fast.
Why do you love being a part of Poole?
What makes Poole College such an incredible environment is the people. Whether I am working with the different staff teams, faculty or students, everyone is so willing to contribute to different projects and events that benefit the college. Coming from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, I have also really enjoyed learning more about the different majors and concentrations, as well as the brilliant research our faculty contribute to our Poole Thought Leadership site.
Tell us more about your life outside of Poole College.
I got married to my college sweetheart (and Poole alum!), Nick, this past March right here in Raleigh. We are the parents of two dogs, Rey and Goose, who many people in the college see in the background of my Zoom calls. We love to travel and just got back from Ireland this past September with two of our best friends where we went to Dublin and drove to Galway. Nick and I are also huge foodies and you can probably catch us trying new restaurants, breweries and food trucks all around the Triangle.
My Poole colleagues might not know…
From the ages of five to 19, I rode horses competitively across the southeast in hunter-jumper competitions – many happened at the James B. Hunt Complex across from Carter-Finley. I was No. 1 in North Carolina with my previous horse, Deeno, in our division in high school and qualified for the National Junior Hunter Championships with my horse, Colby. I took a two-year hiatus in college to focus on school life and have been riding weekly at MacNair’s Country Acres ever since – it is actually where the NC State club team rides!
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