From COM to Career: Q&A With Sydney Koo, BS Media Science
After graduating from Boston University with her Bachelor’s in media science, Sydney Koo turned a co-op position with a major pharmaceutical company into a temporary full-time position before moving to Epsilon’s healthcare strategy team. There, she tackled more technical and data-heavy tasks before accepting a new role with Digitas Health as a marketing strategist for a “more creative agency vibe.”
Koo spoke with COM as part of a series of interviews with recent graduates from Boston University’s College of Communication.
Q&A
With Sydney Koo
COM: What does a marketing strategist do at Digitas Health?
Sydney Koo: I build omni-channel marketing campaigns from a strategy perspective across many different channels — social media, websites, display ads, print ads — all in the healthcare and pharmaceutical realms. Whether it’s marketing a drug to patients, which we call DTC, or to physicians, known as HCP — healthcare practitioners — I work across various campaigns.
COM: What led you to choose Boston University and the College of Communication for your studies?
Sydney Koo: The COM program was one of the top communication programs available, which was very attractive to me. I felt that BoU would be recognized by future employers, and that definitely turned out to be true. BU is a target school for many employers in my field. I always had a strong interest in marketing, and I value a balance between creative and strategic thinking. I enjoy brainstorming new ideas but also believe that what I create needs to be grounded in research and real data. At one point, I was debating between Questrom (School of Business) and COM. Questrom has a glamorous reputation and lots of investment in career programs, but the side of marketing that interested me aligned much better with COM. I liked that I could dive straight into marketing, creative work, and also take classes on research and study design without having to do finance and accounting, which I didn’t want to pursue.
COM: Looking back, what was your most memorable or ‘a-ha!’ moment at COM?
Sydney Koo: One standout was being involved in the Ad Club. It gave me real-life experience partnering with local businesses that were promising but not yet very established, so our work had a meaningful impact on their sales and branding. That gave me a strong sense of purpose. I also took a course called Visual Storytelling (JO 205) with Professor (Greg) Marinovich. It was so much fun but also challenged me to lean fully into creative expression—finding meaning in simple objects like a can or a drink and telling a story visually. It was completely unnecessary for my degree but very valuable.
COM: Did you take other courses outside your specific COM focus that helped you professionally?
Sydney Koo: Yes! I took a class on learning InDesign and similar tools. It taught me how much skill and time it takes to master those creative tools, which gave me greater appreciation for the creative side of things.
COM: Were there any specific skills or classes at COM that helped you in your career?
Sydney Koo: Definitely. One was a professional presentation class. At first, it scared me because we had to present on random topics in front of the class, often without preparation. But it was a boot camp that helped me practice skills I now use regularly at work — like speaking confidently about data, articulating opinions on concepts quickly, and communicating clearly with clients.
COM: Was there a professor who made a big impact on you?
Sydney Koo: Dr. Tracy Hong was very impactful. She brought personal attentiveness to the classroom, even during the pandemic when engagement was difficult. She used clever exercises — like tracking greetings in class — that kept us attentive. I always felt she knew me personally and was interested in me as a student and person. I’ve stayed in touch with her post-graduation, met for lunch multiple times, and collaborated on informational sessions for BU students.
COM: Did you ever have a moment when you realized you had chosen the right college path?
Sydney Koo: Well, an interesting story — when I was 10 years old, I went to Disney on Ice at Agganis Arena with my mom and had a psychic moment where I just said, “I’m going to go to this school,” without knowing my dad was an alum. Honestly, I didn’t have one definitive moment later on, but during the interview process for jobs, I realized how much BU was respected, especially in my field. That recognition helped me get interviews, like the position at Epsilon.
COM: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Sydney Koo: One fun note — the photography and videography concepts I learned in the Visual Storytelling class gave me a basic photography education. That helped me appreciate the art when selecting a wedding photographer recently. An unexpected but cool application!
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
