Imagine running a store that bakes and decorates cupcakes all day long. That’s the sweet job communication major Abby Pepitone (’20) landed: the perfect role that blends two of her interests.
After graduating, Pepitone started working as the store leader and community brand manager for Lancaster Cupcake. At the downtown store location, she oversees the day-to-day flow to ensure smooth operations and leads her team. She organizes the store, orders the inventory, engages with customers, creates the team schedules and develops staff events. As the community brand manager, she also helps run the social media pages that connect Lancaster Cupcake with the local community. She uses Canva every day to create visually appealing tags, cards, and documents for her store.
During her time at Messiah, Pepitone worked as the social media coordinator for the Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC) and as a barista at Starbucks. Now, in her current position, she uses her food industry, customer service and social media communication experience every day. “I couldn’t be happier that I get to use the interests that I found and sharpened in college in a full-time job now,” Pepitone says.
Pepitone also builds on her previous coursework and college experiences in her current position. In the PR Writing class, she strengthened her writing skills and mastered the art of Canva. In fact, she jokes that Canva sponsored her final class project. Another significant learning opportunity came when she worked as the social media coordinator for the CPDC, where she gained valuable experience promoting an organization digitally.
Team leadership in her current role has offered Pepitone another opportunity for growth. “One of the biggest challenges for me was jumping into a position unlike any I had previously held. I had been involved in leadership positions and had worked in the food industry before but being a store manager of a full team and leading an entire store was completely new to me,” Pepitone says. Nevertheless, Pepitone persisted and as succeeded in her role.
Pepitone’s advice for current students? Learn how to become a self-starter. When she began her job, she sometimes experienced confusion and longed for someone else to tell her what to do. To overcome that dilemma, Pepitone challenged herself to jump right in and remain confident, knowing that she could still reach out for assistance when necessary.
If you’re ever in Lancaster, stop by Lancaster Cupcake to grab a sweet treat and to say hi to Abby!
-Audrey Kuhns ‘21