Lara Lemkin, who graduated from SC&I in 2023 with a major in Communication, specializing in Public Relations, and a minor in Digital Communication, Information and Media (DCIM), is a Project Coordinator for FIRST @ Goldman Sachs in New York City, where she manages and executes multiple high-level events simultaneously.

“I am in the solutions lane where we are embedded within a Financial Services institution,” Lemkin said. “We are the project managers for hundreds of events that our client wants to execute. My roles include venue searching, budget building, marketing/branding, onsite event execution, decor, menu selection, client communication, travel, and overall project management from start to finish. From host team calls to catering, giveaways, and budget management, I see through the entire event and ensure it goes smoothly and follows all protocols.”

Lemkin’s impressive career journey at Goldman Sachs began when she was still a Rutgers undergraduate working as an Event Coordinator Intern on the FIRST events team. From there, FIRST hired her full time as a Team Administrator – Event Management, and after she had served in that capacity for just eight months, she was promoted to her current position.

Lemkin said she discovered FIRST from a friend when she was searching for opportunities that would enable her to gain experience in the corporate event space, and explained that she was able to land the internship at FIRST partly because of the professional experience she had gained through previous internships she had held as a Rutgers student. These include working as a Communication and Public Relations Intern at the YES Network; a Public Relations Intern at Coyne PR; a Marketing and Digital Intern at The A List; and a Public Relations Intern at 360PRPlus before she was hired as an intern at FIRST.

Lemkin said she was also very involved on campus when she was an undergrad. She played an active role in the Rutgers Jewish community by participating in Rutgers Jewish Experience (RJX), Hillel, and Chabad. For all four years she was also a member of Sigma Delta Tau, a social and philanthropic Greek organization on campus, where she served as philanthropy chair, social chair, and on the sisterhood committee.

In our Q&A, learn about Lemkin’s career journey, her secrets to success and her advice for how to succeed professionally.

SC&I: Did SC&I and Rutgers help you prepare for your career success?
LL: SC&I and Rutgers greatly impacted me as I entered the post-college world. In one of my classes, Media, Marketing, and Communication, we spent the entire semester working on planning an event for the Rutgers Recovery Home. This was my first time collaborating with other students to accomplish a specific goal from start to finish. We all shared our ideas and worked together to pull off a successful event. Each students’ ideas and efforts were necessary in the success of the event. This class was one of my favorites because we could see the impact it left on those affected and how we were able to bring the Rutgers community together.

Has any moment or experience in your career significantly contributed to your professional or personal growth?
LL: A specific experience I had that contributed to my personal and professional growth was at Goldman Sachs, when I took on one of their largest programs while still holding my previous role as team admin. Before becoming a project coordinator, a full-time planner, I held administrative responsibilities. During this time, I was put on a large event hosted at Citi-Field. I was responsible for all branding and marketing throughout the stadium. This high tiered event was higher than the position I was in. I took this opportunity to prove myself on the team and make myself proud. I worked hard to execute all my responsibilities to the best of my ability. This level event is high-level and intricate. It taught me how to work with senior people my own company and clients alike. It strengthened my time-management and proactive skills. Thinking one step ahead at all times, and seeking information before it was needed. From that point on I knew I could take on high-level and large- scale events and be a valued team member.

SC&I: What does the future look like for you in and beyond your current position?
LL: After my role as a project coordinator, I strive to become a project manager where I will take on bigger or even higher-level programs and get even more into the weeds of corporate event planning. At FIRST, I hope to become a main point of contact between hotels, restaurants, venues and my team. I hope to lead my team in the direction of trends and newness within the event planning and hospitality industry. At some point, I hope to have my own event business that focuses on social and brand event activations. I hope to strive to find a way to combine my love of travel and hospitality in my future as well.

What is your secret to success in the industry?
LL: My secret is to build and foster relationships with all those around me to create a strong foundation between those I work with on my direct team or those that I work with for certain events. The industry is about your personal brand and a big part of this for me is how I work and interact with others. I focus on kindness and communication to build positive relationships. Teams may request that you work on their events, people will ask that you are onsite for their events, and with other vendors you can create personal and professional relationships. Whenever I attend an industry event my goal is to always leave with one new connection.

Learn more about the Communication major and the Digital Communication, Information and Media (DCIM) minor on the Rutgers School of Communication and Information website. 

Photos: Courtesy of Lara Lemkin COM'23