Alexa Vadnais
B.A., Creative Advertising, Loyola University of Chicago
Area(s) of Interest: Music, TV/Film,Visual Arts, Video/Digital Media, Arts/Music Festivals, Nonprofit Work , Entrepreneurship, PR/Marketing
What are 1-2 of your most significant academic, extracurricular, and/or work experiences? I started my own creative communications agency in 2025 called Zest and I foster homeless animals in my spare time.
What is your ideal job/role in about 10 years? Executive Creative Director at Zest full-time
What led you to enroll in the MSLCE program at Northwestern University? I think that learning from diverse perspectives is the key to enhancing the breadth and depth of what you’re able to do yourself. Seeing the offerings of the MSLCE program felt extremely unique and niche in terms of the direction I’d like to head towards, while also being able to learn from all sorts of people and backgrounds in pursuit of what’s next for me.
Favorite… (Music festival) North Coast Music Festival! Love EDM music in general, but bass house/tech house/jazz house is where I most often gravitate.
What aspect of the MSLCE program are you most excited to experience? Getting back into a classroom after nearly six years!
If you could have lunch with one person living or dead, who would it be and why? Does it have to be a real person? If not, I’d pick Samantha Jones from SATC. Talk about an entertaining lunch filled with the city, girlfriends, and a stiff drink! Or as she would say, FABULOUS
If someone made a movie about your life, what would it be called and who would play you? “In Spite Of” annnnnnd maybe Chloe Grace Moretz?
Which leader or influential figure inspires you the most and why? Joan Rivers – it takes a lot to be a trailblazer as a woman, but especially when religious, gender, and societal norms are stacked against you. Effortlessly funny while being as fashionable as she was is something I aspire to emmulate. Being a part of the “boys club” and making no apologies is exactly the barrier I am also trying to break down with women and disabled professionals in advertising.