Many dream of being their own boss, but Jillian Lukas Rodriguez (Sociology & Creative Writing, ‘12) brought this dream to fruition when she became a freelance copywriter shortly after graduating. Jillian describes herself as “a lifelong lover of words.” Jillian’s day job is a senior copywriter at a learning innovation company, a position she landed after spending her twenties building her own freelance copywriting business, where she served as a brand voice for many different companies. She’s since gone on to full-time work with two of her former clients, the first of which was a mission-driven entrepreneurial group. Coming to U-M as a first-generation college student, Jillian used her sociology and creative writing degrees to fuse her passion for people together with her love of words to craft a unique career path she hadn’t thought possible. In a world where freelancing, the gig economy, and side hustles are becoming increasingly attractive, Jillian returns to LSA to share the ups and downs of the freelance world, how to harness your freelancing experiencing towards securing full-time roles, and the skillset an LSA degree can provide should you pursue the independent freelance route.

About Jillian:


Jillian Lukas Rodriguez thrives at the intersection of content and community. A lifelong lover of words, Jillian is a 2012 graduate of the University of Michigan LSA and the Residential College, studying Sociology and RC Creative Writing. She graduated with highest honors and earned an RC “Robbies” award for high achievement in creative arts.


Jillian is passionate about the power of words and stories to build connections, solve problems, and inspire positive change. She has dedicated her professional career to doing just that, first as a freelance writer where she built a one-person copywriting house to support a range of organizations in their marketing, branding, and business efforts and helping to bring their brand stories to life. Since then, she’s gone full-time and served as a Social Content Lead for FleishmanHillard’s Chevrolet small and electric cars accounts, as well as serving as Chief Storyteller for the mission-driven entrepreneurial group the Small Giants Community. Jillian’s copywriting has made its way to national outlets such as Forbes.com and ThriveGlobal. Today, she’s Senior Copywriter for Maestro, a learning innovation company that inspires change in learners at Fortune 500 companies such as Royal Caribbean Cruises and Target.

You should attend this session if you are:
- A U-M undergraduate LSA student
- A first-generation college student
- Interested in freelance work after graduation
- Interested in pursuing a career in writing or copyediting after graduation

What you’ll gain by attending:
- Make a connection with a successful LSA alum ready to support you
- Get insights into telling your story and marketing your skills to different organizations
- Get ideas for non-traditional work opportunities after graduation
- Discover more about the world of copywriting and marketing

RSVP NOW to be part of the conversation. The link to join this Alum Connection will be emailed to you after you RSVP.
The LSA Opportunity Hub aims to deliver inclusive and accessible experiences and welcomes all LSA students to participate. This event will be hosted on Zoom (learn more about Zoom accessibility) and can be accessed by phone or computer. Presentation materials may be shared in advance if requested, and live captioning will be provided. To request other accommodations please contact Sairah Husain at sairah@umich.edu or 734-763-4674 so we can make arrangements.