As a San Diego native, Faith Davila (23) wasn’t sure she wanted to attend a local college when she initially started researching universities as a high schooler.
“I went to the same school where my parents met, and I was going there from kindergarten through high school,” Davila said. “So my senior year I really wanted to try something new.”
However, after a brief stint at Northern Arizona University as a nursing major, Davila realized that she needed to make a change.
“After my first bio lab I immediately changed my major to marketing,” Davila said, laughing. “I never looked back, I thought [marketing] was so awesome. I felt like I was made for it.”
Adjusting her major definitely helped her feel back on track, however, she was also feeling the challenges of getting involved with a new community.
“I have a very strong moral compass and I took it for granted that I was surrounded by a community of Christians [in San Diego] with the same mindset and morals,” Davila said.
Beyond a culture shift from the tight-knit Christian community she grew up in, Davila also experienced the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic as a college student. Like so many of her freshmen colleagues, Davila had lived in university housing but was displaced when the pandemic forced all of her classes online.
At that point Davila moved back home to San Diego, but continued to take classes and work on her sorority’s cabinet as a marketing coordinator.
“Being on cabinet is unique for a freshman,” Davila said. “I got to run all our socials and it made me realize that social media is just a digital magazine.”
During the time she spent at home, Davila also realized that she didn’t want to return to Arizona. She decided to transfer to a university closer to home.
“It was great being able to come home and be with my family,” Davila said. “It was my brother’s senior year of high school and it was exactly what I needed at the time.”
“I have a very strong moral compass and I took it for granted that I was surrounded by a community of Christians [in San Diego] with the same mindset and morals.”
Already familiar with the universities in the area, Davila didn’t have a difficult time narrowing down her search. PLNU had been a popular choice for her high school friends and so she decided she would apply to. Davila was accepted in the fall of 2021 as a business marketing major.
“I joined the cheer team and that got me introduced to a bunch of people and involved to a decent degree,” Davila said.
As a business marketing student, Davila was also required to create a portfolio — something that she would need to share with the class and eventually present to individuals in the local business community. The portfolio is an open-ended project that allowed Davila and her classmates to create something that reflected their career aspirations while also displaying any experience they had gained up until that point.
“I chose to do a website on Canva,” Davila said, referring to a third-party design site that allows users to create everything from flyers to social media content using templates.
Bart Caylor, president of Caylor Solutions, and one of the local businessmen asked to review portfolios that year, really liked what Davila had put together and asked to connect with her.
“He liked the eye I had for design and the way I carried myself in our meeting,” Davila said. “I like to talk with people and understand where they’re coming from.”
Davila spent time during her conversation with Caylor going over some of her past projects detailed on her portfolio site. Her experience in social media and photography with local brands, like Yogurt Mill and Tunaville Market and Grocery, demonstrated her ability to work with multiple clients while also retaining each individual brand’s identity.
She also focused on actively listening to what Caylor was sharing with her during their interview to make sure she fully understood the work at Caylor Solutions and how she might contribute to the team.
“One thing that PLNU instilled in me,” Davila continued, “was to always ask clarifying questions to show that you are engaged.”
“One thing that PLNU instilled in me, was to always ask clarifying questions to show that you are engaged.”
As Davila and Caylor continued to review her portfolio and her future career goals in their conversation, it became clear that Davila would make a great addition to the Caylor Solutions team. Even though she was unsure at first about accepting an offer so soon, Davila realized that this type of project-based work would help her add experience to her resume, while retaining flexibility in her schedule to engage with other social media projects.
“I was definitely hesitant,” Davila said after she received the initial offer of employment from Caylor. “I didn’t want to do the usual 9-5 grind.”
“At the time I was thinking I wanted something more ‘gen z’ but then I realized at this time in my life, I want to learn everything I can. I want to be well-rounded.”
Davila accepted the role of project manager with Caylor Solutions in June 2023. The company works with higher education institutions to help them improve marketing, and development projects.
enrollment, and development projects.
Now, two years into the role, Davila continues to manage university work at Caylor Solutions. She just wrapped up a project where she created an athletic brochure for a college in Ohio. In between projects with Caylor, she is also pursuing her own freelance social media work with plans to eventually open a small agency of her own.
“The vision is to have a close-knit group of people who are passionate about what they do,” Davila said. “We would focus on small businesses and creating that personal touch and connection.”
Davila’s goal is to find others like her who are doing freelance work and bring them together as one larger group that can provide value to the San Diego small-business community without the high prices of typical large agencies.
“I want to find those clients who appreciate the skill that goes into creative work and be a full-service platform,” Davila said. “I don’t like it when you have to go to multiple places for marketing so it’ll be all in one place.
“I am extremely grateful for where I am. Younger me would be so excited and it’s good to keep that perspective.”
“I am extremely grateful for where I am. Younger me would be so excited and it’s good to keep that perspective.”
Her advice for those coming up behind her? Take the job and gain the experience even if it’s not a perfect fit initially
“These days everyone is looking for the perfect job,” Davila said. “But I’m so glad I said yes to what was given to me [at Caylor Solutions]. You can always take knowledge from a job and eventually make your way to where you want to be.
“So as cliché as it sounds, say yes to everything because you’ll learn from it.
