Dylan Strehle ’19 was hired as marketing coordinator for the city of Coldwater after working for Hillsdale College’s marketing department.
Strehle decided to stay local by accepting the position for Coldwater. Strehle said he is already using skills he learned from inside and outside the classroom, including his involvement in the theatre and music departments at Hillsdale.
Reflecting on his path to his current position, Strehle credits the Hillsdale College marketing department with giving him a leg up in the job market.
“The summer after my junior year, I was fortunate enough to become a social media intern for the college,” Strehle said.
After the summer internship, Strehle was promoted to digital marketing intern and oversaw many different projects including web design and email campaigns for various college fundraisers and events.
From studying marketing techniques in the classroom to gaining real-world experience working for the school, Strehle learned the skills for his career during his time as a student.
“I am completely Hillsdale-educated,” Strehle said with a laugh. “I even learned how to do my job there.”
Strehle, originally from Snohomish, Washington, works far from where he was raised. But he was able to find a home in Hillsdale where he studied English with a minor in marketing. Strehle also found time between working for the marketing department to make his mark on the college’s theatre and music departments. Most recently, he starred in the Tower Players production of “Harvey.”
He was also heavily involved in Phi Mu Alpha, one of the music fraternities on campus.
“As Vice President of Phi Mu Alpha, he helped his twin brother Shad Strehle lead the fraternity to a highly successful year,” Joshua Liebhauser, project manager for Hillsdale’s marketing department, said in an email.
Liebhauser supervised many of the projects Strehle completed during his internships.
“Dylan will excel in his new position with the city of Coldwater,” Liebhauser wrote. “I always appreciated his innovative ideas and reliability. Any time, I could give him a time-sensitive
project to complete, and I knew I could count on a job well done. His charismatic demeanor and marketing chops will serve him well in a position that’s such a perfect fit.”
After graduating, Strehle stayed on with the school’s marketing team until sending his resume to Coldwater for its new position.
He now oversees the marketing for Coldwater as well as the board of public utilities.
“My responsibilities are fifty-fifty between the city and the public utility board,” Strehle said. “I oversee all the different social media platforms as well as plan and organize city events.”
Beyond events and social media, Strehle is in charge of press releases and design work for the two agencies.
Professor of English Kelly Scott Franklin taught many of the classes Strehle took for his major.
“I had Dylan Strehle as a student almost every semester he was here at Hillsdale. I’m going to miss him,” Franklin said. “He and I bonded over our love of Ray Bradbury and H.P. Lovecraft, and I loved the production of ‘Harvey’ in which he starred.”
Franklin is excited to see how Strehle will bring his skills to the city of Coldwater.
“This is the perpetual sadness of a professor’s life,” Franklin said. “You come to know and love your students, and in a couple of years, they move on to bigger and better things.”