Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Markel.
Hi Grace, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Originally from the suburbs of Sacramento, I moved to San Diego five years ago to study marketing at San Diego State University as a first-generation college student. For as long as I can remember, I was drawn to the effervescent lifestyle that Southern California encompasses, aligning with my love of nature, plant-based food, and staying active. In turn, these factors played a huge role in my decision to relocate to San Diego— and I am beyond grateful to continue calling this beautiful city my home post-graduation!
I chose to study marketing in college because I am fascinated with the way marketing has the potential to amplify messages and invoke action. While marketing can get a bad reputation at times for elevating harmful ideas, I am inspired to harness the power of marketing as a vehicle for positive change in the world. Ultimately, I aim to promote brands and ideals throughout my marketing career that benefit humanity and make the world a better place. Because of this, I realized early on in college that I want my future to revolve around helping others and prioritizing the environment, particularly through a career in digital marketing.
With this revelation, I curated my college experience around my goals and interests— I added a minor in sustainability, joined organizations on campus with an emphasis on environmental stewardship and community service, and ultimately pushed myself out of my comfort zone to champion these causes through leadership positions. Through the support of my peers, friends, and amazing mentors like Erlinde Cornelis (read her feature here- https://sdvoyager.com/interview/meet-erlinde-cornelis-of-san-diego/)! I gained confidence to continue pursuing opportunities that called my name, which paid off more than I could have ever imagined. During my junior year at SDSU, I was chosen as the winner of the McCaron Exemplary Service Endowed Scholarship based on my service on campus and in the community; last year, I was selected to receive SDSU’s Quest For The Best award, recognizing the top student leaders on campus excelling in service, involvements, and academics. Ultimately, my timid freshman-year self never would have believed I would go on to achieve so much and transform the way I did during college— I am eternally grateful for everything I learned at SDSU and how my experiences paved the road for me to follow my biggest passions.
One of the most defining moments for me, as I wrapped up my senior year of college, was drafting and submitting a campus-wide Zero Waste Initiative. This proposal called for SDSU to fully transition to 100% post-consumer recycled paper usage on campus, amongst a multitude of other sustainable principles for the university to abide by. After presenting to the university senate last spring, my initiative was passed and is now in motion across SDSU; this win further lit the fire within me to always seek ways I can make a tangible environmental impact with my personal and professional endeavors. Following this experience, I was determined to find a job post-graduation that incorporated marketing and sustainability, as I discovered how meaningful environment advocacy is to me.
Upon graduation in May of 2022, I landed a digital marketing job with a local start-up, PACHA— an organic, gluten-free, vegan, and sustainable buckwheat bread company. I cannot even begin to express my appreciation for this role, as it combines some of my biggest passions— sustainability, marketing, and nutrition— into the best job I could have ever asked for out of college. As an environmentally-responsible brand, PACHA is revolutionizing the food industry with 100% compostable and recyclable packaging, a focus on regenerative agriculture, and a partnership with 1% For the Planet, in which 1% of all our profits are dedicated to regenerative farming projects across the country. I am so proud to represent a company with top-tier values; I am also grateful that I get to use my creativity as a marketer in order to articulate the incredible story and mission of our brand.
Outside of work, I love spending quality time with friends and family, cooking vegan recipes, going on local hikes and enjoying the ocean, thrifting for sustainable fashion, and breaking a sweat through running and yoga. I also love traveling— I went to Italy, France, and Spain this past summer, and plan for Greece or Indonesia to be my next destinations!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
From a young age, I’ve dealt with severe anxiety that has been debilitating at times. Throughout my life, anxiety often got in the way when it came to socializing, competing as a runner in high school, performing well in school amidst high-stakes pressure, and throughout so many other aspects of my life. While I powered through and ultimately came out on top in these scenarios, the intense anxiety constantly looming over me made everything much more difficult.
Going into college, it was initially challenging for me to find my footing on campus, and I credit a lot of this to anxiety as well. Moving to a new city, feeling lost in a sea of thousands of students, all while trying to figure out who I am and what I want to do with my life, was truly taxing. To counter this, I attempted to find solace and community by joining a sorority on campus, only to be rejected four separate times. I rushed for a business fraternity and was also turned away. After facing these back-to-back “failures” at the beginning of my college journey, I thought there had to be something wrong with me; as a result, I struggled with loneliness and a lack of self-confidence, feeling unworthy of the amazing college experience I had dreamed of for so long.
To worsen matters, the COVID-19 pandemic hit during my sophomore year at SDSU, exacerbating my mental health struggles to the point I felt even more isolated and depressed. However, I now consider this quarantine era a blessing in disguise, as I channeled the extra time on my hands toward persisting in my mission to get involved at SDSU, despite so many previous instances of rejection. Overall, I am so glad I pushed through and never stopped putting myself out there, as my determination paid off immensely. Although it took some time and effort, I eventually succeeded in finding involvements and friends in college who embraced me for who I am and shaped me into a better version of myself.
Although life hasn’t been an easy road by any means, I try to focus on all that I have to be grateful for instead of being clouded by the hurdles that I have gone through. Over the years, I have become better-equipped to embrace and manage my anxiety— I am thankful for the progress I have made in regards to my mental health and overall wellness. On top of this, I have wonderful people in my life, a gratifying job, a beautiful and safe place to call home, and an abundance of other blessings that outweigh any hardships I face.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As I mentioned before, I am a Marketing Coordinator for PACHA— a nutritious and environmentally-driven buckwheat bread company. Essentially, I run all of PACHA’s marketing efforts— email, SEO, social media, advertising campaigns, and more. Since we are a growing business and, therefore a small team, I wear many hats for my role, but this has taught me to be flexible and delve into areas I didn’t have much experience in initially, teaching me so much!
PACHA was started in 2020, making it a newer company— because of this; I helped establish our brand’s voice and presence through digital marketing. One of my favorite contributions thus far has been producing ad campaigns to convey the dietary inclusivity of PACHA and share how sustainability is interwoven throughout every facet of our business. In just over six months, my social ads have generated six figures and counting in e-commerce revenue for our business, which has been amazing to witness. It has also been exciting to help PACHA gain notoriety across many platforms by securing brand mentions from correspondents at Buzzfeed and Goop, nutrition blogs, and the health and wellness influencer community. By scaling our digital marketing efforts, PACHA experienced a 475% sales growth rate in 2022 alone, and I feel so grateful to have played a part in this.
With our brand awareness and sales flourishing, the future looks bright for PACHA. Just two years ago, PACHA bread was baked in a 300 square-foot home kitchen and sold to friends, family, and locals at San Diego farmer’s markets— fast-forwarding to the present, PACHA is now a nationally sought-after brand and changing people’s lives through the reach of our digital marketing campaigns. We get glowing feedback every day from people across the country who haven’t been able to consume bread for years due to food sensitivities or health concerns until they discovered us. PACHA is truly pioneering the gluten-free bread industry with our delicious products, and I’m so lucky to be on the marketing team for such an environmentally-responsible and ethical company. You can check out PACHA here if you are interested in learning more or getting your hands on some organic buckwheat bread!
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Out of many things I’ve learned, one of the biggest lessons that have stuck with me is to persevere and keep your head up no matter what, even when it’s easier said than done. Of course, I find it important to sit with and acknowledge all the emotions that arise in life, but I try to remind myself that moments are fleeting. Most things in life are temporary, and we can get through any obstacle— in fact, your future self is looking back at you with adoration, encouraging you to keep going. Being optimistic and focusing on gratitude have been metamorphic mindsets for me, and I try to always carry this attitude with me throughout life!
Contact Info:
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracemarkel/
Image Credits
Professional photography courtesy of Emily Guzman @emilygvisuals
