Model Behavior
Bauer Alumna Builds Personal Brand that Blends Beauty and Business
Story by JESSICA NAVARRO & MONICA RESH NGUYEN
Photos by KOLBY DELCE-HAYNES
Videos by NOAH DAWLEARN
Story by Jessica Navarro & Monica Resh Nguyen
Photos by Kolby Delce-Haynes
Video by Noah Dawlearn
In business school, students study frameworks for value creation, commonly known as a business model.
Bauer College alumna Marissa Springer (BBA ‘24) brings the term to life, as a fashion model, marketer and entrepreneur-in-motion.
Springer, who earned her undergraduate degree in marketing and management from Bauer and began the Professional MBA program this fall, has since gone around the world and landed jobs with top brands, including some of Houston’s biggest icons.
Her path after graduation is part of a recent trend where business school graduates apply lessons in strategy, promotion and customer acquisition to endeavors outside the boardroom.
“I never saw myself using my degree in such a cool way,” Springer said.
Interested in fashion and beauty from an early age, Springer began her entrepreneurial career in high school, where she spent weekends doing makeup for friends for school dances, weddings and events before eventually getting her license in cosmetology.
That early hustle eventually led her into the modeling world. She was recruited at just 17 and after some initial bumps, she began to hit her stride.
“Before college I was scared to talk to anybody,” she said. “Bauer taught me about networking and self-marketing and helped me have the confidence to start going the extra mile when I was on shoots.”
With the tools she gained at Bauer, Springer networked her way into jobs with brands like Modelo, booking international e-commerce campaigns and becoming a regular in music videos for legendary Houston rapper and DJ Paul Wall.
“My life changed through meeting his manager,” she said. “If I didn’t have the networking knowledge to go speak to him and the confidence to say, ‘I’m a model, here’s my portfolio,’ that would have never happened. Neither would the whole domino effect of things that came after that. Your life can change based on one person you have the courage to talk to.”
One of Springer’s most memorable experiences came when she was invited to live and work in London for two months.
“I met a team through an event in Houston, and they flew me out to the U.K.,” she said. “It was half vacation, half work, but all amazing. That opportunity came from networking, and it changed everything.”
Springer is a savvy networker, but she also understands business fundamentals, which gives her an edge in an industry that often overlooks the value of strategy.
“People want to work with someone who understands the business side too,” she said. “I took a social media class, I understand entrepreneurship, and I took a sports and entertainment marketing elective. It was one of the most helpful classes I’ve ever taken.”
That class, taught by Marketing Adjunct Faculty Joe Pogge, challenged students to create a business from scratch and pitch it to real business owners.
“That’s where I learned that I’m my own brand,” Springer said. “Whether I’m pitching, creating a social media presence or just showing up to work, I need to be my best self to be the most successful.”
On social media, she shares everything from student life videos and comedy sketches to behind-the-scenes content from her modeling gigs. Several of her videos have gone viral, thanks in part to the digital marketing strategies she learned at Bauer.
With that experience, Springer has applied the knowledge beyond her own portfolio for corporate clients, acting in brand ads, creating video content and working as a social media strategist.
“It’s not just taking pictures,” she said. “It’s marketing, modeling, acting all rolled into one.”
Even with her career in full swing, Springer wants to continue to challenge herself professionally and personally. She plans to launch her own agency one day and sees the MBA as a crucial step toward that goal.
“You can never learn enough,” she said. “I want to be at the top of the food chain, especially as a woman. Having that master’s behind your name shows everyone that you know exactly what you’re doing.”
Springer encourages other students to consider a business degree, especially those who may not see themselves in traditional corporate roles.
“I hear a lot of students say, ‘Oh, I don’t want to do business because I don’t want to start my own business,’” she said. “But you can use a business degree in any way you want. Education is applicable no matter what. It’s the most flexible degree.”
And for those looking to blend creativity with business?
“Make your career fun,” she said. “Make it something you want to get up and go do in the morning.”
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