How Kali Switched Careers with Sky Society Accelerator

Kali Villaluna spent her time at USD doing everything right for a future in commercial real estate and property management. Internships, network, connections, all of it pointed one direction. Then one day, that direction just stopped feeling like hers.

"I was in commercial real estate and property management, thought I was gonna spend the rest of my life in the real estate industry. And then all of a sudden, one day, I was like, I'm kind of missing the creativity and the marketing side of things."

Where She Started

Kali describes herself as type A, someone who likes to plan out every piece of her life. So walking away from a path she'd spent years preparing for felt like a rally big decision.

"It was definitely really scary because I spent a lot of my time at USD preparing for the real estate world and building a lot of my network and connections within that industry. Having to take a step back, after being done with school was really scary for me."

She knew she wanted to work in marketing and felt like she was creative, but applying for jobs with mainly real estate experience made it hard to stand out. "I think that's why I was really struggling when I was cold applying to jobs and full-time opportunities, because it was hard for me to translate my skill set into those roles."

Making The Change 

What pushed her to actually apply wasn't certainty. It was the fear of staying unsure for years.

"I knew I had to pursue that passion before it feels like five, ten years are gone and I'm still thinking about it, you know? I'm so new in the industry and in my career, I have to just leap."

She talked to a friend from school, Lily Conway, who'd already gone through Sky Society, before applying. "When I heard about the Sky Society program, I knew that if I put in 110% effort, it can have really great results. And I still believe that to this day."

How She Changed Paths 

Kali finished the Accelerator with new marketing skills, a marketing internship on her resume and a marketing portfolio, and it's the thing she credits most directly.

"One of the first things that my former boss said to me during the interview process was that my marketing portfolio really stood out to her. That's all kudos to Sky Society."

"I think my portfolio was a great way to stand out in the application process. Right off the bat, it kind of shows my creativity, how professional I keep things, and how organized I like to set things up. So visually it was a great eye catch for these interviewers."

She also really loved the interview prep they learned throughout. She learned how to leverage AI tools to prepare interviews for certain roles and study lists of unexpected questions. "You can build a wonderful portfolio and resume. Being able to speak to it in an interview is a whole other set of talent." 

It worked fast. "I feel like I got really lucky that I was able to land my social media manager job about a month after I finished the program."

After Sky Society Accelerator

Kali spent about eight months in that first role managing content for clients, and it clarified something for her: she wanted to move further into influencer marketing specifically. When a talent coordinator position opened at Neon Rose Agency, she went for it, and got it. She's now building relationships between creators and the brands they partner with.

She's also become one of the people other Sky Society students lean on. She's referred multiple girls into freelance and full-time opportunities, including her own cousin, who just finished the program this past summer after Kali "reeled her in."

Kali has worked hard to stay an active part of the accelerator community, always sharing job opportunities and referring other community members, "I was looking for a lot of freelancers at my last job, so I was like, let me just send it to Sky Society. My former boss loved it. She said, all these girls are great, please keep sending them opportunities."

"I'm always here trying to connect people and think of ways I can help others in my same position." 

The Outcome

Kali didn't only get a marketing job, she got the one she actually wanted, and kept moving toward the version of it that fit her best.

With her Accelerator experience she was able to interview for a variety of roles including influencer marketing, which she's been aiming for the whole time. "When I was going through the interview process and they were asking me about the program, I was able to share so many incredible projects or assignments I recently worked on, and I feel like all my excitement, my drive, and my energy really translated well through that interview process." 

"Everything happens for a reason. It all works out the way it's supposed to." She still believes the same thing she believed before she ever started the program: put in real effort, and it pays off. Her career so far is the proof.

Kali's Marketing Girly Essentials ✨ 

Go-to beauty product: Patrick Ta blush. "I've been obsessed with it. I can't get away from it." Merit and Ole Henriksen's tinted lip gloss are close behind in her daily rotation.

Favorite brand: Set Active. "I've low-key gotten really obsessed with them over the last couple of weeks."

Drink of choice: Matcha, always sweet, always with cold foam. 

Favorite affirmation: "Everything happens for a reason. It all works out the way it's supposed to."