Briana Palma ’09
Sometimes the journey home takes you halfway around the world.
Like many students, Briana Palma ’09, a graduate of the College of Arts and Science and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, imagined she would end up working in New York City.
Instead, Palma spent four years post-Syracuse working in Spain and then in Ireland. She notes that so much of Syracuse shaped her life, but she especially credits her semester in Madrid for launching her career. “That experience really ignited a passion for travel and learning about other languages and cultures. It took me out of my comfort zone,” she says.
Going out of her comfort zone meant returning to Spain after graduation to earn a master’s degree in Spanish language and translation. Palma also got her first taste of digital media through an internship at Hello! magazine in Madrid, thanks to an SU Madrid connection.
From there, Palma moved to Dublin where she worked for a small media company, primarily writing for clients in the tourism industry. “I got hands-on experience in journalism and marketing,” she says, and brought those skills to an editor position at Yahoo! Dublin. Once that contract ended, Palma knew it was time to return home to New England. “It was an easy decision to move home and be closer to family,” she recalls. “I love that Boston is small; living in Dublin taught me that a small city is a better fit for me.”
In Boston, she became an editor for the football website Patriots.com. “Sports media was never on my radar as a career option,” Palma confesses, “but the Patriots needed an editor for their new lifestyle section. My journalism and marketing experience turned out to be a perfect fit.” After launching in 2014, it quickly became one of the most popular sections.
In 2016, Palma joined America’s Test Kitchen—a food media company with magazines, books, and a popular cooking program—as senior web editor. “As a child, my sister and I spent tons of time in my grandparents’ restaurant,” Palma says. “Cooking and food are just in my blood. It is so rewarding to pair that passion with my media training.”
Since her return to Boston, Palma has been active in another passion, her Syracuse connection. She has served on the Boston Alumni Club’s executive team and worked with the Career Center. In May, Palma will host the inaugural Boston Immersion program, and is looking forward to introducing students to Boston and America’s Test Kitchen. “Syracuse has given me so much,” she says, “so I’m thrilled to just have the opportunity to give back.”