ASU sociology graduate lands job with NBCUniversal

For recent Arizona State University sociology and global health graduate DaMonee Eaton, a lot can change in a couple of months. She earned two degrees in December, graduating summa cum laude, and almost immediately landed an interview with NBCUniversal for a position as a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) analyst.

To her excitement, she got the job as a fresh college graduate, and in late February, she packed her bags and moved from Arizona to New York to start her new career.

Eaton’s professional journey began as a first-year student. When she first came to ASU, all she knew was that she wanted to be in a “people-oriented role.” She became a community assistant and got involved in a plethora of social clubs ranging from theater to cultural clubs and professional organizations — anything where she could work with people. 

“I realized that not only did I enjoy working with people, but I enjoyed nurturing them to grow and succeed,” Eaton says. 

When she started studying sociology, she didn’t know much about the field or what she could do with it, but with each class, she realized that sociology was a perfect fit for her people-centered goals. 

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Eaton loved taking classes about law and society, which showed her different ways of looking at social issues “from a micro and macro level.” She says that through these classes, she learned that statistics are more than just numbers; they have a real impact on people. At that point, it clicked that she could make a career out of analyzing these issues. She also felt encouraged by her professors, who supported her and helped her gain the skills she needed for the career.

“I learned so much from all my sociology professors that made me a more well-rounded person and sociological thinker. They were thoughtful, engaging and intentional with the content they taught to me,” Eaton says. “They were real and relatable, which made them memorable and taught me a lot about how to be a contributing member of society.”

During her junior year, she applied for the Disney UNCF Scholarship and earned a spot with a select handful of other students across the U.S., which launched her career in DEI. The scholarship included a corporate internship that was only meant to last the summer, but Disney extended Eaton’s internship twice, keeping her on for almost a full year while she continued school. 

Fast forward to today, and on the first week of her new job at NBCUniversal, Eaton credits the “invaluable support” from her advisors and professors for getting her to where she is.

“When I was having a tough time, they advocated for me, and without their support, I could not have gotten where I am or know how I would pursue my dream job with a nontraditional background,” she says.