Hi, my name is Stacey Laitman and I’m a Strategist on the Brand Strategy Team at Horizon Media.

I first started at Horizon after graduating from the University of Michigan, and worked my way up to being a Media Planner. After two years in that role, I decided to leave Horizon to pursue another passion of mine – medicine.

I decided that I wanted to become a doctor and went back to life as a full-time student. I first took pre-med courses for two years with undergrads.  Then, I worked for a pain management doctor in Brooklyn. While I was there, I became the main Spanish-speaking Medical Assistant since I took it throughout middle and high school. One funny story is that there was this one older Hispanic woman who, despite seeing me for nearly 2 years, never seemed to get my name right, and she was always calling me “Linda”. As it turned out, she knew my name all along, but it seems as though my high school level Spanish wasn’t so polished after all, as she was calling me “linda” which means “pretty” as a sign of affection. People like her pushed me along in a life that was completely different from my work at Horizon.

I eventually matriculated into medical school where I completed two years of basic sciences.  One day, sitting in a Microbiology lecture and learning about various gastroenteric bacteria, a less glamorous aspect of medicine, I had a realization that perhaps I was chasing the wrong dream: that I didn’t have to save lives in the traditional role of a physician and make big sacrifices in order to fulfill my desire to help others. I could accomplish it all while working at Horizon.

So, I took the bold step to move from 7 years of high-pressure schooling back to the life that I loved at Horizon. A place where a lot of my friends are still working, despite so many years passing.

Although I had to get used to the new- and ever-expanding- office, and I’m still settling back into the media agency groove, I am finding solace working for a company that continues to challenge me and allows me to grow.  I have realized that helping others and working in a position that continues to challenge me, are not mutually exclusive entities. And for the part of me that still wants to “save the world,” there are philanthropic initiatives like Horizon Gives Back at the agency, which I hope to get involved with.

Horizon life is… an old reminder to discover the best, new you.