Mentor and content creator Marisa Chen leverages the power of community and connection

By Becky Barrett 

How fast can a person go from mentee to mentor? For global marketing professional and content creator Marisa Chen, ’20, it only took a year to switch from receiving support to giving it through a Portland mentoring program.

And while alumni often wait until they are established in their careers before they consider speaking to current students at industry events, Chen is already a popular and frequent presenter.

As a young professional, her ability to build community, create meaningful connections and advocate for others are reasons she was chosen to be a 2025 OSU Changemaker. The program, a part of the OSU Days of Service, celebrates Beavers who meaningfully transform their communities or fields of interest through their careers or volunteer work. By blazing a path toward equity, strong communities and prosperity, Chen underscores the profound impact that even modest efforts can have. 

She grew up in Salem and chose to study merchandising management at Oregon State because of her interests in business and fashion.

“My first job was in retail,” Chen recalls. “I loved being surrounded by product every day. It was the dream job minus the customer service.”

As she began college, she started a fashion blog. Back then, being a social media influencer wasn’t as prevalent. So, she found a friend to take pictures and posted her style recommendations.

“I just love outfitting people,” she says.

Chen excelled in her studies and received first place in the merchandising management category at the OSU Innovation & Design Network competition during her junior year — the event provides industry connections and insights to students pursuing design and merchandising careers. The competition was judged by two women executives, one from Nike and one from Columbia Sportswear.

“I wanted to be them,” Chen says.

She gave her pitch and waited for their feedback. She wasn’t prepared for what happened next. Before announcing the award, they pulled her aside.

Something great is about to happen, the judges told her: “However, our honest advice to you is that you don’t pursue merchandising management, and you do something in social media.”

Perplexed at first, she took some time to reflect after the competition. Chen was counting on receiving a merchandising internship at Nordstrom that summer. But upon hearing that she had been rejected, the advice from the two executives fit into place.

“It was such an integral turning point to me in taking the career path that I did,” she says.

After earning an honors diploma from the College of Business, she worked first in social media before joining Columbia Sportswear, where she is a product line manager.

The guidance and mentoring she received as a student makes her eager to help others. In 2023, she joined Soho House in Portland through a mentoring program for young creative professionals and became a relationship manager for the 2024 cohort.

Through mentoring, speaking to students and her posts (@itsmarisa_kay) that reach half a million people each month, Chen has tremendous influence on those around her.

She understands the power of community and connection. She ensures others have the resources, guidance and encouragement they need to thrive, noted her OSU Changemakers nomination: “I see her continuing to build bridges between people and opportunities, expanding her influence to uplift even more voices. She’s not just shaping individual careers — she’s cultivating a culture of inclusivity, empowerment and positive change.”