For the first time in BIC history, ALL of our tireless portfolio advisors are previous BICsters themselves! Javier Garcia BIC ‘15, Bella Santana BIC ‘23, and Nicole Zizila BIC ‘21 are helping guide the graduating BICsters through their portfolio development in their respective tracks. 

In order to graduate, all BIC students must present their BIC portfolios to a jury of professors, advisors, and industry professionals during graduation week in late May. The BICsters work independently the first year and then increasingly under the guidance of their track advisors in the second year to develop a unique representation of product, process and personality in their discipline.

Management/Strategy and Public Relations Tracks – Javier Garcia 

Javier Garcia BIC ‘15 is someone who believes in the importance of hard work, growth, and making a positive impact in the industry through academia. As a dedicated alum from BIC inaugural class, Javier has continued to give back and be a positive voice within our program.

After working in account management on the ad agency side, Javier used his experience to go into academia. His commitment to The City College of NY runs deep: Javier earned a CCNY bachelor’s degree in communications and a BIC MPS, is on the Board of Directors of the Communications Alumni Group, and, as of August 2023, he became a tenure-track assistant professor in CCNY’s Ad/PR program. 

Media Track – Bella Santana 

Bella Santana BIC ‘23 As the "Delve Media Strategist" and BIC alumna, Bella has a passion for exploring new media territories. Her experience includes brands like Sleep Number, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, and now Nissan Infiniti across several agencies such as OMD and Horizon Next. She is currently a Manager of Integrated Media at OMD.

With a solid academic foundation and a dedication to continuous growth, Bella's excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and the opportunity to make a lasting impact in the field of integrated media planning. She's also thrilled to be able to contribute to the growth of the new BIC media track. 

Creative Track – Nicole Zizila 

Nicole ZizilaBIC ‘21 is a multi-disciplinary creative director, writer and educator with over 15 years of experience creating smart, strategic creative solutions for some of the world's most beloved brands including Campbell's soups, Pirate's Booty, M&Ms, Garnier, Birchbox, Mrs. Dash and more. 

With deep roots in NYC, Nicole has worked at some of the most globally recognized ad agencies and digital consultancies that call this city home including BBDO NY, IBM iX, VidMob, and Publicis NY. She’s an award-winning creative whose work has been recognized in multiple industry publications including The New York Times Campaign Spotlight, The Drum Creative Works, Ad Age and Ads of the World.

Welcome Javier, Bella and Nicole! We’re so excited to have all three of you back on board and on campus!