How Ines Villarreal Extended the Pepperdine Classroom from Malibu to LA

Ines Villarreal sought the best of both worlds. 

As a prospective college student, she was looking for an institution that could propel her toward success as a business leader in the entertainment industry. But at the same time, she desired an intentional learning community where she’d be trained, mentored, and equipped by dedicated faculty members and caring peers. 

Put simply: Villarreal was looking for a small school that offered big opportunities.

Three years after deciding that Pepperdine fit her specifications, Villarreal is confident she made the right choice. At Seaver College, she discovered access to the career advancement opportunities she had dreamed of—such as an internship within Warner Bros. And in support of her first steps up Los Angeles’s corporate ladder, she experienced the exceptional personal and intellectual growth offered by Seaver College’s student-centric academic environment. 

Ines Villarreal (second left) and her fellow interns

“I picked Pepperdine because of the opportunities it offered me,” says Villarreal. “Here, you can have a real relationship with your professors—one where they focus on you and your goals for the future. The people I’ve met, the network I’ve developed on this beautiful campus; they’ve all helped me realize what might be next for me as a working professional.”

The Foundation

Villarreal’s vocational journey started with her choice of major.

By electing to study integrated marketing communication, she received interdisciplinary training across a broad spectrum of valuable corporate skills. Immersed in classes on public relations, advertising, and marketing, Villarreal developed a jack-of-all-trades mentality. 

“What prepared me to pursue my professional interests was definitely my major,” she claims. “My professors helped me sharpen my skills as a presenter, as a critical thinker, and as a creative individual. They challenged me to seek out and be open to critical feedback. All of those abilities have helped me in the internship field.”

While developing these practical strengths in the classroom, Villarreal also took advantage of the Seaver College Career Center's mentoring and resources. She developed her professional resume and cover letter under the guidance of a career advisor, who then collaborated with her to identify potential opportunities in the professional marketplace. This direct assistance gave Villarreal an understanding of how to begin chasing her interests beyond the boundaries of school.

From her many sources of education,  Villarreal developed more than knowledge. She also began cultivating confidence—confidence that she could, even as an undergraduate, apply for, attain, and succeed at competitive internships.

“Those three things—my professors, my classes, and the career center—they all prepared me for these internships,” she says. “Pepperdine helped me put myself out there.”

The Outreach

Feeling prepared and motivated, Villarreal began venturing from Malibu just 30 miles down the road into the vast professional marketplace of Los Angeles. 

As a first-year, she took any extracurricular experience she could get. She interned for an app startup, executed social media campaigns for restaurants, and in the summer worked as a marketing assistant for the nonprofit Grand Performances, helping to organize free outdoor concerts and cultural events at Downtown’s California Plaza.  

As a sophomore, she volunteered with the Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA. Villarreal told the managers of the event that she’d work for free and show up wherever they needed her. Her dedication and enthusiasm eventually earned her an academic-year internship with the show’s producers. 

Villarreal (left) at the HBO premier for Lanterns

With the professional dominoes falling into place year after year, Villarreal worked up the courage to apply for a talent relations and events internship at Warner Bros. It was the last summer before graduation. The opportunity was based in Los Angeles. She had all the relevant experience needed, and sure enough, she got the job.

Villarreal spent her 2026 summer learning from marketing executives and top-ranking employees on sight in Burbank, California. As an intern at Warner Bros., she helped organize major PR events, taking part in every part of the process from ideation to budget negotiations, to execution. She was even permitted to expand her network by requesting a “coffee chat” with any of the studio’s employees, no matter their rank or seniority. 

Each of these exciting opportunities allowed Villarreal to extend her learning beyond the classroom. Throughout her time at Pepperdine, she has succeeded at taking her Malibu education down the Pacific Coast Highway and into the media capital of the world, where she’s fostered a growing network and real opportunity.

 “Life obviously has so many different turns,” says Villarreal. “But these professional opportunities have helped me identify the industry and career I want to continue working at throughout my career.”

Ines Villarreal sought the best of both worlds. At Pepperdine University, she found it.