A University of Southern Maine marketing student who recently interned at Bristol Seafood, traces his curiosity about consumer behavior all the way back to his first job at a beachside candy shop.
On those summer afternoons, Nicholas Mauro says he noticed which treats sold first and how some days surged while others slowed. He didn’t have the word “marketing” for it just yet. At the time, he was merely curious.
That curiosity followed him to USM, where it evolved into a marketing major, a hands-on internship, and a clear career path for the future.
Watching customer behavior before he knew it was marketing
The candy shop became Nicholas’ first real-world marketing classroom. He helped with social media, adjusted displays, and experimented with how products were presented.
Some ideas worked. Others did not.
One summer, leftover broken pretzels were covered in chocolate and offered as a new product. It quickly became one of the shop’s top sellers. Other ideas fell flat.
“Sometimes we’d put things out, and no one would buy them,” Nicholas said. “That’s part of it. You try things, you learn what works, and you use that knowledge moving forward.”
Those small experiments helped him understand how customer behavior, presentation, and timing all intersect — making marketing feel practical rather than abstract.
Marketing appealed to Nicholas not only because of his own curiosity, but also because it was familiar. His mother worked in sales and marketing for decades.
When he arrived at USM, that familiarity sharpened into focus. He declared marketing as his major and quickly started considering how to build experience alongside coursework.
“I knew I needed an internship early if I wanted real job security later”
Nicholas Mauro ’27
Finding an internship through USM’s Career Hub
Shortly after transferring to USM, Nicholas connected with the Career & Employment Hub. Through networking dinners, job shadowing, resume workshops, and one-on-one conversations, he began to understand what internships could look like and how to pursue them intentionally.
When a list of marketing internships circulated, one stood out: Bristol Seafood.
“It seemed like the best environment to learn and grow,” Nicholas said. “That’s why it was my top choice.”
An experience with real responsibility
At Bristol Seafood, Nicholas wasn’t observing from the sidelines. He was given his own workspace, access to tools, and a major project to manage independently.
Over the summer, he led a consumer taste test for a new product line — recruiting participants, organizing logistics, collecting feedback, and presenting results to company leadership.
“I was supposed to get 70 people to sign up for the taste test,” he said. “We ended up with 150.”
Nicholas updated product listings on Instacart, visited grocery stores to speak directly with seafood counter staff, and reported trends back to the marketing team. Each task helped him discover how marketing strategy translates into everyday customer experiences.
He also learned the importance of soft skills, strengthening his ability to communicate, manage expectations, and balance personality with business goals — lessons developed through practice, not lectures.
Looking ahead with purpose
Back on campus, Nicholas is building on that momentum. He’s applying for more internships, exploring business-to-business marketing opportunities, and staying connected with the Career Hub as an ongoing resource.
His advice to other students is simple: Talk to people, take initiative, and be willing to step outside your routine — even when that path forward isn’t fully clear.
