ALUMNI PROFILE
Hashtags in Paris
In the City of Light, social media manager and copywriter Samantha Luevano helps bring marketing campaigns to life
By Annie Cao
W hat do Samantha Luevano and Emily Cooper have in common? Between a chef boyfriend and a job at a French marketing agency, Luevano’s life sounds like the real-life version of the titular character’s in the popular Netflix series “Emily in Paris” — without the script.
Raised in Rancho Cucamonga, California, Luevano initially aspired toward a career in the medical field and toured multiple UC campuses in search of the right fit.
“When I visited UC Riverside, I loved the campus immediately,” said Luevano, adding that she was attracted to the diverse university community. “For me, that was important because I wanted to be surrounded by people from different backgrounds.”
After studying biology for two years at UCR, Luevano found herself reevaluating her goals and considering careers with a creative side. She also remembered her late father’s advice — business, he’d said, was a skill that could be applied to any industry. So, she took a chance and switched to business with an emphasis in marketing.
“I got to experience two different lifestyles in college — one where it was very science-focused and hard work, and one through business, which was hard work but in a different way,” she said.
At the School of Business, Luevano found the course material aligned with her strengths. In her final year, she took an international marketing class, where learning about global strategies and diverse cultures sparked her interest and solidified her decision to pursue a master’s degree in marketing. While preparing for graduate school, she consulted marketing professor Thomas Kramer on her academic options.
“He said, ‘Think about how you can expand your horizons, make new connections, and put what you learned about international marketing into practice,’ and ‘If you can do it abroad, you’ll get more real-life experience,’” said Luevano, who graduated from UCR with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2018. “So, I decided to do my master’s in Paris.”
In September 2020, Luevano moved to Paris to attend the International School of Management (ISM) Paris — an adventure that brought its own challenges. Not only had she never visited France, but she arrived during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic while the country was in lockdown and her classes were mostly online. Luevano also wasn’t yet fluent in French and spent the first three months learning the language through lessons on Duolingo.
“When I moved to France, I felt like a baby because I couldn’t read anything,” she said. “It was really zero to 100.”
At ISM Paris, Luevano completed a two-year work study program, producing copy for the school’s email marketing campaigns and social media platforms. Shortly before completing her MBA, she became an intern at Publicis Conseil, an international digital communications agency, where she helped with campaigns for Europe’s largest hospitality company Accor Group hotels.
Six months later, in October 2022, Luevano landed a job at Bonjour Paris, a small agency with a variety of international clients. As the only native English speaker, she was the main copywriter and collaborated with clients including Accor Group and other luxury brands such as Audemars Piguet, Veuve Clicquot, Cointreau, and Royal Mansour.
In September 2024, Luevano joined Monks Paris as a social media manager and copywriter. From ideation to execution, she manages digital campaigns across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for La Roche Posay, a French skincare brand under L’Oreal Group. Five years on from her arrival in 2020, Luevano has fully embraced what life in Paris has to offer.
“I never dreamed of living in Paris,” Luevano said. “But I think the best part of that is I didn’t have any expectations when I first arrived. That set me up for success because I was able to learn from the ground up. Now I love living in France.”
Her morning commute to the office is only a 10-minute walk, something she could have never imagined living in California. On the way, she stops by her favorite coffee shop, Café Müller, for a coffee and a quick chat with the owner.
“I see him every day. He knows my colleagues and boyfriend, so there’s a feeling of a second home,” Luevano said.
Looking toward the future, Luevano wants to stretch her creativity and writing skills with long-form content. She contributes to HiP Paris, a French lifestyle blog, and shares a love of food with her French chef boyfriend, which has inspired her to explore food writing.
“I’m always interested in hearing about new restaurants, and I love to eat, so I want to write about food,” Luevano said.
As Mindy, Emily’s best friend in the Netflix show once said, “It’s Paris. Everyone’s serious about dinner.”