05/25/2026
Shining the Spotlight on Mariah Tenee Allen Harris - International Day of Marketing
For most of my life, my focus was soccer. I dedicated years to the sport and eventually earned a scholarship to play at Maryville University. At the time, I believed my future would be in physical therapy. After experiencing several sports injuries growing up, I wanted to work in healthcare and help people the way others had helped me.
But one of the biggest turning points in my life came when I didn’t get accepted into the physical therapy program.
At the time, it was incredibly discouraging. I had always worked hard academically and athletically as a student athlete, so not getting into the program left me unsure of where to go next or what my future would look like. After that rejection, I changed my major to marketing — honestly, without really knowing much about marketing at all. I just knew I needed to keep moving forward and figure things out along the way.
I vaguely remembered being inspired by the “Thank You, Mom” Olympic commercials as a little girl, but I never imagined storytelling or marketing would eventually become part of my own career path.
Ironically, around my sophomore and junior years, my university was restructuring its marketing program, so there were not many marketing classes available for me to take. Instead of waiting for opportunities to come to me, I decided to create one myself.
I found a pharmaceutical marketing internship on my own, applied independently, and told the company I was willing to work for free if they were simply willing to teach me something.
That internship became one of the most pivotal moments of my career.
At the time, I was balancing life as a student athlete while also working part-time at Chipotle, participating in a work-study program, attending classes, and interning at a pharmaceutical company. It was not easy, but those experiences taught me resilience, discipline, and how to forge my own path even when things felt uncertain. I learned to have an “I’ll figure it out” mentality, and during those years, I truly had to.
The internship completely changed my understanding of what marketing could be. I discovered that healthcare marketing was not just about promoting products — it was about education, empathy, advocacy, and helping patients and caregivers better understand complicated diseases so they could make informed treatment decisions and feel empowered throughout their journey.
After college, another unexpected opportunity came my way: moving from St. Louis to Boston for an entry-level marketing job. I was hesitant to move halfway across the country at 21 to a city where I knew no one, but I trusted God and took the leap anyway.
That decision changed my life.
Boston gave me incredible opportunities to grow in one of the world’s leading healthcare and biotechnology communities, surrounded by mentors, colleagues, and leaders who helped shape both my career and confidence.
I’m also deeply grateful for my family, who always encouraged me to dream big, work hard, and trust that there were no limits on what I could accomplish through faith in the Lord and perseverance. I come from a strong family of hardworking women, and their example shaped my resilience, discipline, and confidence from a very young age.
The path has not always been easy. There have been rejections, setbacks, failures, and moments of uncertainty along the way. But through every high and low, the journey has continued to strengthen me, teach me, and push me to grow both spiritually, personally, and professionally.
Today, I’m grateful to work in rare disease and oncology marketing, where I can combine strategy and storytelling to help support patients and families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
Recently, I was honored to be recognized by PM360 as a “Leader of the Future,” an award recognizing rising professionals across the healthcare and life sciences industries who are making an impact through leadership, innovation, and purpose-driven work.
For me, the recognition is not just about career success — it is a reminder that some of life’s greatest opportunities can come from the moments that initially feel like setbacks.
As my 20s come to an end, I look back and realize how hard that younger version of myself worked, even during the moments when she was uncertain about where life was headed. It was not always easy, but I’m proud of the person I was becoming then and the person I continue to become now.
My journey has taught me that sometimes you have to step back and patiently wait on the Lord, even when life does not unfold the way you expected. You have to be willing to humble yourself, reroute, and keep moving forward so God can work in your life. I’ve learned to give myself and others more grace, to accept that life will have highs and lows, and to embrace each turn along the way.
Most importantly, I’ve learned that with faith and perseverance, somehow you will figure it out — and you’ll be alright.
