Making snow cones, checking people out at HEB, mowing the neighbors’ lawn; all of these are common jobs of high school students. However, senior Katie Stephenson has instead immersed herself in a world of advertising and entrepreneurship.

Stephenson is a brand ambassador for a company called Bangs Shoes. A brand ambassador is someone who promotes a company.

“I found the company on-line,” Stephenson said. “Their creators moved to Austin, and they hosted this big event at Zilker Park last July. It was a big scavenger hunt across town. They would post on their social media what the next place was and you could win shoes, flags, socks, and t-shirts”

Following the event, Stephenson stumbled upon a group of current brand ambassadors promoting Bangs.

“It was really fun, all the ambassadors got along really well and acted like they already knew each other,” Stephenson said. “All of that got me interested, and I was thinking, ‘how do they know each other? How are they already friends? This seems really cool’.”

Soon after, Stephenson started following them on social media, and got accepted to the ambassador program herself.

“Every semester there are three ‘blitz days’, which is when everyone posts on Instagram,” Stephenson said. “We pick a theme, then we have to post and hash-tag it to create awareness about the brand. We also wear their shoes.”

Alongside the responsibilities of advertising the brand, Stephenson’s position has some perks, the biggest being discounts on the trendy shoes.

“I love their shoes,” Stephenson said. “That’s the main reason I wanted to work with them. I have three pairs because they are so inexpensive now. My favorite is one pair that’s white and has succulents embroidered on the side.”

Having teenagers advertise their products is a marketing tactic used by brands, but not every student feels persuaded by the ads.

“I think the ambassadors do a good job advertising their products,” senior Lauryn Lomas said, “but I can’t say that it has any impact on me or my will to purchase that item, especially when the ambassadors give those discount codes. It just seems superficial to me and I can’t bring myself to buy their items.”

Although, Bangs is more than just selling shoes. Adventure, travel, and entrepreneurship are all big ideas that the brand embodies.

“This brand takes a portion of their funds and they invest in entrepreneurs around the world,” Stephenson said. “As of right now I think they’ve invested in over a thousand. They take some of their profits and they give it to people in developing countries that want to start their own business. Once that money gets made from their business, Bangs gets that money back so they can reinvest in new entrepreneurs.”

For more information, check out bangsshoes.com where you can get

“It’s very cool to get to work with their company, especially that it’s based out of Austin,” Stephenson said. “I love working with a brand that gives back and is doing something for the world.”