Life Pointed North - I Moved Up

Hi there!

It's been a year since my last post and as expected, a lot has happened since June 2011! Most importantly, I was offered my dream job at Edelman Public Relations and started out as an Assistant Account Executive with the DJE Science team in Chicago. I was also able to work with ESPN radio (Mike and Mike, Colin Cowherd, Scott Van Pelt) during the Super Bowl in Indianapolis. Even though neither of the football teams were that exciting for me, I had an AMAZING time working with the ESPN radio crew and will never forget all of the famous athletes, entertainment stars and other amazing people I met while working on the set. In between all of that excitement, two of my sisters graduated and my best friend had a baby. It was a busy year!

 First, let's talk about Chicago. Why didn't I move here sooner? Oh that's right, cost of living is much higher than Indy. Talk about a surprise - when I found out my rent was going to be $950 each month (without utilities, a/c or any of the luxuries), I threw up a little. I've long since adjusted and thoroughly enjoy all of the amenities that the city life has to offer. Public transit and I have become best friends, I've learned most of the lake shore path like the back of my hand, and I can't WAIT for the first big snow of 2012.

Picture taken October 2011 during one of my first evenings in Chicago. 

Photo of Buckingham fountain Millennium Park

If you're wondering why Edelman, don't worry because we'll cover that next. I've lived my life responding to challenges. Someone told me I wasn't qualified enough for an internship, so I worked hard and got it. Someone told me that a class was next to impossible, so I aced it. Then someone told me I'd never find a job in PR right off the bat... I almost believed them this time. It took me from May through September before Edelman offered me an internship. You can bet I snatched that opportunity and with a flash and a 2-week turnaround time, I found an apartment, packed up my life and moved to Chicago. Again, someone told me that interns don't get hired full time until they've been there for at least 6 months (if not longer). I focused all my time on developing my PR skills, honing in on team needs and boom - I was given a full time offer after 3 months. I'm now working with a kick-ass team in DJE Science learning about medical, biotechs, pharmaceuticals, and general healthcare clients while helping them meet their PR needs. I love it!

Guess what else? My motivation is really paying off. Not only did I land my dream job, but my wonderful team nominated me for the prestigious internal staff awards at Edelman, called the Eddy awards. I was nominated and won the "Rookie of the Year" Eddy award in August 2012! I also worked on and walked with Edelman's 60 Miles or Bust team - the company's team for the Susan G. Komen 3-day walk for the cure. I loved meeting people from offices across the U.S. and volunteering with people from all different internal groups in the Chicago office. Together, the 26 other walkers and I were able to raise more than $80,000 for breast cancer research. I was honored as volunteer MVP for my efforts with this initiative. It's safe to say that this motivation is paying off. I'm looking forward to learning the next new thing and continuing to kick butt.

Day 2 of the Komen 3-Day walk

Picture taken at the starting line with a few of my 60 Miles or Bust team members

Real-world stuff aside, I mentioned the great time I had working with ESPN. My time at the Super Bowl really made me reevaluate and make sure that PR was wanted to do. I really contemplated sticking with radio promotions as my full time gig! I think I made the right choice, but I really miss promotions. Shout to Kelly Carey and Mike and Mike for being awesome every morning at the crack of dawn. Working with you all is always a blast!

Photo of me and my dad at Monument Circle in Indianapolis

Standing in front of the Super Bowl Letters, 2012

Other life updates include: 

• Doni graduated from IU and moved out to Los Angeles. She's kicking butt out there working on a music entertainment start-up, trying to find the perfect job and setting up her life. 
• Amy graduated from Park Tudor and began school at IU. Haven't heard anything bad yet so I'm assuming she's still making good choices. I worry about her often! 
• Lauren finished up a great internship with Talk to Tucker, a local real estate agency. She's trying to finalize her direction for graduation in terms of what she wants to do with her life. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for her - it's a tough call! 

Lauren, Amy Doni and I take self-portraits regularly

Picture taken at Amy's high school graduation in Indianapolis

• My parents are now empty nesters! Literally all four of their children are out of the house for the majority of the year. Next summer, they will be the proud parents of THREE college graduates! Love you Sandi and Larry! 
• I have joined the Junior League of Chicago as of June 2012 and LOVE IT. I am so excited to have volunteering opportunities back in my life again. It's not Big Brothers Big Sisters, but it will do for now! Shout out to SKYLER, my little, for being AWESOME and getting good grades in middle school! 
• I've seen a bunch of my best friends and relatives get engaged and/or married over the last year, too. I've had the pleasure of celebrating with most of them and look forward to sharing more life milestones in the future. Shout out to The Bohans, Andy and Paige, Kyle and Krystal, Diane and Kevin, Emily and Mark, Amy and Erik, Whitney and David, and all the others who are taking the marriage plunge. 
• I almost forgot: shout out to THE HOYTS who bought a house, moved and welcomed their bouncing baby boy Tucker into their lives in the same month! 

I think that about covers it for now. Let's hope we'll see another update on here within a year this time. In the meantime, I challenge you to accept a life challenge and strive to surpass expectations. It really is incredibly rewarding and worthwhile! Also, please comment if I've forgotten an important milestone. It's incredibly likely that my loopy brain might have left something out! Until next time!

I think a change will do you good

An awful lot has changed since the last time I posted on this blog. I have since graduated from college with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism Public Relations and five minors-- Spanish, Music, Marketing, Small business management & entrepreneurship, and business general studies. While I had been applying for numerous jobs during my final semester of undergrad, unfortunately none of them panned out. I am not allowing myself to be discouraged. I have absolute faith that, when the time is right, a job opportunity will appear!

In the meantime, I have been working my tail off. I continue to work part-time for Emmis Communications doing radio/broadcast promotional events. Recently, I learned how to operate the sound board and have picked up a "board op" shift on Saturday nights. The timing of the available shift is not ideal, but my mother taught me never to turn down a job. Additionally, I am now working part-time for our family business, filling in a few employment gaps, if you can call it that. I work on doctor credentialing, social media, blogging, and am in the process of creating a continuing education program for our store employees.

While all of this stuff keeps me pretty busy, I always make time for what I love. I have picked up an opportunity to do some freelance social media implementation and planning. This opportunity is incredibly exciting and gives me a chance to work on promoting the platforms and tools I love.

All in all, I can safely say that life is good right now. I'm getting some relevant work experience under my belt (some work being more relevant to my :hopeful: future career than others), keeping myself busy, and making some money! Can't complain. Additionally if you have any recommendations for social media monitoring tools that you use, let me know! I love learning about new ways to track social progress!

Life update--One month left, and counting!

With one month separating me from the grown up world, or "real life," I figured that it would be the perfect opportunity for a life update. Since my last blog, a lot has happened. I had the opportunity to attend the South by Southwest (SXSW) interactive festival, I corrected a lot of negative steps I had previously taken in my life, said goodbye to my first vehicle, and purchased a second, brand new car.

All of these changes are more or less forcing me to realize that, as adults, we are forced to truly consider the decisions we make. Now more than ever, the choices I make will impact my future. Fortunately, attending SXSW was a great decision that provided me with many networking opportunities. By correcting the negative steps I had previously taken, I'm back on track to pursue my dreams and do the things I've dreamt of doing, without consequence to others. Even the switch to a more reliable car (p.s. I love my new Honda Accord coupe. Not sure how I lived without it!) has been a decision that impacted my future by influencing my credit, my ability to travel, the places I can move, etc.

As I go through the motions of finding a "big kid job," it scares me to realize that my future is in my own hands. The last semester of college is more or less irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. My teachers have one last shot to try to influence me, but chances are good that my mind has been made up already. Generally, my grades are set, my knowledge base is established, and I'm inches from the transition from student to professional adult. Any last words? Yes, let's not rush it. I plan to take time to consider the decisions I make from now on. Cheers to making good choices!

The pressure is on

I might be beating a dead horse here because I continue to talk about approaching my last semester of undergrad. But...

The closer I get to ending my victory lap at Indiana University, the more frequently people ask me what I'm going to do with my life after college. While I'm glad to know that people are interested in my life and future, the answer to the question is always the same complicated answer: I HAVE NO IDEA.

Here's the situation: I have made every effort to experience the different aspects of public relations/marketing/advertising. I have managed to try marketing through my dad's company, the agency side of public relations, non-profit work, the radio/broadcasting aspect including promotions, and this coming semester I'm trying out health care public relations. While this experience has certainly cushioned my resume, it further complicates my decision as to what field of PR i will pursue in the real world, beginning in May. Also, I think I'd like to try event management and possibly sports PR too. Oh, the choices.

My question for you, invisible audience, is this: how do I figure out what I want to do with my life? Where do I go from here? All I know is that I can't make the living I want (think $) doing non-profit work, despite enjoying it immensely. I also know that I want to get out of Indiana for a few years and move to a city buried in snow. Think Boston, NYC, Chicago, etc. There has not been a field of public relations that I haven't enjoyed. How do I choose?

If you have advice on how to choose a career path, or maybe how to narrow down my choices, I'm open to suggestions. Leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail. I need all the help I can get. My future is on the line here and I have the next 4 months to find my yellow brick road. The pressure is on!!

Public Relations-- why don't you do the research

I'm currently finishing my final year of undergrad at Indiana University, hoping to leave with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. My public relations classes have spent a lot of time emphasizing the methodologies and the importance of objectives/strategies/tactics in public relations communications plans. No one has truly emphasized research. This, I don't understand. How can someone truly understand a business without doing research? How can you accurately rate competitors, understand previous communications, and even identify target audiences if you're not putting in the time and doing your homework.

The best example of lack of research happened during the election this year with Christine O'Donnell-- the Tea Party candidate for senator in Delaware (http://christine2010.com/). Apparently, her promotions people did a total of zero research into her history and missed the fact that Christine had PUBLICLY identified herself as a witch (i.e. Wicca, spells, etc.). How do you miss that?! So of course, the news comes out and Christine's interview as a "witch" is publicized during her race for office. How does she respond? "Hi I'm Christine O'Donnell and I'm not a witch." Excellent. Fire your public relations guy, he's worthless. This whole fiasco would have been avoided with a little homework.

It's not just political candidates jumping the gun and skipping the research. I've noted that research is being neglected in school settings too. Many of my professors have stopped emphasizing research for clients and instead, emphasize the importance of deliverables and a pretty plan instead. I'm not a professional yet, but what good are deliverables if you have your audience pinpointed incorrectly?

Needless to say, research is the easy part. A couple hours worth of digging on Google is a better start than not digging around at all. Avoid catastrophes. Don't waste your own time. Do your research. Plus, if you do the research then you gain a better understanding of who your client is and who you're actually trying to reach. The pros outweigh the cons... so get Google-ing!

The summer continues

So as we reach the middle of June, I thought it might be appropriate to recap my summer so far.

The first weekend of May, I went white water rafting in West Virginia with Tony and his brothers. We went with Class VI/Rivermen (http://blog.rivermen.com/) and it was a blast. We camped for two nights. The bath facilities were super clean, the food was superb, the view was outstanding, and the trip leader and package deal were unbeatable. Our trip with Class VI was well worth it and created so many wonderful memories!

Next, I began my internship with Emmis Communications in downtown Indianapolis. I'm working mainly with Country 97.1 Hank FM and WIBC 93.1... two very well known stations in the area! Again, I'm having a blast and learning so much about the promotions and media relations business, of course, from the bottom up! I could see myself pursuing public relations in this field for my future... but who knows. All I know is that there's nothing better than having fun and learning at the same time. Emmis definitely takes care of the fun.

Finally, I'm also working for Dr. Tavel Family Eye Care-- as usual. I'm filling all my "free" time with work hours. These hours are certainly needed considering my internship is UNPAID!! Yucky. Come and visit me sometime if you need new specs or contacts, or even just to pop in and say hello! 3536 W 86th St (corner of 86th and Michigan Rd).

I can't wait to have some fun outside of the workplace this summer. So, friends... if you're reading this and want to hang out, I'm scheduling 2 weeks out at this time (haha, seriously!) so let's get together.

Insight, it only comes when you least expect it.

Today, I had the pleasure of hearing the Indiana University Women's Basketball coach speak at my sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. The coach, Felisha Legette-Jack, is an awesome speaker with a captivating and inspiring personal story that brought her to her position with IU athletics today. History aside, her words were incredibly wise and moving. So, I logically thought I would share my two favorites with you.

"Choice not chance determines your destiny." -- This could not be truer. Especially for me during this time in my life when I'm making educational decisions, career choices, financial decisions, internship choices, etc.Think about it. This quote applies to everything. Your choices indicate the path your choose in life. Your life has very little to do with chance.

Only surround yourself with great people. People that make you feel great! Always put yourself in the position to be great."-- this is the second great quote I took from Coach Jack's talk. This quote is exactly what my parents consistently told me as a child/when I lived at home. While this advice seemed ridiculous coming from my parents, it makes much more of an impact coming from a renowned coach. I agree with her, and my parents (I admit it!). You are who you surround yourself with.

That is all for now!