Blessed & Blissful

Today, I feel like sharing my personal emotions and thoughts.

I feel blissful and content. I have the greatest friends any person could ask for. I have a cousin to talk flowers and fashion with and I have had two of my best friends in my life for four years. One of my best friends in my life for two, the other for three, and my "big bro",who just graduated college, in my life for eight. I'm still best friends with my high school boyfriend and we talk frequently and want the best for each other. I recently met a wonderful friend whose agreed to help me move out of the kindness of her heart, I have parents who help me out a tremendous amount financially with school and am moving to a beautiful gingerbread looking house July 1st with wonderful roommates, I have the most amazing PR internship with a national organization & lastly I get to move to Southern California in December.

I feel so incredibly thankful. I don't know that I believe in God but I do believe I am blessed by something to have been given such an awesome wonderful life.

All I need is prince charming but I believe that will happen too eventually :)

I hope everyone gets to live in pure bliss like I do. Sure some days I have anxiety, or my car gets towed, or really bad things happen, but for the most part I consider myself incredibly lucky to get to live this awesome life.

I'm off to enjoy this sunshine!

Happiness & gratitude

Swim

Today I felt like listening to a band I used to listen to in high school-Jack’s Mannequin and came across the song “Swim.”

I found a tidal wave

Begging to tear down the dawn

Memories like bullets

They fired at me from a gun

A crack in the armor

I swim to brighter days

Despite the absence of sun

Choking on salt water

I'm not giving in

I swim

I’ve been nostalgic and a little weepy lately, thinking back to the times when my grandfather was alive. He inspired me so much every day with his kindness and was so proud of everything I did, it didn’t matter what it was-I was his superstar. Every night I would talk to him and he would tell me how one day he will see me on CNN, I don’t think he understood what a public relations person does even though I would attempt to explain it over and over again.

I think its pretty clear I'm not a natural blonde but I did get his big blue eyes!

He passed away in November and since then despite his passing, so many amazing things have happened to me: fantastic internship, scholarships, good grades… there’s so much I want to tell him but can’t.

Anyways when I heard this song it inspired me maybe not to swim, but to GO! I am going to keep going for all my dreams and know that he is with me watching over me, probably shaking his head at my ridiculous caffeine consumption.

Sometimes we all have those days where we miss how things used to be, or we wish things were different, but we must swim because life is good. Life is an amazing journey and sometimes we may not like the pit stops, but we must remember it’s not the end of the race and only WE get to decide the attitude we have at these pit stops and when we reach the end!

Challenge Your Mind

This semester I took Eng 411 aka Linguistics aka Hell on Earth. The professor's first words were: "Now this is a challenging scientific and mathematical English class." There is one thing in this world I hate more than math and science.. ants!

Three weeks into the class and we began doing linguistic trees. Nothing made sense and i contemplated dropping the class. Due to amazing scholarships from the Reynolds School of Journalism, I decided against dropping. I was going to learn Linguistics no matter what. I emailed the professor and explained that Linguistics made as much sense to me as a message from Athens in Greek. She graciously told me to come into her office a week before every homework assignment was due and she would check my work and help me with questions. So I did that... Every Friday/Monday for four months I was in her office. 

Page one of an eleven page paper. 

As I prepare to take the final I have an 87% in the class and cannot only do trees in English, but I have learned to do them in Tagalog as well for my final project. IT FEELS DAMN GOOD!

It has been so long since I have challenged myself and taken a hard class that I wasn't comfortable with. This class taught me so much about language. More importantly, this class taught me so much about myself. It taught me that I'm 100 times more determined than I thought and a million times smarter and more capable than I could have imagined. 

It's a work in progress!

I cured my mind which was diseased with laziness when it came to math and science. It was like bootcamp for my mind.
It is so important to keep challenging ourselves and pushing ourselves in order to be the best we can possibly be!

I plan to use my Linguistic knowledge in everything I do. I now understand the scientific value of words and the importance of using some words as opposed to others. Amazing press releases here I come!

Linguistic hugs from my house to yours! 

Caffeine Is Calling

About three months ago, I decided to give up caffeine, trying to follow the Ayurveda constitution and all. All was well until I remembered: Im in 400 level classes, president of a club, about to start a PR internship, and a homosapien.

As I began planning the annual Reynolds School of Journalism Toast dinner for 50, I realized I needed energy..

I made my first cup of coffee in months this morning and the feeling is unexplainable. I have so much energy I don't know what to do with myself: Gym, running, homework, speech making, dinner planning- the possibilities are endless! It's an amazing feeling, its a gift from the caffeine gods. Bright "alien" eyed and bushy tailed, day here I come.

I learned something more than how great coffee is, this taught me that its ok to need a little help. That sometimes the workload gets a little heavy and sometimes I get tired. I would like to say I'm the yogi with a strict no caffeine herbal tea diet, but I'm not.

I'm the woman who can't wear white and not spill, the woman who gets so busy she forgets to text people back, the woman who takes on more than she can handle, and the woman who apparently needs her cup of coffee.

I get by with a little help from my friends... and a little cup of joe :)

Five Things PR Students Can Learn From Alice in Wonderland

I stayed home tonight and whilst flipping through the channels, I came across a childhood treasure-Alice in Wonderland. As I watched the magical film as an adult, I took many lessons from it which I never got as a young girl.

Alice 101

1. Never be late
Time is of the essence. Rabbit, may take punctuality to the extreme, however we can learn a lesson from our furry friend. By being on time, you are acknowledging that the other persons time matters, it shows you respect them.


2. Encourage creativity
Alice says she thinks if six impossible things every day. Challenge yourself to think of at least two. Step out of the box and into an innovative creative think.

• Here are my two for the day:

Slamming a revolving door & finding something to rhyme with orange (Flourange, pourange, gourange.... work in progress)

3. Brand yourself
Alice constantly questions who she is. When businesses do this it causes consumer confusion. Ask yourself what you stand for and if you are representing yourself or your client in that light. Know who you are, build your brand, and stick to it.


4. Decide where you want to go
Alice does not know where she is going and blindly falls into a hole. While this may lead to an exciting adventure, most of the time this carelessness leads into a confused mess. Know what you want to achieve and do not stray from that path.For example, when creating a strategic plan, do extensive research so that you are aware of the challenges that may arise and are prepared to handle them. When it comes to a business plan never go in blind.


"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to go," said the Cat.
"I don't much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn't much matter which way you go," said the Cat.


5. Effective communication
"Say what you mean" is the advice Alice is repeatedly given. This resonates in creating key messages for strategic plans. Figure out what it is exactly that you want to get across and focus on that. Create a concise, succinct, and memorable message that your target audience will never forget.

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."-Walt Disney

Easy Healthy Mexican Summer Salad!

One of my major passions in life besides public relations is healthy eating. You won't find me in a fast-food restaurant, or many restaurants. The only Dr I go to is my Ayurvedic one, Laura Hennings. Ayurveda is an indian herb and eating plan that has kept me in great health. I'm a Pitta, for those of you who understand Ayurveda.

Eating healthy can be challenging because not only do I follow Ayurveda, but I'm lactose and gluten intolerant. I know right? Anyways enough about my dietary habits...

Today I was craving mexican food so I decided to make a yummy mexican salad with all organic, gluten free, dairy free ingredients..

I used:

1/2 cup white mushrooms

2 cups of spring mix lettuce

1 slice of of chicken breast and cut it up finely

1/3 of a cucumber

1/2 can of Trader Joes organic black beans, way better than normal black beans!

1 tsp of Trader Joes organic salsa.. this stuff is just so good ( I only used a little because my Ayurvedic constitution doesn't allow me many tomatoes in my diet)

2 tsp of Braggs healthy vinaigrette  (You will go crazy for this stuff it is just so amazing and yummy) You can buy this at Whole Foods for about four bucks.

1 gluten free tostada which i broke into small pieces

I mixed everything together and nom nom nom. This is my new favo-rito recipe!

Now I think I'll go get myself some watermelon sorbet with gummy bears :)

Hugs from my kitchen to yours!

PR Is A Chocolate Cake

It is my belief that too many PR campaigns center around social media. I think of a campaign as a delicious chocolate cake and social media as the delicious buttercream frosting that finishes the cake & keeps it moist.

To make a cake:

1. You find the best recipe: ( RESEARCH! Too many PR practitioners jump to the tactics before researching not only the client, but the target audience) After all when baking a chocolate cake, you want to find the best recipe instead of just jumping to the first cake recipe you come across.

2. You measure out the ingredients: (Evaluate your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and see how you can use all of these to your advantage and which problems may arise while creating your campaign)

3. Take out your baking utensils and preheat the oven:(Survey you audience and test out the market to see how well your target responds to your potential campaign)

4. Mix the ingredients in a bowl and whisk: (Evaluate which tactics worked and mix those tactics together to create a campaign: key messages, event plans, press releases, newsletters, website.. etc)

5. Put the cake in the oven and mix the frosting:(Social media is the frosting of the cake. Only after the meat (cake) of your campaign is built, you want to reach out to the audience in their medium which nowadays is social media. Only after your key messages and overall message of your campaign is certain, should you communicate those messages over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest... the list goes on)

6. Frost your cake and serve! This is important. Watch for the reactions of the people digesting your cake: (EVALUATE! Now that you have cooked up a delicious campaign measure the success and evaluate your tactics. Did you reach your goal?)

When all is said and done, everyone loves the frosting on the cake. Social media is important and relevant in todays society. However, we cannot forget to bake the cake first so that we have something to frost!

Linkedin Helped Me Score My Dream Internship

It was sophomore year of college and we were assigned a paper, in my Intro To Advertising class, requiring us to interview a professional in the field we were considering breaking into...

I had found David Branby- A local branding genius recipient of 150 ADDY awards and president of David Branby Advertising. I interviewed him and gained insight into the creative world of strategic branding. It was then that I decided I was going to get into the branding business.

Two years passed and I decided to make a Linkedin Account, I know finally! Once I had created my account I saw the incredible opportunity to connect with a wide array of PR and Advertising professionals. One in particular- David Branby. I messaged him and told him how I had not forgotten our interview and how it had inspired me to learn more about the business of branding. It was then that he offered me an internship with his company. I had had a Linkedin for three weeks and gotten an internship out of it.

I start in May and I absolutely cannot wait.

This site is gold. If used correctly it will connect you to people who will help you make your professional dreams a reality.

Some tips for using Linkedin:

1. Connect with the right people-Now this may seem obvious, however due to a series of just clicking next, I had connected with over 50 people in under 5 minutes.. One being a dentist in India. I suppose it's always good to have dentist contacts in India. It is far better to pick people who will help you advance and can offer you a position in your desired field.

2. Make sure your resume is current and relevant-No one cares that you worked at Hot Topic in high school. Think of the internships and jobs you have taken on in college and how they relate to the field you want to break into. This is a helpful article for resume tips: http://www.campusestocareers.info/2012/03/fatal-resume-mistakes-2/ 

3. Have no shame- Ok, this does not mean stalk the person you want to connect with, but feel no shame in messaging them. Seek their advice about the business, tell them you would love the opportunity to learn from them.

4. Make sure only certain tweets post to Linkedin. You wouldn't rant about Kim Kardashian's fashion choices to a future employer, so why put that on a professional site where 26% of companies screen potential employees.

5. Recommend people-Practice good karma in a cutthroat business world where everyone may appear to be out for themselves. Also there is no shame in asking for recommendations from previous employers.

Get connected get Linked in!