Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Meet Briana: CSULB Campus Ambassador
4:04 PM | 
Posted by
Briana
Hello world, or at least our fans. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Briana Ford, with numerous amounts of aliases (let's stick with Briana for now). I'm an incoming sophomore at California State University Long Beach. I'm a pre-marketing major, considering a public relations minor, and also the new intern / CSULB Campus Ambassador for The Rainmaker Network!
I found this great opportunity through the infamous Twitter (be careful who you follow; it just may change your life). Long Beach Breaking News tweeted about a Marketing/PR internship opportunity through CSULB and it directed me to a CraigsList post. After reading everything the position would include, I was immediately interested. First I needed to know exactly who were these people who I would be working with. I looked up The Rainmaker Network and wished I had stumbled upon them before hand, but was nevertheless excited.
Long story short, I got the internship, which is how I'm writing to you all today. It's only my first week but I'm already in love with the job. I was interested not only because it's right up my alley as far as marketing and PR, but because they're mission is to connect students with companies. It's funny because this is what I've been doing already. Although I'm not quite a sophomore yet, The Rainmaker Network is actually my 4th internship that I've accepted (I've been offered more but turned them down because there's only 24 hours in a day and only 1 me). My friends have been asking me to help them acquire internships as well, but I didn't want to limit my expertise to only my friends.
In these times, I think college students should not only be required to intern before they graduate, but intern often. There's so much competition out there, and you should always look for ways to stand out above the crowd (even if you gotta shout out loud). Interning not only gives you work experience to put on your resume and keep with you forever, it gives you a preview of what you want to pursue as a career, which is definitely important. After my first internship with Mint Julep Social Events, I knew I wanted to stick with event coordination in my future. It also gave me hands on experience coordinating events, handling event production, vendor relations, and what to expect with clients.
Not all internships work out unfortunately. Some companies have extremely high demands and are not exactly considerate of your schedule (school or personal). It's always good to research the company before signing your life away to be their non-paid slave (or indentured servant) for the next few months. Familiarize yourself with company policy and make sure their ideals are aligned with yours. It's always important to be comfortable at your place of work, whether you're being paid or not.
Never choose internships based on if they pay or not. Many internships that are not paid pay off in different ways like lifelong connections and networking opportunities. Although everyone needs extra cash here and there, don't dismiss an opportunity because they have no monetary value; you could be missing out on a chance of a lifetime.
I think I've rambled on long enough and I'm pretty sure you know nothing much about me besides I'm a workaholic student. We'll be able to elaborate more on me later, for this is only the beginning. I'm really excited to be part of the Rainmaker Network. Although my internship is set for 6 months, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be looking forward to trying to keep my foot in this door.
Labels:
career development,
college,
CSULB,
event coordinator,
internship,
marketing,
public relations,
Rainmaker Network,
student
|
0
comments
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Your worst enemy
Hi Rainmakers.
My jaw dropped today when I happened across your worst enemy: the nine-year old elementary school student. (For those of you who are looking really closely, she is using Photoshop.)
You may wonder what a nine-year old elementary school student donning an unassuming pair of pigtails may have on you college-educated folk. Let me give you the inside scoop.
Erin and I visited Wedgeworth Elementary School this morning. We were invited by the Principal of the school as well as the Chairman of the Youth Science Center (http://www.youthsciencecenter.org) to visit some of their summer session classes to learn more about their students. The Rainmaker Network currently helps this elementary school find volunteers for teacher's assistant program as well as volunteers for the YSC summer session.
I was slightly aghast but more so excited when I came across my old computer lab. (Did I mention that Wedgeworth Elementary was my alma mater?) We were welcomed with flat screen LCD monitors, Photoshop software...and nine year olds creating portfolio Web sites. That's right, portfolio Web sites. At nine years old they had a few pieces for their portfolio, as well as a Web site they designed to host it all in! Do you?
I was floored: My first designs went to the printing press when I was eleven, I figured out Photoshop by the time I was fourteen and built my first Web site from scratch when I was fifteen. (I used to post my European History homework on the Web for my classmates to cross-reference answers and hosted a discussion board...) These kids I met today are (relatively) light years ahead and darned if I say they actually had some talent.
Rainmakers, what I'm trying to get at is that your competition is all around: you just need to be aware of it. First and foremost you are your own worst enemy. The sooner you own up to your responsibilities the faster you can resolve issues like motivation, accountability and responsibility for your professional endeavors. Second of all, with the speed in which technology and education is moving, students that graduate just one year after you -- let alone fifteen -- outpace you in technological information and skills. It is important to stay current with the trends and to recognize any gap in skill and address them immediately before they escalate into your next job rejection!
Get ahead and stay ahead of your competition. Make sure you reflect your work ethic and passion in everything that bears your name. And make sure you keep your Rainmaker profiles up-to-date with your recent achievements and portfolio pieces. The early bird gets the worm so start hunting for your dream opportunity today.
My jaw dropped today when I happened across your worst enemy: the nine-year old elementary school student. (For those of you who are looking really closely, she is using Photoshop.)
You may wonder what a nine-year old elementary school student donning an unassuming pair of pigtails may have on you college-educated folk. Let me give you the inside scoop.
Erin and I visited Wedgeworth Elementary School this morning. We were invited by the Principal of the school as well as the Chairman of the Youth Science Center (http://www.youthsciencecenter.org) to visit some of their summer session classes to learn more about their students. The Rainmaker Network currently helps this elementary school find volunteers for teacher's assistant program as well as volunteers for the YSC summer session.
I was slightly aghast but more so excited when I came across my old computer lab. (Did I mention that Wedgeworth Elementary was my alma mater?) We were welcomed with flat screen LCD monitors, Photoshop software...and nine year olds creating portfolio Web sites. That's right, portfolio Web sites. At nine years old they had a few pieces for their portfolio, as well as a Web site they designed to host it all in! Do you?
I was floored: My first designs went to the printing press when I was eleven, I figured out Photoshop by the time I was fourteen and built my first Web site from scratch when I was fifteen. (I used to post my European History homework on the Web for my classmates to cross-reference answers and hosted a discussion board...) These kids I met today are (relatively) light years ahead and darned if I say they actually had some talent.
Rainmakers, what I'm trying to get at is that your competition is all around: you just need to be aware of it. First and foremost you are your own worst enemy. The sooner you own up to your responsibilities the faster you can resolve issues like motivation, accountability and responsibility for your professional endeavors. Second of all, with the speed in which technology and education is moving, students that graduate just one year after you -- let alone fifteen -- outpace you in technological information and skills. It is important to stay current with the trends and to recognize any gap in skill and address them immediately before they escalate into your next job rejection!
Get ahead and stay ahead of your competition. Make sure you reflect your work ethic and passion in everything that bears your name. And make sure you keep your Rainmaker profiles up-to-date with your recent achievements and portfolio pieces. The early bird gets the worm so start hunting for your dream opportunity today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)