If there is one thing I have learned from my internship with The Rainmaker Network, it is the importance of following up. Whether it is with co-workers, clients, or future partners, following up shows interest in others and the work they are doing. Failing to follow up on the other hand shows lack of interest or that you can not commit and follow through on an assignment. It can also be taken as laziness or apathy, which is a quality no one wants around in the work place.

Working for The Rainmaker Network, an organization reaching out to students and campuses along the west coast has forced me to prioritize and make sure to follow up on all of my assignments. Not only do I want to create a positive and lasting impression for myself, but for The Rainmaker Network as well. Life is about making connections, and it is the impressions you leave with others that are going to get passed on. Showing that you have the drive to follow up on your word, and will use your initiative to do so, is part of a positive character that others respect.

As one of the PR interns at The Rainmaker Network, I have been contacting multiple campus organizations for possible partnerships. Following up can be the difference between a partnership or not. Unless blown away, possible partnership organizations are not going to eagerly respond to every contact message. If pursued continually however, there is a greater likelihood of success.

This said, be proactive! Follow up in a timely manner because it could make or break it for you in any given professional, academic, or social encounter you may come across in your future.

I attended the LA fashion market with eco-friendly VISIONARY boutique owner Magda Rod on friday and was excited to see all the eco-friendly products offered. The event is all weekend and is a sea of apparel, jewelry, accessories, outerwear, lingere, shoes, and house products. If you can buy it in a store, it was there! As a fashion design major in college I was so overwhelmed by all the wonderful designs, great fabrics and up and coming designers that were at market, but most of the companies I am familiar with aren't eco friendly at all!!!

After graduating from school in december I had been job searching to figure out where I would start the next chapter of my life. I didn't know what my plans were or where I would be headed. After speaking with Lance Stacey at the rainmakernetwork.org I was so excited to be on the frontier of working with eco-friendly companies and "green- collar" jobs! I had a position in Los Angeles!!

Hi Rainmakers,

This is an importance announcement from the Rain HQ. One of our many Greek partners across California includes the USC Panhellenic Council (they govern over all national sororities on campus). It has come to our attention that one of their fellow sisters have passed and we are deeply saddened by this tragedy. Please read below and if you have any information, please alert the authorities at once.

-The Rainmaker Network

$135K Offered For Info In Deadly USC Hit-&-Run

LOS ANGELES (CBS) - The University of Southern California Wednesday announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a driver who struck and killed one freshman student and seriously injured another.

The Los Angeles County Council is offering a $75,000 reward and the Board of Supervisors will contribute $10,000, which totals $135,000.

Adrianna Bachan, 19, and Marcus Garfinkle, also 19, were in a crosswalk on Jefferson Boulevard at Hoover Street about 3 a.m. Sunday when a car heading east on Jefferson ran a red light and struck them, according to police.

Bachan, a freshman from Santa Barbara, was killed. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority and majoring in environmental studies, according to USC's newspaper, the Daily Trojan.

Garfinkle, a freshman from Scottsdale, Ariz., and a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, was hospitalized at California Hospital Medical Center, the Daily Trojan reported.

After the car hit Garfinkle, the driver stopped long enough for a passenger to pull him off the hood, witnesses told LAPD officers.

Bachan died from her injuries at a hospital. Garfinkle was carried 500 feet on the windshield of the car before the vehicle stopped and a passenger removed his body from the hood of the car and threw him to the ground, according to witnesses. He is still in serious condition.

The passenger was described only as a Hispanic male.

The suspect vehicle was black, and believed to be a 1999 to 2002 Honda Accord or Toyota Corolla. It had a broken windshield and extensive front-end damage after the crash.

Anyone with more information was asked to call detectives at (323) 290-6063 during normal office hours, or (877) LAPD-24/7 nights or weekends.