“Write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow.”

Today was one of the few rainy days we have had so far in D.C. Shocking right? Today was a really great and informative day. As a part of my Media and Communication program through The Washington Center we had panel discussions with ten different professionals in the field of Communication. All of their careers are so diverse which just goes to show you that there is tons of variety in this field and hopefully someday I am able to do a little of everything. I learned some valuable tips today. Most importantly, I was told by not one but THREE different professionals that work experience is more important than grad school!! I couldn't agree more especially with this field because I am going to learn so much more on the job than I will in the classroom. I can always go back and get my Master's degree in a few years if I choose to do so but that will allow me to further explore what I would want to study and I would have a few years of work experience under my belt. Did you hear that Dad? Haha joking of course. One panelist also said that Communication professionals are scared of my generation because of how tech savvy we are especially in regards to social media which he said is threatening because that is really important for communication and marketing these days. Some good pieces of advice we were given were to Be Humble and Have Friends Outside of Our Industry. Both of these are important because as a recent graduate I have to pay my dues and start at the bottom which won't necessarily be fun but it's what I have to do to move up. Also, I have to have a balance and learn how to separate work from other aspects of my life. I think this is important for me to keep in mind now because it is hard to create a balance once you have buried yourself too deep in work all the time. Moving on...after programming, I went to an event held by HIP or Hispanics in Philanthropy. My internship site and events like these have really given me a lot to consider in terms of how minorities are represented in the United States. Besides Hispanics, that also includes women, Asians, African Americans, and so on. I never really took the time before to wonder if we are giving money through grants to the appropriate groups of people and the right amount as well. I also never gave much thought about hiring opportunities for minorities but I do now. I can't believe how much I have learned in only a little over two weeks! I have to help work another event tomorrow hosted by HIP which should be fun:) Only five days until I am on the beach!!