Twitterviews and other social media

This is seriously insane. I'm sitting in my dorm room in little ol' Athens, Ohio, and I'm watching George Stephanopoulos interview John McCain live on Twitter. I can't believe how far technology has come just since I've been alive.

I remember being 3 years old and playing computer games on our Apple desktop complete with floppy discs. When I was in 6th grade I learned PowerPoint and Excel, and in 8th grade I made my first website.

I think I was 12 when I first got an Instant Messenger account, and I thought it was the coolest thing. I got an email account around the same time and it made me feel so grown up! Now with Facebook, Myspace and Twitter, e-mail and IM are almost outdated.

Social media allows instant communication but on a different level than email or IM ever could. It's seriously amazing that I can get updates from my professor, best friend and Ellen Degeneres all at the same time.

My dad always tells me that it's all about networking, and as I start to understand the importance of that, social media is making it so much easier to connect with professionals than it was even ten years ago.

I'm intrigued to see what will be the "next big thing" in social media, but for now I still have a lot of catching up to do on all of it that already exists.

Reflecting on winter quarter

It's been a long haul for the past ten or so weeks. Last year I had an almost perfect GPA and I thought college was going to be a breeze. I think this quarter was my wake up call. Emotionally and physically this year has been way more difficult than last.

I've had to tell myself that it's ok not to get straight A's and that I don't have to be perfect.

This quarter I've also become more independent. I flew without my parents for the first time, and to a big city to boot! I make most of my decisions for myself now and I think I'm finally trusting myself to make them.

I've met a lot of great people this quarter and many that I hope to keep in contact with throughout my college career and beyond.

I know I have a long way to go, but I think I'm coming into my own and figuring out who I really want to be. I'm getting more involved and trying to figure out what I like and don't like as far as my career goes.

I've learned that I can be OK on my own and that I should let things come as they may.

The Windy City

As I sit in the O’Hare Airport waiting for our flight back to Columbus, I feel the need to reflect on my first visit to Chicago. Besides some interesting experiences getting here, the trip was amazing.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather: the first two days were sunny and exceeded 50 degrees. The city is fast-paced, but not overwhelming like New York. The atmosphere itself motivated me to take every extra step I can to achieve my goals.

The agency visits were very impressive. Each company had its own way of organizing and working together, but all seemed to run seamlessly. Ruder Finn gave me great insight on how to be a great intern and how to get the internship in the first place. Weber Shandwick stressed the importance of advocacy and building relationships. Fleishman Hillard talked about branding yourself and how to stand out, whether in an internship or as you grow in your career.

I met some amazing people and got to know many more from PRSSA. The trip confirmed for me that I’m pursuing the right career.

Chicago, I’m sad to leave, but I know I’ll be back soon!