Tag: SoC

Letting SOC Feed Me for the Week

Letting SOC Feed Me for the Week

By |

Well, technically they only fed me twice.

This was a busy week at the School of Communication. In true college student fashion, I took advantage of opportunities for free food, which meant I ended up attending some really special on-campus events.

The first was on Monday evening. A networking reception was held for students in the Advertising and Public Relations program, alum from the program and professionals in the industry. Many of the professionals are people working at the companies where Loyola students intern, providing the perfect opportunity to network and scope out potential internships.

This hors d’oeuvres and cocktail hour was held at our Water Tower Campus on the 15th floor of the Corboy Law Center. This venue provides breathtaking views of the city and exactly the right atmosphere for the occasion.

I had the opportunity to chat with several of my professors and two Loyola alum who now work in the city, who I’m looking forward to getting to know. Next semester I’ll be looking for an internship, so hopefully these connections can help get me on the right track!

Friday marked the beginning of Loyola’s Weekend of Excellence, and my second chance for a free meal. I was honored to attend the SOC Honors Ceremony and Student Showcase on Friday afternoon. This ceremony involved a formal presentation of several awards and recognition for different student honors. The awards presented included, Outstanding Major Awards (a winning student was selected from each major within the School of Communication), Top Original Student Work and and an SOC Teaching Award. Students were then honored for graduating from the university’s honors program, for receiving scholarships and new members to the Beta Rho Honors Society were inducted into the organization (that’s were I came in).

Students within the School of Communication are truly producing some incredible work and I’m excited to be a part of a school that is pushing their students toward such excellence.

A huge congratulations to all who were honored during this ceremony and to all the students and faculty who will be celebrated during this Weekend of Excellence! (Where I’m sure there will be plenty more excellent free food.)

Interviewing Journalist Carol Marin

Interviewing Journalist Carol Marin

By |

For my internship this week I was asked to profile the commencement speaker for the SoC graduation, Carol Marin. Marin is a local print and broadcast journalist.

Marin is a political columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times, a political editor at NBC5 and a contributor at WTTW’s  “Chicago Tonight.” Yeah, she is pretty legit.

She invited me to NBC studios right off Michigan Ave. for the interview and I got to sit in on a political meeting, met a number of important people,and saw some of the background operations.

The interview went well, and despite being a little nervous, she complimented me on my preparedness!  Though my internship has allowed me to meet some really great people around campus, this was my “big story,” and I’m very excited to add it to my portfolio!

I’ll be sure to share the article once it is up on the SoC website.

Office Hours

Office Hours

By |

Yesterday I dropped in to see one of my favorite professors at the School of Communication, “Admiral” Ralph Braseth.  Making lasting connections with professors is important for a number of reasons.  You will eventually need references, letters of recommendation, or they will have connections that might not be able to make on your own.  Part of the reason I got my internship at the SoC was because of the great things Braseth said on my behalf!  I’m very grateful!

Now, however, I’m seeking more serious advice about post-graduation plans.  What is most impressive about talking with this professor is the commitment he makes to all his students, even those who have graduated.  Since I know I want to stay in the business of journalism, at least in the next couple of years, Braseth offered to help with some of the necessary networking.

I have a few options I need to think about at this point, but I can definitely take comfort in knowing that once I’ve graduate from Loyola, I will still have invaluable resources here.

Moral of the story:  When you are enrolled in a course and the professor is super great, go to their office hours!  Then, stay connected!

Internship and Career Fair

Internship and Career Fair

By |

This week the School of Communications held its Internship and Career Fair, and I could not be more grateful.

In my earlier post, Lovin’ the Rambler Network I talked about how one of the major reasons that I came to Loyola University Chicago was because I had a feeling that it would have good connections. Well, in that post I already explained how that decision has payed off for me.

This week was perhaps the finest culmination of the connections I have gained through Loyola. Because of the Ad/PR Reception last year I had already been in contact with Edelman. One of their representatives, Adi Clerman, and I have been corresponding ever since my phone and in-person interviews. I am hoping to be an intern at Edelman when I graduate, because many of their interns turn into full time positions. Working for Edelman, to me means basically that I’ve made it: they are the largest private PR firm in Chicago.

So when I found out that Edelman would be present at the Internship and Career Fair, I knew I had to go and make an impression once again. I bee-lined to the Edelman table and was lucky enough to see that Adi was there. She and I reconnected and spent some time catching up. Last time we spoke she had advised that I continued to try and do as much work as possible at my current internship, so as to be prepared for work at Edelman. So I was delighted to be able to tell her about the fact that I had been promoted and am now a paid Jr. Marketing Specialist at The Plum Tree Group.

As we finished our conversation we talked about my different options for after graduation. The conversation went very well, and I am ever hopeful that I will be joining the ranks of entry-level Edelman employees soon.

SoC Career Fair

SoC Career Fair

By |

Tonight I attended the School of Communication Career Fair. I was attending the fair for two reasons: I was hoping to make some good connections for a potential job, but I also have an article to write which involved interviewing the employers and recruiters.  I think this added some pressure on my end to conduct a competent interview and then weave the conversation around to my interest in their open positions.

SoC offered a career week with workshops to prepare students for tonight’s event, including resume writing tips and even career fashion advice.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend these events, but I did take the initiative to spruce up my resume and cover letter.

I was pretty nervous to attend the fair, but after meeting with a couple of the employers, it was a lot more relaxed than I had anticipated.  There was also a wide range of employers.  There were several marketing and public relations firms, and some what I would call non-traditional communication career options, such as DJ’s.

Students were also given the chance to raffle a copy of their resume to get an interview with Groupon.  Last year’s winner was actually hired for the position!  Talking to these employers, I learned that many had hired Loyola students for intern positions and even jobs.

It was great to hear the positive feedback that these employers had to say about Loyola’s reputation and the qualifications  of Loyola students.

I’m hoping to hear back and follow up with some of these employers soon.

This was SoC’s largest career fair to date!

Back in Baumhart

Back in Baumhart

By |

As I start this post, I must first note that it is seriously FREEZING outside!  While walking from class to class today, I had to concentrate very hard on finding the motivation and willpower to leave from one building to the next.  But alas, I am now in the safe and warm confines of my Baumhart Hall and now that my fingers are sufficiently warm, I will now proceed to share my tales from winter break and other current affairs.

Winter break seemed like a promising time to catch on some much needed rest and relaxation, but in all honesty, I have never seen four weeks go by so quickly.  I definitely let myself slip into some bad habits.  These habits include, but are not limited to… nocturnal sleep patterns (resulting in sleeping in to very unreasonable hours of the day), eating unjustified amounts of junk food and watching TLC.

Let me explain that last one.  Normally I watch very little, in fact, almost no TV.  As there isn’t much to do in my hometown, I began to explore the array of channels offered by our DISH and I stumbled upon TLC.  This channel has some of the most terrifying shows I have ever seen. Examples include  “Hoarding: Buried Alive,“ “Toddlers & Tiaras,” “Dance Moms“ and many more!  I would prefer not to go into much detail about each shows,  as they are not all that pertinent, but I will say that they are very disturbing. And yet I could not change the channel.

Now that I am back at school, I can concentrate on the more practical aspects of life, studying!  I also have started my spring internship as the School of Communication reporter.  In fact, I have already finished my first article about an exhibit soon to be shown at the School of Communication.  The exhibit, Too Young to Die, is a photography documentary series by a Chicago photographer, Carlos Javier Ortiz.  Other than writing stories, one of my favorite aspects of being a journalism major is the opportunity to meet and interview so many interesting people.

As far as classes go, I am eager to begin some of my projects for my color theory course (I’m a studio art minor).  The best part of taking an art class?  The fun school supplies, of course!  For color theory, I had to purchase a seriously large stack of colored papers (314 sheets of beautiful color, to be exact). But for now, my first assignment is to make a color wheel (It’s a little more serious than it sounds). Other than that, my other classes seem enjoyable enough.   For now, however, I’m ready for the weekend!