Gasp! In five short years I will be thirty. Nothing wrong with being thirty, in fact, I look forward to it.
However, there are certain things I would've hoped to accomplish at this halfway point. For one, I am still in school and if my crystal ball (AKA my degree audit) serves me right, it'll be that way for another 1.5 years… that translates into, graduation at twenty seven, even closer to thirty. Now three years to go: graduate, score an entry level position at some nifty PR firm or something along those lines and hopefully by thirty I'm on the cover of Fortune! Sorry, day-dreaming again… well, the whole Fortune thing. I'll be happy if I'm just profiled in the New Times, gotta conquer my backyard first. Ya know? Life's not too shabby "hatarakete" (working) for gazzilionaire-automotive-god-Toyota but the PR/Marketing/Communications side of the biz is in NYC. (Hmm? NYC? Why not, right? I love Miami. I love Miami. I love Miami.) For now, I'm working with some of the most intelligent people I've ever encountered and observing the strong-as-steel work ethics of corporate Japan. They are excel gurus - all of them! My boss is a great man and he's a true pleasure to work for (no, he's not friend on MySpace and he won't read this). Aishte imasta (I love) him! However, the automotive industry is not my niche although I am learning a lot about it. So yes, I'm staying put… although my gut tells me everyday to just quit and become a barrista at Starbucks and just be a college student. Frapuccino101 here I come? Nah. Focus101 would do be better.
Seriously, I would love to just take on some more freelance PR gigs. Vanessa Conde, Deborah-Magdalena, Miriam Elena… thank you for the guidance/opportunities, keep it coming! Anyone else… let me be your do-girl; I'm earning my stripes here! Working my way up that totem pole!
Truth is, I have been writing press releases and feature stories since I was 17. It all started when I took on a high-school internship. At the time of my senior year, I was taking five AP classes, one honors, played soccer, ran cross country, and had a weekend part-time job working box office in Main Street. It all started there the summer before my senior year… I picked up the Miami Laker one day at work and said, "Hmm, I wonder if they could use me?" My over-ambitious-self-induced schedule was busting at the seams, but I called and a friendly voice picked up (Peggy Austen, I love you!) and I just said "Hi, I'm a high school student. I will be going into college next year and I want to gain some experience with your newspaper. Do you need anyone around the office to help?" Ballsy, perhaps. It was more like youthful exuberance. This was a Friday, on Monday afternoon I came in to interview and ended up striking up a lengthy conversation with the editor-in-chief and head writer. Before I knew it, I was reading through all the press releases that came in and following up on community story leads. My first writing gig was my very own column, Student Spectrum, in the bi-monthly, Miami Laker, which reaches every home in Miami Lakes, West Hialeah and Palms Springs North. A community paper of this sort is mostly feature stories, so nothing too exciting but I had my own by-line before I was even legal. You may have read it (doubt it). My mama was proud. A year later, I was still there and I have a great recommendation letter and a strong relationship with my forever mentor, Peggy to along with that experience. I had the seed in me, but writing for the Miami Laker helped me blossom – for that, I am ever grateful. At the time, I received a scholarship from Rutgers University for their six-year med program but I ended up staying in Miami and jumping on the community college band-wagon. I no longer wanted to pursue the miraculous vocation of medicine. My love for people fostered the desire to help people in need, what better way than through medicine. The memories of volunteering at UM/Sylvester Cancer Center during my high school summers were unforgettable… yet painful. I could barely keep my eyes dry when I translated for Dr. Wolfson (still my friend) and saw the effects of radiation and chemotherapy. After a lot of soul-searching, I realized it wasn't my calling. I enrolled at Miami-Dade as a mass communications major and went on to FIU… and that's where the story becomes less prolific.
I have struggled with finishing school but by the same token, I have managed to also gain a lot of work experience. I have worked full-time since I graduation high school. I've met many creative minds and inspiring souls that have rooted me on and share my vision. At twenty-five, I'm independent from mami and papi, living with the man of my dreams one block from Lincoln Rd. For the complacent: I have it good, above-average salary and benefits. I work for a kick-ass company and I'm nine blocks exactly from AT's studio (we eat lunch together almost daily and carpool often). I'm not gloating you see, I want MORE. It would be the easy way out to take a chill-pill and not stress about the direction my life is headed… let me rephrase that, it's not the direction… it's the pace. 2008 is here and I need to put my life into fifth-gear. Creatively, I am in the dumps. I need more more more! Enough with living day-by-day, waiting to finish school and working towards paying my bills and not satisfying my heart. AT promised my mom we wouldn't marry until I was done with school… and yes, I want my wedding gown… but give me my cap and gown first. (I adore you, Arturo… you know you're not my boyfriend, you're my man!)
School starts tomorrow again… two classes… but enough blogging, I'm going to go register for a third class. I need to prioritize… I'll have to party a little less, but the rewards of accomplishing a little more will get me closer to the ultimate party: my graduation party!
BTW – New Year's Resolutions
-Blog more (creative outlet)
-Study more (academic outlet)
-Work-out more (stress outlet)
-Pray more (spiritual outlet)
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