91Ó°ÊÓ

Coming from LA, my first degree consisted of mostly creative projects and hands-on experience in studio spaces; not many classes to work on my writing or focus on all the different industries within media. Or … how to be a journalist. I took one English Composition class, and that was it.

Within my first few weeks of 91Ó°ÊÓ’s on-campus classes—before the entire world locked down due to the Coronavirus pandemic—my ambition pleasantly met with a newfound passion for media and literature.

My program at 91Ó°ÊÓ introduced me to a vast media world that was full of possibilities for me. There was radio, broadcast journalism / cable news, television, film, poetry, novels, digital media, print media, and I fell in love with all of them.

This fascination changed my academic life and the way I looked at being in New York. Here I am, in the capital of media and journalism, reading and studying the influential writers and journalists who walked the very same streets I was walking, with a similar ambition to create and tell our stories, and to do it well … and to do it here.

was the first class I had ever taken under the journalism umbrella in Fashion Media. Throughout the weeks of writing, reading, and editing, and with the encouragement of my professor, I had the confidence to go forward in the direction I wanted.

During the pandemic, like many other Americans, I was laid off from a position I’d held for two years. While this was less than ideal, it gave me the opportunity to leave retail and apply for jobs in media. The first thing I did was search as many job postings as I could for entry level media positions at a publication or digital media company. After a few rejection emails and many Zoom interviews that led nowhere, it was on to my personal contacts list.

Over lunch with a friend, a reporter at Business Insider, she encouraged me to apply for one of their fellowships, which is how she got started at the company. I looked, I applied, but what really helped me get my position was I saw their head of subscription strategy Tweet that she was looking for a fellow. I sent her a DM and I was in my first round of interviews within a matter of days.

Almost three months later, I have been working as Business Insider’s subscription strategy, content, and events fellow directly under Olivia Oran, the head of subscription strategy. I have never loved a job more. I pinch myself when I think about how in just my first year at 91Ó°ÊÓ, I have not only learned so much more than I ever thought I would, but I’ve landed my first job in media, and at a major business news website.

My 91Ó°ÊÓ professors saw something in me and encouraged me to write, encouraged me to read, encouraged me to ask questions and to continue to be bold, and for that I am forever grateful.