Some hard work and a whole lot of fun

I was told grad school would be two crazy years of homework, dreaded group projects, more specialized research and practice, and awesome networking opportunities. I just hoped for job that would allow me to use those skills (and pay off my loans in the projected 10 years).

No one prepared me for this:

Last Thursday, April 9th, I was on stage in front of 300 top PR and communications professionals. I was speaking, along with my trusty teammates and incredible advisor, about a case study we conducted on CVS Health’s re-branding. It’s exciting, I promise.

About a month earlier, I received a call at work from the Arthur W. Page Society telling me my team won the Grand Prize for the competitive, international Page Principles Case Study Competition. I was giddy. I couldn’t stop smiling or sit back down at my desk and work. I naturally called my mom and tried, through excited babbling, to explain the case study, the competition, and the event in April.. Not any less exciting was the fact that my airfare and hotel were covered, too. Grad students love free stuff.

Researching and writing the case study was no small task. Simply completing and submitting the finished document provided me with enough pride to be annoying for a few days. But winning? And not just winning but being flown to NYC to accept the award? it’s still unbelievable, and it’s already happened.

This is NYC.

Accepting my award from President Roger Bolton with my advisor, Matt Ragas

It took about two weeks before it really sunk in that I had to present, not accept the award and dash off stage. Of course, my advisor and the great team at AWPS helped prepare us for a short Q&A and calmed our nerves a bit. But I knew this was an incredible time to make an impression and meet some powerful professionals. I’ll admit I didn’t practice as much as I should have until we were walking around NYC hours before the dinner, but it went well anyway. We were swarmed after the event and greeted with business cards, congratulations and more questions about our case study and corporate social responsibility.

For the rest of the night we were on cloud nine. There was a dessert reception well into the evening and plenty of people to meet (and congratulate us over and over).

My team met Steve Barrett of PR Week & Dave Samson of Chevron after the dinner.

Of course, we stayed for the weekend and explored the city. I’m almost sad I’ll be graduating in two months. Almost.

You can view our case study here.
We weren’t the only team to win from DePaul, which shows how great our program is. Congratulations Lily, Sue & Ali! You can read DePaul’s announcement here.

I wrote this four years ago. #home

blue, white, dark granite
a red tea kettle
big bay windows
overlooking farms
blue mountains behind
open air
gingerbread man
coffee maker, unplugged
dirty dishes
skillet on the stove
double ovens, always warm
cracked wooden floors
overhead light, delayed
laughter
yelling
hugs, angry looks
and too many cooks
2am haven, quiet
glass of milk
blue glow of the clock
fun and good food
peace and hell
sweet smells
tea kettle whistles
home

Shut up and enjoy the free (delicious) snack

For some reason, these things always happen at work.

We (the staff) were gathered in a small conference room to bid farewell to our intern as he headed off to Cornell University (ever heard of it?).

To celebrate the occasion, our office baker (no we don’t have a baker, just a really talented and giving grants director) made something new: a peanut butter and jelly bread pudding. Let me tell you it was awesome.

We were there chit chatting about how excited we were to try it, how great it was to have our smarty pants intern for the summer and how we wished him well this fall. Another co-worker joined us, then, as she just finished another meeting. She was handed a dish of the pudding and asked what it was.

“Peanut butter and jelly bread pudding.”

“That sounds…fattening!” She chucked. A few people awkwardly nodded and laughed but a few of us corrected her and said how great it was, even complimenting our baker (because it was great, seriously). 

I really want to know when this became appropriate. How can someone be so insulting and distasteful during a happy gathering, or any gathering at all? Keep in mind: 1)Someone made us a great snack. She bought the ingredients, took her time to make it and then carried it into work for us. 2) This party is not about your diet or body issues; it’s about an awesome kid who worked hard for us this summer and is heading off to one of the top schools in the nation.

It is unbelievable to me that people find it acceptable to talk about fat, diets, ingredients, etc. in a social gathering as though we’re talking about the weather. No wonder 24 million people in the United States, men and women of all ages, suffer from some eating disorder. One in four college women experience anorexia or bulimia. It’s probably because we talk about weight, dieting and how flat-out unhappy we are with our bodies ALL THE TIME. 

Stop. Stop bashing yourself. Stop feeling guilty, or telling us how guilty you are for eating a donut, sandwich, dessert, a cracker. Stop shaming other with questions like “Do you know what’s in that?” or “How do you stay so thin?” Stop the self-shaming or pity comments like “Oh I wish I could eat like that and stay as thin as you” or “I’ll have to go to the gym twice to make up for that” or even “Well, I ran this morning so what the hell?!” 

Just stop. Eat healthy if you want but shut up about it. Eat crappy if you want; that’s your problem. Don’t make others feel bad, especially the person who made the food, just because you don’t feel good about yourself. Also, try accepting yourself as you are and see how much better that is. 

I’ll call this ‘baby steps’

I keep reading those heart-warming lists of ways to be happy or ways that I might already be happy (or successful or grown up or whatever) and counting off the ways I want or should be better. But one struck me (numbers five and six, specifically) and I started to realize I’ve already started actively making the changes and steps towards things I want to accomplish! They’ve been small things and sometimes inconsistent, but I’m so excited about my progress.

In the last month, I have:

• downloaded Adobe Creative Cloud and scheduled webinars to learn Photoshop and InDesign. For several months now I’ve felt that these skills hold me back from becoming the marketing professional I want to be. I don’t need to be excellent at digital design but I definitely want to know how it works for quick fixes and working with designers.
• bought a Divvy (bike-sharing) pass WITH a discount! Hint: google “discount” for anything you’re trying to buy online, especially if you’re tied to companies, schools or organizations that support whatever you’re trying to buy. There’s no doubt you’ll find something out there. I bought Divvy because I wanted to be able to get to my running group once I move next month, but I’ve already used it a bunch. Bike riding is fun and easier than I imagined. I even masted a left-hand turn today! It’s faster for going short distances where waiting for a bus or train would take longer. And I get some extra exercise.
• started learning HTML. I can’t wholly take credit for this since the book was a gift, but I am REALLY excited about it and am making time to read it. Plus, I added this (and the Adobe programs) to my “goals” at work, so now I can be learning this stuff at work and it counts as doing my job!
• made coffee and lunch dates with people I want to learn from. It sounds silly and even scary but by making appointments with people who either have the network I need or the skills I need or just have some knowledge to share with me, I have learned a lot and found some great opportunities for educational and professional growth. It’s pretty spectacular.
• asked questions I normally would be too scared to ask. I didn’t get answers for some of them, or not the answer I wanted. I was even flat out ignored once, but I have learned that I have a lot more to lose from not asking than from asking. 
• started making green (as in green veggies) smoothies and eating them every day. This is a small thing but I’ve enjoyed trying new recipes and new fruits while getting a daily serving of greens. It also takes the work out of planning and preparing lunches which is my least favorite meal.
• been more proactive about following up on phone calls and making plans with friends. I’ve never had a huge circle of friends, but I have some stellar close buds. Adult life makes it harder to keep those friendships going and to make new ones. But I’m doing a much better job at being a friend and it’s been great. Beers and burgers taste better in good company. Even running 5 miles hurts less when you’re with a friend.

On Sunday, I’m going to run my first (and most likely last) half marathon. I’m about half and half on excitement and plain fear but I feel good about my training and have made a good friend along the way.

Not all of these are super impressive and most of them don’t mean anything to a lot of people but that’s the point. I don’t have to compare myself to what other people are doing/have done or what they “want out of life” or how they define success. There are a few (okay, a lot) of things I want to do with my time and my life, so I’ve started to do them. It feels pretty great. 

A new way to volunteer

I originally posted this on Built In Chicago and it’s related to my work at Lumity. I thought it valuable enough to share here and I’m pretty proud of the writing I’ve been able to do at work.

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From teenagers starting high school to adults well past their intern days, job-seekers of all ages are offered a seemingly useless piece of advice: volunteer.

But can volunteering really help build skills and provide a credible line on your resume? When we think about volunteering, we often have visions of handing out water at 5K races, sorting food at a local pantry or cleaning up garbage in the neighborhood. None of which seem relevant to the job search beyond working at a grocery store or in city sanitation. What if I told you there is a way to volunteer in your community by using the skills you already have? That volunteer opportunities can in fact put you on the track you want?

At Lumity, our Community Corps matching portal matches you to schools and nonprofits in need of your specific skill-set. A lot of nonprofits don’t have an IT expert or a web designer on staff and look to volunteers to fill these gaps. Schools are constantly looking for mentors, speakers, judges and professionals to connect with students in and outside of the classroom. Whether you’re just starting out or starting again, volunteer matching portals can offer you a way to fill in the gaps on your resume, hone your skills and make a real difference in the community. And even better, you might just meet a few people who are hiring.

Check out The Community Corps to find volunteer openings or NPO.net for the best nonprofit career opportunities in Chicago.

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I’ve posted a few other blogs about Lumity over on Built In Chicago and will be sharing more. You can also check out my work on Lumity’s blog and website.