"Yes, you can in fact DO this for a living..."

Meeting... well, me

I sit on the edge of my seat, waiting and curious, writing and rewriting my grad school essay, double-checking my home address though it has been the same as it always has been, wanting desperately to be sure I am doing this application correctly - the weight of it all on my shoulders.

Let me back up first, before getting into it too quickly - my name is Bailey, I am an undergrad student (Bridgewater State '22) and I am thinking about the road ahead as many do when they're roughly two semesters away from the commencement stage. I'm fine. Totally not stressed, completely not seeing life through rose-colored glasses.

Oh! You're probably wondering what I study, and what I want to do once I cross said commencement stage. I study PR - so I get to be this witty and interesting ALL the time! I know, what a win!

Okay Bailey, let's get back on track here

In all seriousness though (or, rather, in a different tone) I do study PR and have grown in the profession and love for the field over the last few years because of excellent professors, extraordinary experiences, and life-changing opportunities (and I do mean life-changing).

It wasn't always PR, however - for a while, I thought it would be journalism. It all sort of began in high school, when I took media classes that developed my love for content creation, from writing to filming, and of course editing. The arts have always been important to me, and have always provided a place for me to be something, create something; DO something.

The arts programs at my high school were fundamental to who I am today, and how I move throughout the world - we all have to start somewhere, and I credit all of that to Fairhaven High School and #FHSArt.

Then to now, and what happened in between

I graduated from FHS and began my undergrad at BSU, a passion for media always at the forefront of my decisions. I wish I could say I don't believe in luck, because there have been times that I have gotten eleven chicken nuggets instead of ten (a goldmine moment, if you will). I do, however, absolutely and wholeheartedly, believe in fate.

A fate that looked like a conversation with a professor in an intro course to my major, discussing what I had done and accomplished in high school, and how it all fed back to wanting to be a creator - to tell peoples' stories.

We talked and talked, and then she brought up an opportunity that left me excited, exhilarated. There was an ask by the university's division of Marketing and Communications for student content creators - and she thought I would do well in this role.

A couple of emails with introductions and my portfolio later, I was sitting down and sharing my ideas for content with a team of people who would quickly turn into my bosses - but more, my mentors.

"Yes, you can in fact DO this for a living..."

As I created and produced content I was proud of, I also became extremely aware of what goes into social media for a university, and I was overwhelmed with the idea of creation and brand strategy - tweets aren't just written, people.

I got a knack for branding and content strategy, and what all this pieced together looks like. Conversations about content became my favorite ones, and as I switched concentrations from film, media, and television to PR, I felt curious about where this world could take me - more, I felt ready.

What I have learned is...

There's going to be lots of takeaways when you're exposed to an environment as I have been, and I could write all about the ways MarComm at Bridgewater State has influenced me, but for now, we will settle on these three things:

For one, the student's voice is important when creating content for a university. How does a post interact with students, what can students get from it? How can students be excited about content? Having these questions in mind when creating will almost always guide you to do something impactful and inspiring.

Secondly, brand - colors - matter. I swear, I have the hex codes to our schools' colors memorized, and I know a thing or two about an overlay and bringing down the transparency. Whether you're working for a university or brand, or even a personal one, consistency is key in making content that is reminiscent of your organization - oh, and don't ever forget the watermark.

Third and final, get to know as many software and platforms as you can. When I came into MarComm, I knew FinalCutPro... and that's it. Now as a senior, I can take on Premiere, Lightroom, Spark, Rush, Sprout Social, Tagboard, and much more (I am still dabbling in Photoshop, but we will get there). Being able to open up your repertoire makes you more adaptable to different experiences, which will no doubt help later on down the line.

Where do we go from here?

As I begin to consider different grad school programs and fixate on applications, I am asked almost every time my "why" for wanting to go into digital media and content strategy - I mentioned it quickly before, so if you caught up on it, you might already know where I am going here...

In truth, I want to tell peoples' stories. It's the same "why" I had when I wanted to go into journalism and it's the same "why" I have now in PR, and it's the same "why" I will have when I am working in this field someday professionally.

There are stories everywhere, waiting to be told; in working in digital media, and more specifically, higher education, I want to tell the stories of students, faculty, staff, anyone at an institution - because everyone has a story worth telling.

One more thing, before you leave

A lot of what I have been able to accomplish is because people, my mentors, have believed in me. They have let me learn through experiences large and small, and all of what I am about to do in the "real world" stems from an environment where I was allowed to be... well, me.

When you have this support behind you, you can accomplish anything - like running the screens at your university's commencement at Gillette Stadium. Content creation is not easy, it's hard work and dedication, its love for a craft that is everchanging. But being a part of the right team, and being believed in - is where success is born from. This is where the heart is. This is where digital content and creators thrive.