My journey from Gainesville to New York City is an interesting one. Not long ago I was here at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications and I was taking class and then Professor Ann Cristiano came along. And she told me about this thing called public interest communications. And I became so intrigued with the idea of using everything that I had learned about in the classroom and applying that toward a greater good in the world. I had totally lost the bug. I didn’t want to come up with companies who, at the end of the day, were just looking to make more money. I wanted to be working alongside the companies who were tackling the issues that I cared most about. So I started doing a little bit of my own research to see what’s out there. And I looked at different agencies’ websites, their blog posts, case studies, and social media accounts. And when Professor Cristiano would bring in guest lecturers, I made sure to listen and ask questions and introduce myself. So it didn’t take me long to identify a few places where I thought I might fit in. The next step was I set up some phone interviews and even went up to New York to do some informational interviews in person, just to try different agencies on for size and see where I fit in best. And I got an internship at my top choice, Fenton Communications in New York City. And this was such an incredible way for me to get my foot in the door. And as soon as I did that, I worked hard. I wanted to show that I was a valuable member of the team, and it worked because I got hired. So naturally, after that, I kept working hard on messaging, brainstorms, and then worked even harder on media strategy and media outreach. But the hard work paid off again because not long after that, I was promoted to account executive. And it was in this moment that I realized I’m doing what I love most and changing the world. I’m living my dream in New York City, doing things like working with polar researchers who are doing climate research, traveling the country to raise money for rare cancer research, and even working with celebrities to convince the governor of New York to ban the dangerous practice of fracking for natural gas. So if you are thinking about entering this field, I would say to you, do your research, set a goal, and charge after that like there is no tomorrow. And if you are at one of these firms or nonprofits or foundations, I would say make yourself approachable and available to students, because I guarantee there is a growing army of young people who are ready to change the world with you and become the next great public interest communicators. Thank you.