This grandson’s greatest fear - encountered.

I felt inspired to write today as I made the journey to my grandparents’ house from a fraternity brothers’ high-rise apartment. I found myself dreading my arrival to the place and ended up at a Starbucks to think about the dilemma I’ve been having with my stay at my grandparents’ house this summer: complete with baby pictures of all of the grandchildren, grandma’s little figurines and the Puerto Rican flag hanging over the television.

“But why? Don’t you love your grandparents? You should be happy they are giving you someplace to stay,” you might ask.

Before you judge me, allow me to explain: I didn’t realize how connected I was to my computer, the internet, my email, social media and technology as a whole until I found myself losing it every evening at my grandparents’ place. 

To me, this is extreme. For some reason, walking into that house cuts off every connection I have to the outside world… including my phone connection. I’m serious: the walls are so thick that I get absolutely no cell service away from a window. 

The only connection I have to the rest of humanity is the TV. Luckily, my grandparents are suckers for cable. (At 11a.m. in the Burgos household, you can always expect for The Price is Right to be on the TV… and heaven forbid you try to change it!)

I’m three weeks into living with my grandparents this summer. Every morning for the past two weeks, I’ve woken up, showered, gotten dressed and headed out to work, school, a cafe, a friends house… someplace with an outlet and WiFi. When I break out my computer, my life returns back to normal. Toward the end of the day, I head back home, sleep, and wake up to do it all over again. 

Some people might mention the fact that many people don’t mind giving up technology when they go on vacation, on a trip, etc. It’s true for me as well - if I am having a blast with friends or relaxing on the beach, I hardly glance at my phone. Staying with my grandparents? Definitely less exciting. 

My grandparents have gotten used to my routine; however, I’m scared that my constant absence (regardless of my obvious presence) is hurting them. On the other hand, I don’t know what else to do. My life revolves around technology. 

Does anyone have advice or words of wisdom for me? Has anyone else ever found themselves in this predicament?

With PRide, 

Christian 

Interns in HigherEd Communications - How Your Student Experience Can Make a Difference

Last week, I ended my time (at least for the summer) as a marketing and social media assistant with FIU’s Division of External Relations. Under the guidance of my supervisor, the fabulous Betsy Soler (@bsoler) and her boss, Eduardo Merille (@emerille), I learned much about how to represent my very own university. I did everything from posting statuses about upcoming events on FIU’s Facebook page to creating student-focused multimedia content for FIU News. I live-tweeted during football games, covered special events throughout the school (such as Commencement) and developed great relationships with my co-workers throughout the entire division. Even though my internship is done for the time-being, I know that I am still considered a part of the External Relations family. 

*Oh, you know, just hanging out with the grads at Spring 2012 Commencement…

Every year, communications students struggle with securing internships that can give them the experience they need to land a job after college. With public relations being an experience-based field, more and more PR students are finding themselves taking on internship while still in school. These students search everywhere, but many can not seem to find a good opportunity that suits their busy schedules. However, they may be forgetting a very promising place to search - their campuses.

Most colleges and universities have a communications or PR department. At these offices, usually all it takes is a show of interest in order for you to be taken under the departments’ wing. PR students can find internships in many different areas of communications (such as media relations, news writing or website maintenance) on campus. Each of these experiences provides different lessons and experiences that the student can use to prove themselves to a future employer.

Students who take advantage of this opportunity are more likely to earn an internship in which they can thrive. Internships in your university’s communications department are a perfect fit for students because:

1. Your job is on your campus.

Many students (especially those living on-campus) might not be able to find a good internship because they can’t (or don’t want to) travel. With an internship on-campus, that dilemma does not exist. Students are free to move seamlessly between class and work, allowing the student to have valid PR experience that isn’t linked to their ability to transport themselves.

2. Your supervisors realize that you are a student.

Because the department operates as a part of the university, your supervisors will usually be more in touch with students and what they have to go through. They are more flexible – they would be more likely to excuse you from work the day before that huge exam you have next week.

They also will want you to get the most out of your internship experience – they will provide you with the opportunities you need to learn about new and different concepts that you can (and will) use later on as a professional. The other employees of the office can become mentors that will be easily accessible to you on campus – they have most likely been through the same process as you and know how it feels to be a communications intern.

3. The department values you because you provide a link to the student body.

Many of these departments are looking for new ways to engage the student body and use the students to promote the image of the university. Being a student, you hold the key to what your peers want to see. You can be the source of new ideas and content that allows the department to engage the students on your campus. 

So, students, check out your school’s external relations department – this un-tapped resource might just be the beginning of your future in PR.

With PRide, 

Christian 

Giving house music a chance.

(This is not necessarily PR related, but you’ll see where I’m going with this. I’m thinking of a good part of my audience here - my fellow college students!) 

I’ve always been known as the guy that hated house music. It’s not like I hid my disdain for the style: I’d roll my eyes every time my fraternity brothers talked about their next house concert, and I’d shudder at the thought of Ultra Music Festival coming back to rock - or inconvenience, in my opinion - Miami for one more year. 

I think a large part of my hatred for this genre is the fact that I felt that ‘real music’ was disappearing at the hands of this electronic phenomenon. Yet another good thing ruined by technology, y’know? 

Maybe another reason was because of the glamorization of drug use by the culture surrounding this musical style. I’ve heard too many instances of people, some of them being fellow students, ‘rolling face’ on ecstasy at house concerts. People like the ‘Ultra Tree Girl’ didn’t help that belief. (Perhaps this is why Electronic Dance Music (EDM) artists like DeadMau5 got mad at seasoned pop superstar Madonna when she supposedly encouraged drug use during her performance with Avicii at Ultra.)

Lastly, I’m not ashamed to say that I got turned off because SO MANY PEOPLE talk about house music. I’m not the type of person to follow a trend and act like I like something just because my friends do. 

I’ve was listening to a couple of house artists before they even blew up. I’ve liked DJ Kaskade for a while now, but his style seems more like trance than the house all of my friends listen to now. I started listening to David Guetta over the holiday break after hearing a song called Titanium, one that featured another favorite artist, Sia. 

I’m the type of person that loves dancing to hip-hop or pop music. You can also find me relaxing at home listening to Florence + the Machine, Adele or other indie/adult alternative artists. However, I never thought that house music would fit into that spectrum for me. I am all for exploration, though… which is why I have decided that I will give house music a chance. 

I’ve been debating over the past two days about which one (possibly two) of three EDM artists I will go and see in June. I’ve elected to go and see Avicii with some of my fraternity brothers, and might possibly end up going to see Kaskade as well. 

I know this is cliche, but I’m trying not to knock it until I try it. I guess we’ll find out how I feel after I lose myself in the music.

With PRide, 

Christian

Leading by example.

It’s more than just organizations or the workplace. It applies to life as well.

One thing that many people know about me is that I refuse to let others dictate my life and the way I will live it - I am the author of my own story. I’ll take contributors and advice for the next chapter, but I refuse to turn over ownership of the pen.

As I spoke to someone very special to me today, I realized something very important.

I realized that, by choosing to be myself and to be proud of who I am, I am slowly growing the ability to serve as a role-model and inspiration to those trying to find the courage to (slowly) become the people they were meant to be. 

I encourage everyone reading this to figure out what YOU want for your life rather than to worry about how other people feel you should be. Work where you want to work. Live how you want to live. Love who you want to love. Be who you want to be. 

I’m choosing to be a representation of that drive to be successful without sacrificing my sense of self. What good is money or friends if you have to put on a facade to get it?!

The people that will love you for you are the people that were meant to read your book. Even the biggest best-sellers at Barnes and Noble get shunned by some readers. At the end of the day, you are still an entertaining work of art. 

Just make sure that story is non-fiction. 

Everybody say LOVE! 

With PRide, 

Christian

(PS: To that one special person… To say that you made years of my Greek experience worth it tonight would be an understatement. You are amazing, and you are loved greatly.)

Stomping them out: A Walk in Her Shoes

Now that I have a chance to breathe… 

This has been a hectic week for me, but I wanted to talk a little bit about an event I took part in on Monday called A Walk In Her Shoes.

Hosted by the FIU Interfraternity Council in partnership with the FIU Women’s Center, A Walk in Her Shoes is an event that raises awareness of sexual and physical abuse of women everywhere. Every year at similar events, men all across the country are charged with donning a pair of heels and walking a mile to show their support for the cause.

Our IFC fraternity men strapped on heels, wedges and slippers and walked a lap around the Graham Center… I happened to be one of those men. 

*Giving them FACE

As I looked through the row of donated heels, I struggled to find a pair for my huge feet (I wear a size 13, people).

In the end, the pair that fit was the most glittery, fabulous pair of heels in the bunch. Go figure. 

I pleasantly surprised myself at how well I walked in them. (I solemnly swear that I had never worn heels before this experience.)

Everyone else in the GC Pit… was THOROUGHLY amused by my performance.

I mean, what else would you expect from Christian?

Before last year, I would have been embarrassed to even be associated with wearing heels, and possibly wouldn’t have even taken part in the event. Now, it seems that I have no problem blurring the gender line.

It helped that my fraternity brothers participated with me! 

Eventually, we began our walk. My feet began to hurt, but I kept stomping away. We all carried signs related to the cause, donning words such as ‘FIGHTER’, ‘FEAR’ and ‘STOP! NO!’ as we made our way out of the building.

Over 25 fraternity men participated in the full lap around the Graham Center - including stairs and an incline. We made our way through the main hallway of GC, definitely turned heads along the way, and ended up at the GC pit. I’ve never been more relieved to take off a pair of shoes in my entire life. 

My community’s ability to show appreciation for women in this way was remarkable. I’ve never been more proud to be a fraternity man. 

Participating also helped in my own personal appreciation of myself. Everyone thought it was ‘not a surprise’ to find Christian excited to wear heels, but it was honestly a push of my own limits. I am very proud of myself.

To my fellow men in heels: great job.

Women: … I DON’T KNOW HOW YOU DO IT. 

My calves still hurt, and I was in the heels for a whopping 30 minutes. 

With PRide,

Christian 

Starstruck - The FABULOUS Kelly Cutrone

As promised, I’m reporting back from my experience meeting Kelly Cutrone on Wednesday! 

I sat with a crowd of about 50 waiting for the lecture to begin. The seven of us in the front row were all members of PRSSA - we love hearing from accomplished pros!

Ms. Cutrone arrived fashionably late, assistant in tow and dressed in all black. 

Now don’t get me wrong, most people that follow Kelly without meeting her think that she is a huge b*tch. (Sorry, that is the only way I can put it.) However, I agreed fully with her reasoning for saying some of the things she said. 

The F-word is definitely a favorite of hers. 

Notable quotes? 

“I actually knew nothing about the PR business when I got my start … Because I had no idea what I was doing, I actually became very good at it.” 

This was a cool statement for her to make, because I had NO idea of the PR landscape of the 1980s. Now, she says, you definitely CAN’T make it in the business without education in the field because PR has become more of a formal practice. 

“I’m a big fire-er of clients. I am not into being abused by my clients.”

This is how I realized just how much of a fierce woman she really is. She basically stated that some clients tried to boss her around and threaten her with leaving her so that they could get their way - she sent them packing.

She wanted us to know that WE are the professionals - if you hire us and don’t want to do things our way, then you don’t need our services. 

“Make sure that what you are doing is what YOU want to do, not what other people expect of you … I want to go to a dentist who WANTS to be a dentist. I want to hire a publicist who WANTS to be a publicist.”

You do your best work when you are doing what you want to do instead of following your parents’ dreams.

Kelly’s parents wanted her to be a nurse, but that obviously was not in her plans. If she had continued, she would have either left at some point OR been a horrible nurse. 

“If I get married again, I will get a pre-nup. Not because I don’t love them, I just want them to know that I love myself more.”

Kelly spoke about contracts, and the conversation went into prenuptial agreements (naturally). I’ve always though about getting a prenup if I’m financially successful when I find love… and this proves that I’m not the only one that feels that way!

She signed my book (Telling me to “Light up the show, babe!”) and took a picture with me! 

She even invited me to People’s Revolution (her PR firm) to pick up a signed copy of her second book. 

On my way home, I realized just how much of an impact her lecture had on me. She actually made me think about where in PR I want to go. I don’t want to be unhappy just doing social media for the rest of my life when I want it to be a smaller piece of my overall skill set. I don’t want to be bored just writing press releases either - I want a job that keeps me on my toes. Traditional PR, social media, event planning - if I can do all of these things, I’d be ecstatic. 

It also made me realize just how much of a passion I have for the hospitality and tourism industry, fed by the need to explore. Every chance I get, I disappear from my crowd of friends for a bit and just travel to a new restaurant or bar in the city. These moments make me truly feel alive. 

With PRide, 

Christian

Kelly Cutrone in less than two hours.

I know I’m missing a Love/Hate: Miami post, but I’ll get to that later. 

Right now, I am focused on the fact that the FABULOUS Kelly Cutrone will be here at FIU (Biscayne Bay Campus) speaking to students and holding a book signing from 12pm to 2pm in the Wolfe University Center. 

If you haven’t read these two books and you are a girl or gay man in the PR world… WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?

I’m just saying… Even straight PR professionals love these books! 

If you don’t know who Kelly Cutrone is, you might have seen her on such shows as The Hills and The City, the star of her own show,Kell on Earth… and she is the founder and head honcho of her own publicity firm, People’s Revolution. 

I’m going to head out to see her and get my book signed, but stay tuned for the recap! 

With PRide, 

Christian

Love and Hate: Miami edition, Day 2

What I LOVE about Miami: 

*The beach!

While I announced my hatred for the humidity yesterday, I’ll just go ahead and announce my love for all things beach today. I don’t see the beach as often as I’d like, but Miami is indeed the only place where you can go to the beach year-round.  

Now sometimes it is just too hot to go to the beach. I don’t like being drenched in sweat while trying to get a tan (even though I don’t know why I tan, I’m very dark to begin with). 

However, most of the time it is fantastic! 

During Spring Break, most of the greeks at my school move to the beach at 7th and Ocean Drive. It becomes social hour, and I LOVE social hour! 

Any other time, it’s just comfortable. I love just going to the beach with a full cooler, a nice breeze and the sun. There are perks to having a beach just miles from your school. 

What I HATE about Miami:

*The public transportation system

I have been a city slicker my entire life. The first time I took a bus on my own was at nine years old, when I was still living in New York City.

Because my family lives in New York and I live on campus at FIU, one of the things this young man lacks is a CAR. If I were still living in NYC, this would not be an issue - the subway system is my best friend, and the buses run frequently and ON TIME. However, you will NOT find that in Miami, FL. 

I was waiting for the bus on Sunday to get to church. 

Yes, I know. I should know better than to take Miami-Dade Transit on a Sunday. But I needed to get to church! 

So the bus comes five minutes late. Ok, cool. At least he’s here, right?! WRONG. 

Everyone on the bus comes flooding off, and he goes into garage mode. He slowly drives off, leaving this city slicker fuming. I missed the Palm Sunday donkey march because of the 24 bus ‘breaking down’… 

The only efficient transportation in Miami is the Metrorail, and I don’t even take it anymore. It is so far from ANYWHERE I am and EVERYWHERE I need to be.

Seeing as gas is so expensive, Miami-Dade Transit really needs to focus on improving their services. MDT, start hustling for money from the county, this college student depends on you!

With PRide,
Christian 

Miami.

Hey, all! 

In an attempt to write more often, I’m going to change it up a bit. Shorter posts with broader thoughts should do the trick.

Tonight and for the rest of this week, I’m picking on a topic that I both love and hate - Miami, Florida.

As much as I want to say that I am a New Yorker, the fact remains that Miami has indeed been a big part of my life (since 8th grade, actually). That being said, there are things that I both love and despise about Miami. I apologize if I offend anyone with the cons I bring up over the next week.

Something I LOVE about Miami - 

*Florida International University 

You couldn’t expect me to write about Miami and not bring up my alma mater!? 

I absolutely love FIU and everything it is about. Diversity, fun and a dedication to a Worlds Ahead education are just a few of the things FIU has to offer. I’ve grown both personally and professional as an FIU student.

Being a Golden Panther can be hard sometimes, especially when it comes to class selection and financial aid issues… every college has those issues though.

However, I feel that the benefits outweigh the cons. I’ve found communications professionals in my school, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC), that really about me and my fellow students. Our campus is vibrant and there is always something new going on. The close proximity to the beach isn’t bad either. 

Something I HATE about Miami - 

*Humidity

I walked outside this morning to head to church, and I literally felt GROSS after getting to my destination. I had heard on TV last night that today was going to be at a humidity level of 100%. I thought “No way!” … YES WAY.

-____-

Now don’t get me wrong - when it is comfortable in Miami, it is the best thing in the world. While my family suffers in the cold during the winter outside of my home visits (sorry, Mommy!), I’m nice and warm at school in South Florida.

But when it is hot!?! Man, oh man… I can’t stand Miami’s humidity. The heat is unbearable enough, but the moisture STICKS to you. 

I wish I could just be in New York for the summer months and stay in Miami for winter. 

Wait… that just might happen! I find out what happened with my MTV Networks summer internship interview this week! Wish me luck! 

Have something to say? Suggestion for my next writing topic? Talk to me through HERE - you might just end up on my blog! 

I’ll try to post again tomorrow. 

With PRide, 
Christian 

South Beach Wine and Food Festival - Days 2 and 3

I know… Why am I STILL writing about SoBeWFF? Better late than never. 

_____________________________________________________________

Day 2 - I woke up early on Saturday, February 25, to start getting ready for my second day working as a part of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival’s Student Associate program. The event that day was Diamond Dishes, an exclusive event at the new Miami Marlins ballpark (It was still in construction)! 

The event was based off of a cookbook named of recipes by some of baseball’s most well-known names. The book, Diamond Dishes, is by author (and wife of Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria), Julia Loria. The event featured a reception featuring some of the players’ dishes, and then moved out onto the field where 4 restaurants and multiple spirits vendors were there to serve dinner, desert and refreshments. Guests were able to experience great food while seeing the inside of the brand-spanking new stadium for the first time, and trust me, it was definitely worth the money.

As the event lead for the event, I worked closely with the Marlins special events team and the SoBeWFF crew to make sure the event went as smoothly as possible. That included assisting with vendor check in and managing the entry area. I was also in charge of signing in and assigning ten fellow FIU students that worked as student associates as well. 

As much as excited I was for this event, it somewhat let me down. I wasn’t as involved as I imagined I could be as an event lead, and there were times that I felt I had no direction. (As a special events novice, such an exclusive event is NOT the time to start being self-directive!) It turned into the worst event I worked at the festival, just because I didn’t really feel comfortable working there.

After ten hours, I left Marlins Park and headed home to relax before final day at the festival. 

Day 3 - On Sunday the 26th, I headed to Miami Beach once again for my final day at SoBeWFF. I actually worked two events that day - the Grand Tasting Village and the Trucks on the Beach Grand Finale. 

I got to Grand Tasting Village around 2pm and immediately got to work assisting vendors. I was placed with Trulucks, a popular seafood restaurant that was serving  stone crab to the guests at the festival. I think our table was the most popular one at the Village - the line just wouldn’t end. At one point, we ran out of food and had to refresh our stock, so I had to serve as a guard and announce that we were out. I’m nice to guests, so they didn’t kill me when I told them. A smile makes a huge difference when you are about to inconvenience someone. 

The Trulucks employees were nice to me too! They made sure I had about three pieces of crab before they ran out, and that is how I found out exactly why they were so popular. Probably some of the best seafood I’ve ever had. 

After three hours of helping serve crab (and being pampered with food by other vendors, who went out of their way to make sure the student associates tried their stuff), I walked up the North Venue to get ready for the Trucks on the Beach Grand Finale event.

I got to North Venue and waited for Luciana, Larry and Robin from the PR teams to get there. They finally arrived and I expected to get right to work… Until I found out that there was hardly any work to be done. Most of the media had already picked up their tickets and passes at the Media Suite… So we were just there to credential the couple of outlets that hadn’t yet been credentialed. 

At one point, we got to go experience the event and found out why the South Beach Wine and Food Festival is such a big deal! This event featured numerous food trucks (a big deal in Miami as it is) under an illuminated tent with colored lights, a live band and numerous spirits vendors. 

The highlight of my day was meeting the men from Big Gay Ice Cream, an ice cream shop in my hometown of New York City. I had been talking about it FOREVER before the festival even came. The time finally arrived. They were some of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. I can’t wait to visit them when I go back to New York this summer.

When the event ended, I was proud of myself for having taken part in such an amazing festival. Flavour Gallery gave me a free SoBeWFF shirt that I wear all over the place now! 

So that was just a small recap of my journey with SoBe Wine and Food Festival. I can’t wait for the next one - I might just pay the money and go as a guest to experience this great event in all of it’s glory.

With PRide, 

Christian

South Beach Wine and Food Festival - Day 1

I’m back, and doing BIG THINGS! 

I know I’ve been out of the loop lately, but I’ve been SWAMPED with schoolwork, internship work and extracurricular activities. I’ll be less stressed come April, but until then, I have to keep on trucking through the madness. 

————————————————————————————————-

That madness includes working the Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival! I am proud to have been one of 30 FIU School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) students selected to represent the school at SoBeWFF - the festival had only been open to hospitality students in the past. 

I’ll be writing about each of the three days I spent working the festival.

Today (2/24/2012), I woke up at the crack of dawn to head toward South Beach. (I was supposed to take the bus there, but luckily one of my amazing fraternity brothers came to the rescue!) I entered the Loews South Beach Hotel at 8:20am on four hours of sleep to begin my shift as a Media Suite Associate.

I, along with fellow SJMC students Tina Ferro and Regina Castaneda, met with representatives from Brustman Carrino PR (local media) and Robin Insley and Associates (national media) to go over the protocol for providing tickets and credentials to the media that came to cover the event.

From there, the media started arriving. We’re talking Miami Herald, Miami New Times, WPLG (ABC 10), WFOR (CBS 4), Athletes Quarterly Magazine, Miami Living Magazine, Jamaica Observer, Huffington Post… almost 100 different media representatives walked through the doors of the Media Suite, and we were the smiling faces that were there to greet them. 

We had the opportunity to really get to know some of our guests and talk to them about industry trends, how they got to their current positions at their companies and what they planned to cover at the festival. 

We also got to know the staff at the two PR agencies. I look up to Larry Carrino, (along with his funny and hard-working assistant Luciana Salame) and Robin Insley, who really made sure to have everything under control. While they were out and about making sure events were running smoothly, we successfully held down the fort.

*Larry Carrino (one of the head honchos in charge) and his great assistant, Lucci!

*Our media suite! 

The fact that we were in air conditioning with an endless supply of coffee, water and food definitely helped the process.

My fear of working with the media went away following this event. I’ve always feared encountering a bulldog reporter that won’t take no for an answer, but part of learning about PR is finding out how to handle those situations should they arise.

I finally left at 5:30pm after a long and rewarding day serving SoBeWFF!

Day one was a success - look out for day 2!

With PRide,

Christian 

ASPIRA - To Aspire

I was laying in bed earlier this night (or early morning) trying to fall asleep. I thought back to my middle school days (back in 2004) and realized that I hadn’t checked up on the organization that really defined my middle school experience - ASPIRA of Florida, Inc. 

ASPIRA of Florida is still going strong after 30 years of being a community leader in providing educational enrichment and opportunity to inner-city Hispanic and minority youth as a part of the national ASPIRA association founded in 1968. I had the pleasure of being a student in their Eugenio Maria De Hostos Charter School - known to many as ASPIRA Wynwood - during my 8th grade year. At the time, I was living on the edge of Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood. 

While I struggled to find myself in middle school in the midst of great adversity, a man by the name of Raul A. Martinez took me under his wing. Raul (the President and CEO of ASPIRA of FL at the time) and I met though a visit to a regional youth leadership presentation. We hit it off very well, and he learned more about me through my leadership and community service endeavors. I told him that I wanted to start getting work experience… I didn’t even know what I wanted to be yet. He answered the question by putting me up in his office. 

So there I was. 15 years old, just entering high school and serving as an assistant to the CEO of a local community organization. I went everywhere with this guy. He took me to lunch, he took me with him on errands… I sat with him in meetings and accompanied him to county and state offices. He even made it so that I received a $150 bi-weekly stipend. It was my first job. 

For the time I was there, he was like a second father to me. He didn’t hold back, either. He scolded me for being late in the morning, and didn’t have any pity on me when I complained about being broke - I needed to learn how to budget so I didn’t spend my money so quickly. I took the bus to work every morning, but he refused to let me go back home on the bus… He personally took me home every evening. Raul met my mom and made sure to ask how the family was doing every time he brought me back from a day on the job. 

He had risen through the ranks - from a gang prevention counselor in the 1980s to serving as the head honcho of a youth leadership organization. He was determined to see students like myself do the same thing - aspire for greatness. He helped me write my first resume and constantly sent me scholarship applications so that I could start finding money for college. 

So it saddened me to the core when I walked to my computer at 4am to research the organization to find out… that Raul A. Martinez had passed away in 2010, a victim of prostate cancer. 

And here I was… finding out about it a year and a half later.

I hadn’t expected to see that. I’ve been out of middle school for almost 7 years now. I had gotten so caught up being a typical high school/college boy that I totally forgot about the days I had spent under this man’s watch. 

I could be even more sad, but I am comforted by the fact that it was Raul’s life mission to set students on the path to greatness;  through his leadership, ASPIRA grew into an amazing county-wide organization with three newly-remodeled charter schools, a vibrant youth leadership club and active involvement in the Wynwood community.

I was one of his Aspirantes. I can truly say that this man helped put me on a path to greatness with no regrets. I am now a college senior ready to graduate and make my way out into this world. He did his job. 

A part of me is sad because I feel like I forgot about him. But a large part of me is proud that the time he spent on this earth was spent helping students like me find their way. And by making myself PRoud… I am living out his legacy. 

Here’s to you, my first boss man. May you rest in peace, and continue to show your students the way from heaven. 

With PRide, 

Christian

Why I went AWOL

So I disappeared from writing for a long time this month, but it wasn’t in vain! School and work hit me pretty hard these past two weeks. Between three projects and working three jobs, I hardly had time to sleep (literally, some nights I got up to 4 hours of sleep max). 

What have I done during the past two weeks?

- I was assigned the FIU Worlds Ahead Vimeo project. I followed it through to completion just yesterday! It looks great! I basically had to upload all Worlds Ahead branded videos to a new channel on Vimeo, a video sharing service. I had to work with Publications to get a new header for the channel done and it ended up coming out great! Uploading all of those videos separately took a lot of work… but it got done, and this is the end result: Worlds Ahead on Vimeo

- New project! Following my completion of the project above, I was assigned a new project by one of my supervisors. I am now in charge of organizing the filming of student profiles for the Worlds Ahead branding project! I will be meeting with the SGA President and a representative from Admissions to start figuring out what students would be good to cover. We’ll start scheduling interviews and I’ll start learning about how to lead an interview and edit videos to create a Worlds Ahead profile. I’ll be trying to focus on students that are not only involved in their majors, but also involved on campus as well!

- Writing stories for FIU News. Believe it or not, the Peer Advisor story I posted last week took 5 edits to complete! I’m currently working on a story about Dance Marathon, which takes place in January. Because I only work on stories like this while I am in the office and/or on my spare time, they take much longer to complete. Its hard having so many things to do while only having 15 hours a week in the office. 

- School. I had three projects/presentations due over the past week. One got extended until next week, and I present one on next Tuesday.

I’ll explain more in depth about one of the projects that I am doing (for my creative concepts class) in another post. It’s a really intense project for a really intense advertising class, but it has really opened my eyes to where I want my career to go. I’ve also been forced to think like a professional, and that is amazing in itself. 

It is definitely Thanksgiving so I want to wish all of the readers out there a Happy Thanksgiving! Remember to give thanks for all of the great people and opportunities in your life. I am more than thankful for all of those people who support me and give me the kick in the butt I need to do great things even though, as you can see, it does get stressful sometimes. 

In PRide,

Christian 

My Experience as a Peer Advisor

This is a news story I wrote for FIU News about my experience as a Peer Advisor this past year.

As my year as an orientation leader comes to an end, I was able to reflect on the year and all of the great things I had the opportunity to experience and learn, as both a student and a leader. Being a Peer Advisor helped me achieve the level of confidence to pursue my dreams of greatness in the PR field, and allowed me to get a taste of everything FIU. You can find the actual article here. 

In PRide, 

Christian

You’ve seen us walking backward with groups of students on tours around campus. You’ve heard us cheering in the hallways of the Graham Center, and shouting “PAWS!” Maybe you’ve seen us rocking our blue and gold jerseys. But what do you really know about the Peer Advisors (PAs)?

The Peer Advisors are a group of up to 40 students, on both the Modesto A. Maidique Campus and Biscayne Bay Campus, who dedicate an entire year to serving incoming freshmen and transfer students. They are an integral part of the FIU Orientation program, serving as orientation leaders – providing tours, assisting with academic advising and helping our new students fall in love with their university. I had the chance to serve as a 2011 Peer Advisor, and to say that the experience changed my life at FIU would be an understatement.

Christian (left) accepts Raul Perez’s Peer Advisor shirt.

My fraternity big brother, Raul Perez, was a 2010 Peer Advisor. He was always telling me about how tiring, yet rewarding, being a Peer Advisor was. I saw him grow as a person through his membership in the program, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps and continue the tradition. After an information session, initial application and grade/conduct screening process, I attended a group interview. We participated in group activities, and the orientation staff evaluated our ability to work with others, our knowledge of campus resources and our love for FIU. After I was chosen as a finalist, I was interviewed again with another applicant. I painstakingly waited for a month and a half to see if I would become a 2011 Peer Advisor.

My fellow PAs and I were announced at a public ceremony at the GC Pit on the first day of the spring semester – my big brother was there to pass his 2010 jersey over to me. Four days later, we started our first day of training at 8 a.m. – our first of 20 weeks of trainings (held every Friday). In order to build community among our students, we first had to build a community among ourselves. We packed our bags and headed toward Ft. Myers Beach for our PA retreat.

At our retreat, we learned a great deal about our roles as orientation leaders. We also learned much more about each other. There were many laughs and a lot of tears. We became so close that, at the end of the day, most of us pulled our beds out of our rooms and slept as a big group in the living room of the retreat center. After an amazing weekend, we headed back to Miami with strong bonds that would last the entire year.

When we arrived home, it was time to prepare for the Southern Regional Orientation Workshop (SROW).  This conference helps prepare students for their summer as orientation leaders through educational sessions and spirit-building activities. We created games, cheers and dances to share with orientation leaders from other schools in the South. The conference was at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La. At the conference, we screamed our lungs out with our counterparts from other universities. We danced and cheered, then came back to Miami without our voices.

Our trainings continued every Friday until the week right before our first freshman orientation. We learned everything there is to know about FIU – history, traditions, departments and offices – as much information as needed to answer any questions our students had. We learned about diversity and being able to build strong relationships with different types of people. The final piece of the process was Training Marathon, a week of intense trainings beginning at 8 in the morning and sometimes ending as late as midnight. Finally, we saw the finish line – graduation, where we were officially honored as Peer Advisors. That Monday, we got our first group of freshmen, and orientation season officially began.

Then, the story begins to tell itself – through the 7,000 fresh, new faces that went through our orientation program. They include more than 140 of my freshmen students, known as Christian’s Cosmos. Small groups of freshmen were assigned to me at the beginning of each of the 13 freshman orientation programs I participated in. From leading the campus tour to assisting in class registration, I was able to be there to help them during the course of the entire two-day experience.

Although the summer is now long gone, my freshmen continue to impact me through their friendship and spirit. I have never been happier to roll out of bed at 7 a.m. just to walk one of my lost students to class. I love having dinner with groups of my freshmen, who sometimes make me laugh so hard that tears start rolling down my face. I was honored to provide advice and guidance to one of my freshmen when he had to decide whether or not to drop a class. Fellow peer advisors and I are more than glad to play volleyball with our students. During the summer, we even organized a community service trip to Key Largo with some of our freshmen to help save injured and stranded whales!

Knowing that I had an impact on their future just through being their friend and a member of their support system continues to bring a smile to my face every time one of them goes out of their way to greet me. Truth is, my peer advising experience gave as much to me as I did to my freshmen. Through peer advising, I became more confident in myself and my ability to lead. Before this program, I would have never had the confidence to run for FIU’s 2011 homecoming king. It also gave me new friends; I have freshmen that have ended up becoming close buddies, and the Peer Advising team has become like another family to me.

While I am sad my time as a Peer Advisor is up, I am excited for what is to come for my freshmen and me. No matter where they will be 10 years from now, they will always still know me as ‘their Peer Advisor,’ and they will forever be known to me as my ‘little Cosmos.’

You can learn more about being a Peer Advisor by watching this video, recorded and edited by my summer PA roommate, Hugo!