Jasmine Garcia
PRSSA Dues-Paying Member
After graduation, you can hopefully find me living it up in Chicago.
Network early and don’t be afraid to connect with alums. Every connection I’ve made with former Bobcats has been met with genuine excitement and a willingness to help. I recently planned a sporadic networking trip to Chicago and just by emailing OU connections such as Heather Farr and our recent Jerry Sloan visiting professors, Tony Telloni and George Rafeedie, I had informational interviews set up at Burson Marsteller, Edelman and Tell Your Story Brand Communications within two weeks.
Don’t be discouraged if you get turned down by your dream internship. My junior year I made it to the final round for an internship at Cardinal Health but I didn’t make the cut. I can’t lie and say I wasn’t pissed but you know what… life goes on.
Avoid bottles in a crowded bar… it will result in a chipped tooth.
Make time for those who treat you right and screw those who don’t.
Study abroad! Some of my best college memories were frolicking around Spain learning to speak Spanish my sophomore winter quarter. Never thought I could say I have a second family in Spain but I had a great connection with my host family and still email my host mom to this day. Another plus was being able to drink legally.
Avoid the urge to be involved in too many organizations. My junior year I was involved in 6+ organizations as well as working and interning. To say my life was a little hectic is an understatement. Another negative to being over involved was that I didn’t make meaningful connections with people in each organization since I was too busy dashing off to my next meeting. Find a few things you are passionate about and really delve into them.
Find something that makes you feel passionate and gives you the motivation to get up on crappy rainy day when you’d rather binge eat and watch a Teen Wolf marathon. Don’t follow other people’s passions. Throughout my college career, I found myself letting others influence my path and that didn’t make me happy. If there isn’t a set path for what you want to do, blaze your own trail.
Which brings me to my next point: If you don’t know why you are doing something, stop doing it…c/o Dan Farkas.
Make the most out of opportunities that you are given. You can’t control the wind but you can adjust the sails a la George Rafeedie’s inspirational quote calendar.