Students from Laredo's Vidal M. Trevino School for Communication and Fine Arts learn about journalism at their magnet school, which includes a newspaper, online news site and a radio station serving the nearby community. The high school students visited the Texas State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication during Mass Comm Week to check out the campus and attend a few Mass Communication Week events. They attended sessions given by mass comm professionals and also heard from Texas State Mass Comm students.
The high school visit was co-sponsored by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the University Bookstore. Photos and slideshow by TxState student Marissa Deslatte
Music by TXState's Hip Hop Congress from their "Texas STATEment" CD
Students from San Antonio's Northside ISD Communication Arts High School visited the School of Journalism and Mass Communication during Mass Comm Week to check out the campus and attend a few Mass Communication Week events. Along with mass comm professionals, they also heard from Texas State Mass Comm students and visit the dorms.
The high school visit was co-sponsored by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the University Bookstore. Slideshow & Photos by Allison Birk, TXState mass comm student
Music by Hip Hop Congress, from their "A Texas STATEment" CD
LBJ High School-Laredo students visited the School of Journalism and Mass Communication during Mass Comm Week to get a taste of college life. Hip Hop Congress entertained at lunch. The high school visit was co-sponsored by the D.D. Hachar Charitable Trust of Laredo, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the University Bookstore.
Slideshow & Photos by Lorna Stevens, TXState mass comm student
Music by Hip Hop Congress, A Texas Statement CD
"All of you are going to see yourself at some point in the future," Gomez said.
Gomez said your knowing the right people can get you that job or help you get to that specific source.
She talked about her own experience when she was a reporter and needed an interview with Rick Perry. She kept calling and was getting nowhere.
"They kept giving me the runaround," she said.
Then she called her cousin who worked for the governor. He called the same person she had been speaking to, and that's what made it happen.
"Relationships matter," Underwood added. "If you've got good friends in these industries, you can use them for good."
Underwood said Time Warner hired him because he has relationships and knows how to use relationships to make things work.
"What matters is I know people and I can get that job accomplished," he said.
If you're networking and you want to keep in touch with a specific person, Gomez and Underwood said it takes seven to ten different encounters for someone to remember you.
"Handwritten notes are the best," Gomez said.
Be genuine and simple when making acquaintances, not too outgoing, they said.
They suggsested finding things out about them, their likes and dislikes. The more effort you make to know someone, the more they will appreciate it.
When it comes to applying for a job, Gomez said your networking capabilities is one of the most important things you can add.
"What makes your skyscraper just a little bit taller than the other one?" she said.
They said consistently keeping in touch is important.
"Networking is not the occasional activity," Gomez said.
She recommended two "must-haves" for networking: a LinkedIn page and business cards, as well as two "must-do's": Google yourself to see what comes up and if that's what you want to show up, and send handwritten notes because it shows that you took the time and effort to get in touch with the person.
Underwood said spelling is important for credibility and he mentioned two words we should never use because they are not actually words: "irregardless" and "anyways."
Gomez brought up an imperative point when talking about her internship at KVUE in Austin. She said she was the only intern willing to do everything. Even thought they were not paid, she worked graveyard shifts. She did all the jobs that interns didn't want to do for no pay, which in return, gave her opportunities that the other interns never had.
"When you have an opportunity to shine, take it," she said.
The discussion at the Hispanic Advertising & Public Relations in the 21st Century event Thursday was geared toward a multicultural audience.
Ashley Molton, Account manager for Bromley Communications, spoke to a nearly-filled room of students not just about Hispanic-specific issues, but advertising issues in general. Arthur Cavazos, an additional speaker, was not able to attend.
“This type of event is essential because knowing about Latinos and other ethnic groups is not just for those ethnic groups,” said Federico Subervi, journalism professor. “This is not a lecture that was just for minorities or Hispanics.
The change in demographics requires that all of our students, unless they are going to go up and live in Vermont or New Hampshire, know about the change in demographics and different cultures.”
Having a beer in Monterrey or Cancun is not multicultural knowledge, Subervi said — getting a round of laughs from the audience.
Molton, 2004 Texas State graduate, said one does not have to be Hispanic to work in a Hispanic advertising agency, but understanding the culture was essential. The Texarkana native said she is not of Hispanic descent.
She said the increasing Hispanic population is causing more interest in advertising to the niche. However, the advice she provided was not limited to any single ethnic group.
“I’ve never told anybody this before,” Molton said. “But when I get on a video conference or am in a meeting with a client, I smile the whole time.”
She said it makes clients want to work with her. Additionally, “staying close to your childish roots” helps especially in advertising, Molton said. She cited work with Fruit Roll-Ups and Gushers as examples.
“As a general rule, you will be underpaid the first half of your career, and overpaid during the second half of your career,” according to a slide of Molton’s presentation.
Molton said the most important action students can take is to get to know their professors.
“Building relationships with them and take advantage of the connections they have to help you get in the door,” she said. “That’s one of the best ways you can differentiate yourself from the masses out there that are trying to get a job.”
Subervi said he was delighted with Molton’s presentation.
“She has a line of four, six, eight people and she (talked to) about four people already…,” he said. “That says that she did a great job.”
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication is hosting its annual Mass Communication Week, Oct. 19-22. It’s your chance to look to the future and hear professionals discuss issues, trends and careers in mass media. Check out the content on the site, watch the live streams and recorded videos and join the fun on Twitter and Facebook.
This blog is a class project of journalism students at Texas State University. Our goal is to cover Mass Communication Week on deadline. We'll post stories, photos and videos. If we make a mistake, we will correct it. Post your comments to let us know how we are doing or send an email to professors Kym Fox or Sue Weill, whose students are producing the content.
"#mcweek" OR "@txstatemcweek" OR "txstatemcweek" - Twitter Search
We'll be live streaming several sessions during Mass Comm Week. Tune in on the home page of this site or click here to watch. Click the links to watch the archive of the sessions.
