During the week of February 5-9, FIU graduates from the School of Communication + Journalism came back to both MMC and BBC campuses (and even visited FIU in DC as a part of the CARTA in DC program) to participate in Panther Alumni Week.
Panther Alumni Week (PAW) is FIU’s annual alumni week of service, during which alumni are invited to return as guest speakers to inspire our students and share career advice. Students were given the opportunity to ask questions to alumni and learn from their experiences through class presentations, industry panels and networking events to promote the building of relationships, which leads to networking, internships, mentoring and career opportunities.
The School of Communication + Journalism welcomed alumni from different graduating majors and career fields. Some of the professionals who spoke in class sessions and panels were communications professionals such as Christopher Morot-Gaudry and Diana Mayorga from Nevarez Communications, Javi Correoso from Uber, Angie Pardo from United Way of Miami-Dade, Tina Varjabedian from Aventura Mall. and Bianca Gutierrez and Ginelle Bou-Nassar from various departments at FIU. Others were from the Journalism field, such as Bill Glass who has a strong background in videography/production, Caterina Balzano from AmericaTeVe, Luis Rodriguez and Miriam Arias from Univision, Jennifer Morejon from WSVN Channel 7 and Jorge Ottati from beiN SPORTS.
Katherine Pereda, 2015 Marketing and Public Relations graduate, spoke on her experiences in public relations and what it was like starting her own PR agency, BLF Communications. “I am thankful for the experiences I was afforded during my time at Florida International University, as well as the connections I made and the lessons I learned. I am thankful for the opportunity as a young entrepreneur to give back to my alma mater and share my insights on the changing job markets and life after college,” said Pereda, reflecting on her time sharing her story to a Communication social media class this past week.
All the visiting alumni gave various advices from different perspectives but with a common message of the importance of hard work and resume-building well before graduation.
To learn more about other FIU School of Communication + Journalism opportunities for alumni, contact Sarah Hernandez at Saanhern@fiu.edu.
