During the week of February 4-8, 2019, FIU graduates from the School of Communication + Journalism came back to both MMC and BBC campuses 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.
FIU SCJ welcomed alumni from different graduating majors and career fields. Some of the professionals who spoke in undergraduate and graduate class sessions and panels were communications professionals such as Joey Malpica from KAYAK; Roshanna Gosoff and Gabriela Lambertus from Wells Fargo; Katherine Pereda from BLF Communications; speaker, consultant and marketer, Luly Carreras; and Julieta Suarez from Llorente & Cuenca.
Others were from the Journalism field, such as Leo Cosio from WSVN; Doraluz Saldarriaga from Daily Flash TV; Lorraine Caceres from Univision; Chris Santiago from FIU Athletics; and reality television producer, Cristina Lujan.
Simone Worsdale, digital strategy director at Harvard, also participated remotely as a virtual speaker via Adobe Connect.
“Being invited back to FIU to speak to students about my professional journey after college was so rewarding,” said Cristina Lujan, producer of various reality TV shows such as The Bachelor, Bachelor in Paradise, Hell’s Kitchen, Big Brother, Undercover Boss. “I’m so proud to produce Television, and to come back home and showcase to the next generation of graduates what I’ve accomplished and that they too can reach for the stars and grab them, like I did.”
All the visiting alumni gave guidance 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.
