Kiara Mauro

In honor of recent Homecoming festivities, this week’s campus celebrity is one of our very own JMU alumna! Desirae’s experience in the real world has been very successful thus far; she recently landed a position at a PR firm in California and loves her LA lifestyle. Check out her story and advice to students graduating in May!

HCJMU: Can you believe you’re an alumna of JMU? How is post-grad life?

Desirae: I still cannot believe I graduated from JMU. It is really surreal and they certainly were not kidding when they said that time would fly by; definitely cherish it! Post-grad life has been going great though! After attempting to move to NYC all summer, I found a position at Jolson Creative, a boutique PR firm in Westwood, (LA) California! I literally had about a week to make a decision, which is probably good since I don’t think I would have had the courage if I had more time to think about it! I was recently hired on full-time as a publicity assistant and I really feel like my life is like a movie! Some of the events I have worked on are the grand unveiling of the newly discovered Leonardo da Vinci "Horse and Rider" sculpture in Beverly Hills, the GBK Emmy Gift Lounge and a pair of films that premiered at the Hollywood Film Festival. I wake up every day and pinch myself; I am so grateful to have this opportunity and I feel like I am in a really great place in my life, especially career-wise, so that makes me very happy.

As the semester is winding down, it’s difficult not to daydream about all the things we have to look forward to when we return home for the summer. To name a few: getting stuck behind the middle school bus, no more frat parties, having to live under our parents’ roof and obeying absurd rules that are nonexistent from August to May at JMU. But let’s look on the bright side - this transition also means that we have a few options involving boys:

Easter is just around the corner and with that comes the perfect opportunity to be festive all weekend long! Obviously, JMU will be celebrating in a variety of ways because we are almost too spirited for our own good. With that being said, I’m going to pretend I’m as qualified as Whitney Port and Lauren Conrad and throw some questionable fashion advice your way.
 
To cut to the chase, I’m rooting for everybody to dress up ridiculously when they go out this weekend. The next three ideas below would be ideal for a themed party.  For starters, if you’re looking to be the life of the party, wear a full body bunny suit. It’s a great icebreaker and most people really appreciate that kind of stuff.

This dedication comes with consequences. If you’re anywhere remotely near a residential area, you might be flagged for suspicious activity. Even worse, if you’re in a mall, you will be bombarded by overbearing parents who are looking to fling their child on your lap for the timeless Easter picture. Don't say you haven't been warned.