Name: Alessandra Noli
Hometown: Panama City, Panama
Year: Junior
Age: 21
Major: Public Relations and Creative Writing
Relationship Status: Single
Her Campus (HC): What about public relations attracted you to apply to the major?
Alessandra Noli (AN): I honestly had no idea what I wanted to do after I graduated high school. I initially thought I wanted to be a psychologist, mainly because that’s what everyone else said I would be good at. I figured they couldn’t be wrong, right? So I began to visualize the rest of my life as a psychologist, and I thought it was something I could do, but I’d probably be unhappy the rest of my life. As much as I found the field captivating and interesting, I felt no passion for pursuing that career. It’s a noble profession, but it just wasn’t for me. I wanted to be in a position where I could voice my opinions, where I could be out there in the world engaging with people, working as part of a team of professionals toward a common goal. I knew the work environment I wanted to be in, I just didn’t know which career would take me there. I had a good heart-to-heart with my Mom one day and I told her all these things, and she actually was the one who first spoke the words “Public Relations” to me. I have been crazy in love with the major ever since.
HC: I know the process for getting into the major is tough, but what has been your greatest challenge so far in PR?
AN: The greatest challenge has been learning to modify my character. I’m a very stubborn person, and I tend to overthink and take things extremely personal. Through this major I discovered that that is my greatest weakness; the major has definitely tested my character several times, and I’m thankful it did. Now I have a better idea of the kind of person I want to be, and I’m working towards it.
HC: What attracts you to creative writing?
AN: I’ve always been amazed at what some people can do with words. Ever since my first literature class in high school I’ve been amazed at authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Faulkner, the list goes on and on. I didn’t understand how they could come up with such amazing writings, so I really wanted to discover how they did it to see if I could maybe write something like that. I’ve been writing all my life, but nothing worth anybody’s time really, so I decided to major in it to learn how to write. I hope to publish a collection of short stories someday.
HC: What has been your greatest challenge in that major so far?
AN: Writing. This is going to sound strange, but I really don’t choose the topics I write about. Writing is kind of a catharsis; whatever I need to deal with, I just write it out. I literally open a word document without any idea of what I’m about to write, and just let my hands take over and type away; the topic that I need to address will come up on its own. And it can get very uncomfortable, just very emotionally draining, but that’s how I know that I’m producing something of value.
HC: What are your career goals post-graduation and how do you hope to incorporate your two majors into your goals?
AN: I’d love the opportunity to stay and work here in the United States. Public Relations is a field that is not very developed in Panama, so I have hopes of gaining the expertise over here and hopefully opening my own PR agency in Panama in the future. Thanks to FPRA I’ve been able to travel and visit amazing PR agencies such as Dalton Agency and SJ&P in Jacksonville, and I’ve just been blown away by the work environment they have and the quality of work they produce. I really want to be part of something great like that.HC: So you’re originally from Panama. Tell me a little bit about your experience at FSU Panama.
AN: I didn’t really appreciate the beauty of FSU Panama until I transferred over here (the grass really is greener on the other side as they say). The main campus here is amazing, I’ve loved my time here, but it’s just so huge. I’ve had classes with over 200 people, which is something I’ve never experienced before, and frankly I really disliked it. The FSU Panama campus has a population of 400 students, and we all either know each other or have heard of each other at some point. The campus there is literally one single building with four floors, so we all cross paths with each other basically every day. The fourth floor is kind of the hang out place, that’s where everyone goes in between classes to chill and play pool or video games. Also, classes are much smaller, which allows for a more personal experience. It also allows you to develop relationships with professors, which is great because they’re amazing people that just know so much about the fields students are going into. I do miss that closer environment.
HC: Have you encountered any challenges in transferring from your hometown all the way to the US?
AN: I miss Sunday morning coffee with my Dad. I miss going with my Mom to my brother’s soccer games. And I terribly miss my fifteen-year-old Chihuahua, Mini (not named after Minnie Mouse, but named like that because she’s just so tiny). I just don’t know how much longer she has, it’s heart-wrenching to not be able to see her.
HC: So do you have any advice you could give to any incoming transfer students who might have a tough time adjusting to the culture?
AN: One important thing I would say is to never lose touch with the culture you bring with you. Sometimes people who come from other countries think they need to hide their own quirks because they’re not going to be well received in this country. I’m here to tell you that not once have I been pushed away because of who I am. There are some wonderful people here who not only accept but seem to dig that part of me that makes me different. They ask me questions about Panama, they ask me to tell them words in Spanish to help them practice the language, I even have a list of people who want to visit the country! And you can be sure that I will take them someday, and I will show them all the wonderful things that make my country so special.
HC: Do you have a song that you’re obsessed with right now that you’d recommend us to listen to?
AN: This is painfully embarrassing, but I watched Dirty Dancing for the first time like two weeks ago, and I have just been obsessed with the whole soundtrack of that movie. “Time of My Life” is my jam right now.