Name: Melizza Black
Year: Junior
Major: Double Major in Editing, Writing, and Media and Public Relations
Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida
Courtesy: Melizza Black
Her Campus (HC): What positions have you held with Her Campus? How long have you been a member? What does the future hold for you in regards to Her Campus?
Melizza Black (MB): I’ve been a member of Her Campus since the fall of my freshman year at FSU. I started out as a staff writer and wrote the makeup column for a year. After that, I became an editor and oversaw an amazing group of writers! Not long after that, I became a copy editor, which is where I am now. I’m also one of the two Junior Social Media directors and I micromanage the Facebook part of our social team. I plan to be a part of Her Campus until I graduate because I’ve fallen in love with the organization. It’s not often you get to be a part of large group of empowered women who share the same passion for writing.
HC: What is your passion? How does that play into everything you have going on in life?
MB: Social media is my passion, which seems a little obvious since I’ve grown up in a generation who had cell phones in the third grade and a Facebook by the fifth grade. It’s clear that it’s a driving force in today’s world, I believe that its power and influence will only increase over the years. So, when it comes to academics, I tailor a lot of my research and projects toward the influence of sites like Twitter and Instagram. When it comes to my life, I use social media to document it. So instead of writing diary letters to myself in a notebook, I post a square-cropped picture with a witty caption.
HC: Do you feel like a personal brand is important to people who share a similar passion to you? What is your take on personal branding?
MB: I believe personal branding is so important, especially in today’s Internet-addicted world. It’s sometimes difficult to stay true to yourself when you’re seeing unrealistic expectations on your timelines, so I think that personal branding is beneficial to not only people who don’t know you but to yourself as well. I think that personal branding is important to everyone, not just people who have the same interests as me. You really want to be able to showcase your true personality, and why wouldn’t you want to share yourself with the rest of the world? I mean, you’re probably a great person!
Courtesy: Melizza Black
HC: You recently had an internship in NYC, tell us about that and the most important thing you brought back to Tallahassee from it.
MB: I actually got the chance to work for two public relations firms in NYC, one in the fashion industry, and the other in beauty. I learned a lot about the behind-the-scenes aspects of some of the biggest brands in the nation including Bed Head and Revlon. I actually got to pitch my own ideas, help create marketing materials and play a hand in some of the event planning for these brands. While PR wasn’t my first choice of internship (I actually wanted to work in magazines), I ended up falling in love with it and decided to make it my second major.
HC: Do you currently work/have an internship? Tell us about that.
MB: I currently work for two companies here in Tallahassee. Fiore Communications is an integrated marketing firm founded by an FSU alumnus and focuses on serving local businesses, and Exclusive Career Coaching is run by a fabulous woman who coaches people in their sales and marketing careers. I really get to showcase my social media management and content creating skills in both internships, from implementing strategy to writing blog posts.
HC: How have your past and present internships helped you with or enhanced your Her Campus experience?
MB: My internships have really taught me the importance of time management and meeting deadlines. It’s important to hold yourself accountable for the work that needs to get done for an organization, whether that’s pitching an idea or writing an article. You have to remember that you have a responsibility to the organization, and that’s definitely something I keep in mind as a part of Her Campus.
HC: What has been your favorite memory with Her Campus FSU thus far?
MB: There’s so many to choose from, but I’d have to say my absolute favorite is the Her Campus Tours! The Her Campus FSU chapter has been lucky enough to host a few of them and it’s always a fun time working with makeup and clothing brands. We really get to show the rest of campus who we are and what we like to do. Plus, we get a ton of free merch!
HC: What advice would you give to anyone considering joining their Her Campus chapter?
MB: If you love spending time with ambitious, empowered college women, then absolutely do it! No questions asked! Plus, you gain some great writing/editing experience!
HC: As future co-editor in chief, what vision do you have for the future of Her Campus FSU?
MB: I’m so excited to be a co-editor in chief for this upcoming year! We’re going to continue to equip and motivate college women not only on FSU’s campus but nationwide through the amazing articles we publish. But for Her Campus FSU specifically, I hope to see our chapter grow even closer as a community. We’ve got some great events planned for our members coming your way, so stay tuned! (And if you’re not a member, definitely consider applying!)