Before I transferred to Cal State Fullerton from community college, I always heard how the campus is socially dead. To be honest, it didn’t quite bother me, as I’m not someone who seeks to go out every weekend. However, it can be difficult to make friends, especially for those who have a long commute.Â
I told myself that once I started my first semester, I wanted to be as active and involved as I could. I remember researching as many clubs as I could find and checking their vibe through their Instagram content. One organization that stood out to me most was the Entertainment & Tourism Club. A dream of mine is to work in the entertainment industry, and I saw that they had super cool opportunities. I remember seeing members attend panels where you could connect 1-on-1 with individuals from prominent companies such as Live Nation, Netflix, Universal, and many more.
I attended their first event of the Spring 2024 semester, the Spring Kick-Off. I was able to talk to new people and get myself out of my comfort zone. I remember after the event, I felt amazing, as I hadn’t socialized much after the pandemic. However, the most important thing that came out of attending this event was being told to apply for their member committee applications. I did, and a month later, I was a committee member for the marketing team. During that role, I assisted in content creation, filming, writing captions, analyzing trends, and more. This role solidified my desire to work in social media, and I ended up meeting one of my closest friends.Â
That close friend of mine ended up being the following year’s president, which led me to become the marketing director for the 24-25 academic year. Through this position and being on campus weekly, I had the opportunity to connect with other students at other clubs and find a connection through entertainment. In this role, I learned time management skills, practiced with editing platforms, designed graphics, and connected with students who attended our events. This experience has led to the roles by effectively learning how to work in a team.
Most importantly, I hold the team super close to my heart, and I am grateful I found people who have the same values and passion as me. If it weren’t for being involved, I wouldn’t have met a group of people to go on Disney trips, watch High School Musical 2 under the stars, and blow up the group chat about The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Also, this experience has led me to become involved with the CSUF marketing department, TITANIAM. I’m currently on their social media committee and help create content for their social media channels. This has opened networking opportunities and allowed me to discover new companies in the OC area.
If it weren’t for being active on campus, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do informational interviews with people I look up to or have experiences to share during interviews. Most importantly, I feel more prepared to work in the communications and marketing industry.Â
Being able to be more involved on campus is a privilege that not everyone can do. Students have jobs, schoolwork, and personal things to attend to. However, if you have the time to attend a club event (like HerCampus), take the chance. I highly recommend finding a club or organization in an industry you want to work in, as you never know where that one conversation can lead you.