Desire to share stories is the rope that’s tied together Tammy Tibbetts’ career; the pull of her passion has been providing a voice to those who deserve recognition.
“It’s been an exciting journey, but the one thing throughout that I feel like has stayed the same is storytelling. That’s what I love to do,” Tibbetts told aspiring journalists at the “Time to Shine: Networking and Jewelry Event,” co-sponsored by Her Campus: TCNJ and Ed@TCNJ on Sunday, April 10.
Currently the social media editor for Hearst Corporations, this ’07 grad spent her time at TCNJ immersing herself in journalism – interning, creating and writing, whether it was investigative stories or profile pieces.
Tibbetts served as a news reporter, features writer and copy editor for the school’s newspaper The Signal, she said.
Though she began by covering news stories, she realized the less hard-hitting and more heart-warming pieces were more her style.
Additionally, she founded Ed@TCNJ when she noticed it necessary to start a chapter on campus.
When asked why, she says, “I admired ed2010.com so much and since there wasn’t a presence at TCNJ, but a growing interest in magazine careers among my fellow majors, it was natural to start one!”
Her drive to succeed is what has allowed Tammy to wind up where she is today.
She would spend extra hours teaching herself how to make websites and learning different computer programming techniques that were beneficial to her job, she said.
Though she may have struggled initially when working with the web, the world of digital media is where her career has truly blossomed.
She headed the Mis Quince site for Hearst, which helps fifteen-year-olds celebrating this Hispanic rite of passage. She then worked with Seventeen’s prom website and was a founding editor for DonateMyDress.org.
Her involvement with Seventeen began during the summer of her sophomore year when she got an internship in their beauty department. Though she did not view herself as a beauty expert at the time, she believes she got the internship because they saw a passion in her that was more than skin deep.
In fact, Tibbetts isn’t one who thinks girls need to be constantly made up; she worked for the magazine’s Beauty Peace Day on April 13, which was promoted through Twitter and girls were encouraged to send in their own make-up free photos.
Speaking of the social networking site, Tibbetts said at the “Time to Shine” event, “In the beginning you feel like you’re talking in any empty room because you don’t have any followers.”
Yet she encouraged the students to try out Twitter anyway, describing it as “a huge information stream” and “a great tool to build your own reputation.”
She also pointed out how for non-profit organizations, it’s great for fundraising and getting out information.
Tammy is the founder of She’s the First, a not-for-profit organization that encourages education in the developing world and aids girls in becoming the first in their families to graduate.
Using the web, they “try to build a cross-culture communication” in countries like Tanzania and India, she said.
She was inspired after realizing music is universal and education should – and can – be, too.
So, what advice would she offer to Collegiettes?
Tibbetts says, “My advice is to explore and have passion! If you’re not waking up doing what you love, excited to go to work, something is wrong. Never lose old-school journalism persistence, values, and ethics, but ride the wave of new technology and communication.”
For more info on Tammy’s not-for-profit, check out She’s the First!
Interested in getting involved in TCNJ’s Chapter of ED2010 that was started by Tammy? Keep an eye out for Ed@TCNJ meetings next semester!
Photos from http://tammytibbetts.tumblr.com/