After graduating from USC, Alyssa aims to work in the public relations sector of the entertainment industry.
Roadmap.
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"Make connections with your teachers, especially at COC. I am close
with one of my Communications professors at COC. I’ve learned a lot from her
and she’s done a lot for me, including writing my college letter of recommendation."
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Here I complete my Girl Scout Gold Award!
MILESTONES
My career roadmap has been somewhat defined.
I always knew I wanted to enter into a creative field, but was always too shy to ever be on camera or be the center of attention. I
figured I’d be the happiest in a behind-the-scenes role where I could still
create but wouldn’t feel pressured in my field.
During middle school, I fell in love with camera work and writing. I got the chance to meet some of my favorite filmmakers at a convention and decided to go for a filmmaking career.
After a conversation with my neighbor, I aimed to work in film production at a big company like NBC or Warner Bros.
In junior year, I took my first film class at COC on
script writing, followed by a filmmaking class during the second semester.
I found that I wasn’t as passionate as I thought about this field and felt a
little panicked that I wouldn’t know what I wanted to do come senior year and college applications.
While on a college tour at USC, I discovered their school for communications, did some research on majors, and fell in love with
Public Relations, a major where I could apply more practical skills yet still
remain in entertainment and aim for the companies I wanted to work for.
In senior year, I began taking communications classes to move towards my goal of majoring in PR, and worked towards an
Associate’s degree.
I developed a good relationship with my communications
professor in order to learn more about the field and had many conversations with her outside of class. Her passion for teaching and communications helped cultivate my own interest in the field.
By the end of senior year, I had finished my Communications
AA-T, which helped me move forward in college admissions.
EXPERIENCE
Here are my extracurriculars relevant to this pathway
DURING MY HIGH SCHOOL CAREER
Girl Scout Gold Award - While you do have to be a part of the Girl Scouts to complete this project, it is one of the most impactful experiences I’ve ever had. I learned a lot about leadership, teamwork, and responsibility, skills you will need pretty much anywhere you go.
The Photo ATM - Through this self-owned business, I became responsible for marketing and managing on my own and learned a lot about social media, software and technology, and customer service.
Workshops and Networking - I took advantage of workshops that taught me how to cultivate and manage my own brand, a big part of public relations. Here, I also made sure to network with professionals to learn from and connect with them.
DURING MY COLLEGE CAREER
Currently waiting to step foot on campus!
CAREER
What I'm currently doing/hope to do
My current career goal is to work in public relations within the entertainment industry. While my academic emphasis lies in communications, I have a strong interest in film
and a passion for content creation, so much so that I even plan to minor in an area of film production. I would love to work with big companies such as NBC Universal or Warner Bros. and am currently looking at internships for the fall.
ADVICE
How to maximize my time in high school?
Advice #1: Don’t be afraid to explore classes at COC. It’s okay to create your own schedule freely and find classes where you can learn exactly what you want. Don’t feel like you’re wasting your time by jumping between classes. You’ll find that it’ll really help once you get to the university you want to.
Advice #2: Make connections with your teachers, especially at COC. I am close with one of my Communications professors at COC. I’ve learned a lot from her and she’s done a lot for me, including writing my college letter of recommendation. Be friendly and social!
Advice #3: Commit yourself. To balance your AOC and COC life, be committed to what you love. Don’t feel pressured to change your pathway because everyone is doing something else. I was one of the only communications majors during my time at AOC and attended nearly all my classes alone. Be confident and commit to your dreams!
