At 8 years old, circa 2012, I downloaded Instagram and created a profile. At the time, Instagram was fairly new, and concerns about children on social media had not reached my family yet.
Naturally, I made the obvious choice any 8-year-old would make: dedicating my page to my superhero, Zendaya.
Using my bright blue iPod Touch, I created photo edits and collages, which were filtered so aggressively that every image looked like it had just come out of the microwave. But before long, I started connecting with other Zendaya fans who shared my interests and encouraged my creativity. I quickly found myself with 20 followers and a small online community.
As I grew older, my interests shifted. My fan page went through several rebrands, from Ariana Grande to Bethany Mota, and my photo edits evolved into iMovie video edits. Before I knew it, I was 16 years old and running social media pages for my high school.
Throughout the various phases of my social media fandom era, I was constantly fascinated by what resonated with each community. My Ariana Grande fan page performed well because of the consistent pastel pink branding, which reflected the identity Ariana had created for herself. The same principle applied to my high school’s social media pages, where every post highlighted the people behind campus culture. I saw firsthand how thoughtful branding could build community.
That excited me then, and it still excites me now.
My curiosity ultimately led me to public relations.
During my undergraduate years, I had the opportunity to explore many different areas of PR, from creating social media content and helping rebrand a local college bar to developing campaigns for student publications and businesses. I also pitched stories highlighting local organizations throughout my college town.
Each experience reinforced what I loved most about communications: helping organizations tell meaningful stories and build a community that is aligned with their ideas, beliefs and goals.
Along with many other 20-somethings, I faced an existential crisis when contemplating my future. I knew I enjoyed building communities through digital platforms and strategic communications, but I also knew I wanted to challenge myself in an industry I had not yet explored.
My interest in embracing the unknown is what brought me to The Hoffman Agency.
I was drawn to employer branding because of its unique ability to connect people who lead their organizations in authentic ways. I am excited to learn how each company communicates its culture, values and opportunities to both current and prospective employees and how strong employer brands can strengthen communities from within. I look forward to learning from the team around me and gaining a deeper understanding of how storytelling, reputation and strategy intersect in this space.
As I write this, I am just nine days post-graduation. The transition has been filled with waves of excitement, uncertainty and every emotion in between.
Packing up my college life and driving nine hours south to San Jose gave me plenty of time to reflect on what comes next. I found comfort in knowing that a welcoming community was already waiting for me at Hoffman before I had even walked through the office doors.
Now, I am focused on learning the ropes, meeting new people and making the most of this new chapter. When the workday ends, I’ll be catching up on “Love Island” all summer long (both the USA and UK versions); spending time with my dog, family and friends; or planning my next concert. I’m focused on soaking up every opportunity that comes my way, and I’m excited to see where this internship takes me.
