A little over a year ago, I graduated from FIU. I studied communication arts– never dreaming I would walk out of college and right into a full time job! But I did and I’m very grateful.
While studying at FIU, I created lots of campaigns, read many case studies, and learned countless communication theories.
But on August 2, 2018, all those theories went out the door as I was standing face-to-face with the Secretary of US-HUD, Congressional leaders, elected commissioners, our County Mayor and a sea of men and women who served our country as veterans. We were announcing the effective end to veteran’s homelessness in Miami-Dade.
On that day, I gained major perspective.
I shifted my mind from one used to turning in school assignments to one that takes full responsibility for helping to organize a major event with an honorary line-up of notable and accomplished leaders.
The speed at which we had to create this event left my head spinning. In less than two weeks, we had….
- Locations to secure.
- Event walk-throughs to confirm.
- Choirs to book.
- Speakers to coordinate.
- Signs to secure.
- Media advisories to write.
- Schedules to manage.
- Talking points to flesh out.
- A pre-event 10 pm video dry run to execute.
- Press releases to distribute.
- Photos to take.
- Social media to write and post.
Needless to say, I learned quickly that anything is possible when you have an incredible team by your side.
I was honored to perform behind-the-scenes work to honor the homeless men and women who have served our country so well, giving my family the freedom to come to this country and start a life that has enabled me to be where I am today.
Some will remember this day by the newspaper and TV coverage we locked in https://miami.cbslocal.com/2018/08/02/miami-dade-end-veteran-homelessness/. Still others will remember it by personal photos. But me…I will remember it as the day I grew up on the job and lived to tell!
