STUDENTS

Spending the day at the New York Women in Communications Student Career Conference, I was able to acquire an abundance of new skills, as well as improve the ones I entered with.  Upon walking into the room, I was among girls who were high school and college students like myself doing all in their power to achieve their goals, and well-established professionals who were open and willing to share their knowledge.  

One of the most valuable lessons that I received from the accomplished women that stood before the room was that the girls who sat beside me were not my future competitors in the communications field, but rather allies who would be there to encourage me, enable me to make connections and form useful relationships in the industry, and ultimately, serve as a support system. After all, we’re all after the same thing.

The keynote speakers who addressed the conference and the women who led the various panels embodied the word “empowered.” What allowed their lessons to resonate so greatly with me was the fact that not too long ago, they held the same mindset as many of us in attendance: ambitious, but still a little scared of what the future held. I was able to take away some extremely valuable lessons from their discussions:

Lesson #1:  There’s no shame in starting at the bottom of the pyramid and working your way up.  Not everyone can land their dream job straight out of college, and that’s okay!

Lesson #2: The people you meet along the way have the power to help you in great ways, as long as you let them. Find a way that allows them to remember you: a common interest, a fascinating story, or something that sets you apart from everyone else.  

Lesson #3: A job in the communications industry, regardless of what area, is exciting and rewarding, but to get to those exciting and rewarding parts, you must endure the hard work that precedes them. No matter how difficult it may seem at times it will pay off in the end.  

To be able to hear these successful women address us as future industry professionals was something I will never forget. I encourage all girls interested in pursuing a career in communications to take advantage of the opportunities that NYWICI provides!

—Raquel Lekic