I am studying journalism, and I believe that public relations and journalism go hand in hand, relying heavily on each other in the professional context. In my career, I hope to give spotlight to events/aspects of of entities and have an impact on how it is perceived by the public, which is an essential of public relations. I am passionate about both journalism and public relations under the umbrella of communications because you can really apply the knowledge and expertise to any field. Both are a study of people at their cores, and aims to understand and interpret both public opinion and public reaction to an event or entity. I am also double majoring in digital media production, which means I am heavily involved in the art of visual storytelling as well. I have made a few documentary pieces while in college about our stewardship of the environment as well as those raising children with disabilities, two topics that I am passionate about and want to give coverage of. Visuals are important in public relations and in journalism, you want your audience to know that they can trust you with evidence of your work or beliefs. Truly, I believe that journalism could not exist without public relations and vice versa because each subset operates in direct feedback with the other. Events managed by PR teams are given to journalists to cover and get the word out, and stories that journalists publish about a PR firm's client can add exponentially to the public's perception of that entity. I aim to tell meaningful stories in my journalistic career, as well as give the kind of exposure that falls under public relations to any deserving party in order to make a difference in the general public. I not only want to tell stories, but I want to make them meaningful. Dedicating time and energy to cover untold stories in need of covering is a standard that I will hold myself to in my career

My family immigrated from South Africa when I was 5 years old. The greatest challenge associated with being a first-generation college student in the United States is making sure that I can set myself up with better opportunities going forward at the future than what I had when my family first immigrated here. We are naturalized US citizens, and that was another challenge to obtain citizenship and contribute to American society. We had nothing for a long time, and slowly built ourselves up. My challenge is to be able to apply myself to gaining opportunities that put me and my future family in a position where we never had to struggle like mine did. I am still overcoming this challenge, and I will be for the rest of my life. My main mindset to me overcoming is that my family and I will be better off if I work as hard as I can, and knowing that hard work is worth it allows me to keep pushing myself to be better as a first-generation college student in the United States. I have learned that diligence in applying for financial aid and meeting with advisors is so important, and these skills can translate into the working world for my career. I have learned throughout my educational experience that diligence is important, turning in assignments in on time, communicating with instructors, and ensuring that you are doing everything that you possibly can. These qualities showed instructors and authority figures that I was serious about my success and my future. When you really need help, they are more likely to reach out if you have displayed these diligent characteristics. As a first-generation college student, all of these qualities are important for me to fully overcome my challenge and set myself up with a career that will make all of the struggles and difficulties that my family went through when immigrating worth every tear and strife.