Tag Archives: CINO Legacy

September 2015: A Month Worth Recapping

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Every now and then when a month ends, I like to quickly reflect on it. These posts typically come just twice a year and usually cover March or December and a summer month. I have never focused on September before. However, there is a first time for everything.

September 2015 was great from both angles. When I say “both angles” I mean work life and personal life.

Even busier this September than last, I have had my hands full on the campus at Coastal Carolina University. The month couldn’t have started off with a bigger bang. On Wednesday, September 1, we announced that our institution would join the Sun Belt Conference. It was a historic announcement that made for a busy and fun day. Speaking of sports, our football team made its debut on the brand new teal turf. I was there to cover that first game as everything that went out socially that night seemed to turn to gold. I was then back on the #SurfTurf the following week for the second home game. Yes, football season entails that we all work weekends and many times don’t leave the office until late at night but I wouldn’t trade it. Lucky for me, the four game football home stand will continue for the first two Saturdays in October.

Me standing in Brooks Stadium on our teal turf after the September 26 game. Moving to the Sun Belt and the first game played on this field with the new turf brought a lot of excitement in September to TealNation.

Me standing in Brooks Stadium on our teal turf after the September 26 game. Moving to the Sun Belt and the first game played on this field with the new turf brought a lot of excitement in September to TealNation.

With September being the first full month of the academic year, things were just busy in general. I got to fully implement the numerous social media campaigns I created for the year and evaluate their performance. I presented to a couple departments on campus, worked with several student groups, met with my CINO Legacy Mentee twice, and visited several different classrooms where I had the opportunity to capture learning in action. I staged the #CCU Periscope Marathon, an exhausting day where we broadcasted live for nine hours straight. I received recognition from a couple publications, including the student newspaper.

But the crowning achievement for the month of September was no doubt the establishment and inaugural meeting of the #CCUSocialMedia Student Advisory Group. This was a long time coming and one of my original goals so to see it come to fruition was the professional highlight of the month for me.

No questions asked, meeting with my #CCUSocialMedia Student Advisory Group was my favorite professional part of the month.

No questions asked, meeting with my #CCUSocialMedia Student Advisory Group was my favorite professional part of the month.

The overall highlight of the month for me, however, was having my brother come and visit me. As I mentioned in a blog post recapping Glen’s vacation here in Myrtle Beach, it can only be described as epic. Sidney and I had such an enjoyable time showing him around the area and just being able to have fun. It will be something that we will always talk about for a very long time.

Nothing was better this month than having my brother visit me in Myrtle Beach.

Nothing was better this month than having my brother visit me in Myrtle Beach.

September was also the month where I finally learned how to formally play golf. Sidney and I completed our fourth lesson last night and have really gotten a lot out of them. Living in Myrtle Beach, it was definitely time that I actually learned how to play. I also watched as my new favorite show came to a conclusion. It was an intense month of “Big Brother 17,” an emotional roller coaster as my two favorites (Vanessa and Austin) both had their ups and downs. Unfortunately it culminated with a major disappointment as Steve won.

Of course I will always have the lasting images of Pope Francis making his visit to the United States. Watching him make the tour through Washington D.C., New York, and Philadelphia was special. The way he conducted himself and the way the American people and media embraced him will always be cemented in my brain.

Tomorrow, October will begin. It is the month of my birthday and Halloween so it can’t be that bad. If I missed you in September, I hope to see you in October. Don’t Blink.

November Thursday Rundown

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Good evening to all my readers! I hope your week is off to a great start. Tonight I will provide you with my first Thursday Rundown of November. So sit back and do a little reading to help pass the time between now and three weeks later when it will be Thanksgiving.

Six-Month Anniversary: This past Saturday (November 1) marked my six-month anniversary as an employee of Coastal Carolina University. The time has definitely flown by. I am so thankful and happy with my decision to come here. Exactly one year ago today was the start of a five night gauntlet of events that I worked while at Grizzly Athletics. With basketball, football, and volleyball all overlapping each other I spent that Wednesday through Saturday on campus from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. I capped the insane week off by working a Sunday afternoon basketball game. I loved what I did for the Griz but it has been so nice working regular hours over the past half year. 

Meeting with my Mentee: About a month ago I explained how I am part of a mentoring program at work called CINO Legacy. Simply put, I am assigned a student and I get to mentor her. Today Lauren and I met at our campus Einstein Bagels location and had a cover letter/resume workshop. While I am not an expert in these areas by any means, I shared with her some things that have worked for me professionally. I am honored to be part of this program and have the opportunity to mentor such a cool person as Lauren.

Lauren and I going over cover letters and resumes today.

Lauren and I going over cover letters and resumes today.

Election 2014: Call me an apathetic citizen, but I didn’t vote in this election nor did I pay too much attention to the issues at hand. Sure I became a little familiar with the key races in South Carolina, Montana, and Washington but I didn’t take any action by performing my civic duty. Probably the thing that stood out to me most about Election 2014 was that it has already been two years since Election 2012. It seems like  yesterday that President Obama and Mitt Romney were battling it out for the White House. Just like the past two years have quickly gone by, I am sure the next two will as well. Soon enough we will have a marquee 2016 Presidential Election.

Social Media Gold Star: Delta has close to two million fans on its Facebook page. The fact that the company responded to my Facebook Message in less than eight hours impressed me. I sent them an inquiry today about what my baggage status will be when I fly out west in less than three weeks. My trip back to Spokane is a long, exhausting one. Not only will I be on three different planes, I will also be utilizing two different airlines. Not knowing exactly if competing airlines would pass along checked baggage to each other to reach the customer’s final destination, I asked Delta myself. Not only did the company respond to me in a timely manner, they also gave me the answer I wanted to hear.

My correspondence with Delta over Facebook.

My correspondence with Delta over Facebook.

Two Months Old: Yesterday my niece went in and got her two-month photos taken. Tomorrow she will turn nine weeks. Mom said she had a nice Halloween and enjoyed dressing up a little. I now only have 19 days to go until I finally get to meet her.

Here are some recent photos of Mikayla at two months.

Here are some recent photos of Mikayla at two months.

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Time for me to sign off and watch some football. I am dialed in for the Clemson-Wake Forest game tonight. As I have seen the Tigers play two games in-person this season, I am cheering them on the rest of the way. To all my dedicated readers, have a great weekend! Don’t Blink.

Opportunities at Work

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Today at work was one of those days where I got to do what I like most: Interact with students. Two specific instances provided me with this joy.

At noon today I had the opportunity to speak to a room full of business students about mobile media and how Coastal Carolina University utilizes it. Our business school is called the Wall College of Business so each year they host an appropriately named event called “Wall Connections.” No classes are held on this day to allow the students the chance to attend the festivities that include speakers, presentations, and panels. As this year’s theme was mobile media I hosted my own breakout session titled “Coastal Carolina Social Media + Mobile Media.”

I am not the best presenter so it was not like I was chomping at the bit to get up in front of the students and talk for 50 minutes straight. But I took a lot of time to prepare and the moment I knew my technology was working I didn’t have as many butterflies as usual. Once I started talking everything went smoothly. Throughout the presentation I tried to keep it as interactive as possible so I received a lot of feedback from the students. It was asking them questions and hearing their input that I enjoyed the most. A faculty member came up to me after my breakout session and told me he would like to have me back in the future so at least I knew I didn’t totally bomb it.

Presenting today gave me the excuse to dress up in a suit.

Presenting today gave me the excuse to dress up in a suit.

Later that afternoon I got to meet a student who I will have the chance to mentor for the duration of this academic year. I accepted an opportunity to join a new program at Coastal Carolina University called CINO Legacy. This endeavor matches a staff member with a student. From now until May twice per month, the staff member is to meet with the student on a variety of subjects ranging from resume building to job searching to interviewing. Matches were made based on questionnaires that both the mentor and mentee filled out.

I am matched with a senior from Philadelphia named Lauren. A communication major, she has a strong interest in social media and marketing in general. Today we just got to know each other as we talked about our backgrounds and interests. She likes social media AND sports (she loves the Philly pro teams) so we will get along just fine. I look forward to updating all my readers on how this rewarding opportunity for me progresses.

It seems like each day at Coastal I am afforded the chance to engage in experiences that will make me a better professional. Who knows what tomorrow will hold. Don’t Blink.