The PAW Celebration Continues with BOLD’s Brightest Alumni
BOLD hosted its annual Panther Alumni Week Panel on Tuesday, February 1st, open to all FIU students. Panther Alumni Week marks the celebration of commemorating graduates for their accomplishments and aims to connect them with students by promoting relationships and networking opportunities. The alumni who graduate with the involvement of BOLD are even more in tune to the organizational, self-leadership, and operational elements post-grad has to offer. BOLD was proud to host several alumni who primarily stand on the principles of being strategic, creative, passionate, and of course, being BOLD!
Patricia Menendez, a 2021 FIU graduate of the Digital Communication and Media B.S. program, was heavily involved during her time as a BOLD member. Initially starting out as an account executive for FIU Theatre, she gradually worked her way towards being a member on the executive board. While on the board, she contributed to the agency as Director of Culture, where she was responsible for encouraging conversation, communicating opportunities for members, and advocating for their needs within the agency. From this leadership position, Patricia became a role model for numerous members who were inspired to look at the industry with a curious lens and develop their own areas of expertise within the agency. Her devotion to the BOLD family is what brought her back as a credited alumna who now works as an associate account manager for Droga5. Patricia showcased her BOLD experiences and additional BOLD level course projects to highlight her professional development throughout undergrad. Patricia was especially appreciative of the outside programs BOLD was able to expose her to, such as the Multicultural Advertising Internship Program which became a major stepping stone in her post-graduate career.
Tatianna Basanta graduated with her B.S. in Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication in 2019, and M.S. degree in Global Strategic Communications in 2020. Her time throughout BOLD included her transition from an account executive to an account supervisor. Her contribution to the insightful BOLD PAW Panel incorporated a spotlight geared towards how prepared the BOLD agency made her feel in terms of client-facing experiences and being able to confidently understand critical client needs and their demands. Her greatest takeaway from the agency was primarily centered around learning and adapting on how to effectively manage a team. Tatianna also expressed that being able to construct her portfolio with the amount of client work BOLD was able to provide helped her transition as she began her post-grad job search with top companies of today. She now stands as an Account Executive at Quinn PR and continues to adopt BOLD principles she learned as an undergraduate student.
Juan Salgado, a 2019 Communications graduate with a minor in Marketing, focused mainly on creative advertising through BOLD and the BOLD practicum classes. He initially started out on the creative team as an associate who supported various account’s design requests per semester. His progression throughout the organization allowed him to transition into a leadership role as Creative Director on the executive board. Juan was able to leave his mark through notable client work such as building a social media campaign for Swensen’s, BOLD Level 2 brochures, and much more throughout his contribution as an active BOLD member. One of the main takeaways BOLD was able to provide for Juan was creating an open network for him to be connected to employers in Washington D.C. where he now resides for his current position as a Graphic Design Specialist for Lockton Companies. The alumni panel allowed him to reflect on and instill the importance of learning time management and organization skills in preparation for a full-time job after graduation.
All three alumni provided transparent advice when speaking with our current members, and told their personal stories on how BOLD has positively affected both their professional and personal outlook on the industry. BOLD continues to support and congratulate alumni who maintain the proper values taught by the agency in their careers and everyday life.
Click here to connect with Patricia, Tatianna, and Juan!
BOLD is a student-run strategic communications agency at Florida International University. Click here to learn more.
Written by: Carri Medina, Director of Public Relations