While at William Rainey Harper College (Harper College), I took business and gained several certifications through our online Pearson certification. Those certifications taught me various business etiquette and professional writing techniques. That class inspired me to keep up my business education through books, videos, and the news. 

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In my time on the Illinois Film and Video Club executive board, I gained experience working with a team whose goal was to further the club's growth and increase our financial standing. As social outreach chair, I strategized mainly with the Social Media Chair and the Treasurer to determine a better financing plan and maximize our marketing strategy. The Social Media Chair taught me a lot about her approach to posts, what programs she uses, what it takes to run a social media account, and so much more. I successfully developed a financing plan with my team and the rest of the executive board, which gained approval from our president. Our club retained high attendance throughout the year, and our semester event, which runs both semesters, had the highest turnout in five years. The 48-Hour Film competition for the fall and spring of my time on the executive board had seven and five teams, respectively. 

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The journalism department started incorporating social media journalism stories into the curriculum, and one of my social media stories was published with C-U Citizen Access, accessible under the 'Written Works' page. This development, along with a class called 'Social Media Content Producing for UI7 Newsroom', is an introductory course on posting on social media. I considered it an intro to social media. From my professor's perspective, I learned what brands and news outlets might expect versus what content creators or influencers might look for. This class inspired me to consider the content I consume, look more into the social media aspect of business, and gain insight into that form of business and content. Instead of passively consuming content on my social media accounts, I'm an active and thoughtful watcher, seeing what I and others enjoy out of content. 

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The 'This Week' recap show started as a pilot show on Vimeo and lasted about thirty minutes. Our head of the newsroom tested the project run for a few weeks before the studio began renovations and closed for the remainder of the semester. The renovations would go further into the following fall semester than anticipated, so the show was put on hold. Later in the fall semester, our head wanted the show to try out a social media run and have a shorter run time, with just an introduction to a single story rather than making it a long show. The show had also previously been more laid back and playful but took a more serious look for the social media run. We'd come in and record a few different recaps, which lasted a few weeks before the semester ended. Our head of the newsroom decided to do more development and take the semester to determine whether the show should continue. This experience gave me insight into how a weekly show runs and how one venture can change and grow into something new. 

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Business is a field I know about but didn't have the opportunity to attain higher education in. Still, my research skills enabled me to learn more and understand individual fields of business. I am proficient in marketing, management, advertising, health administration, and business administration. However, I'm excited to continue to apply what I learned to my career and learn from others as I move forward in business and social media.