By Paula BarrantesImage via Kulture Hub Over the summer, Lebron James opened up the “I Promise” public school in the city of Akron, Ohio. Through partnering his foundation, The Lebron James Family Foundation, with the city of Akron Public Schools, James was able to open the elementary school designed to assist at-risk children. An Akron native, James wanted to help kids that are having difficulties attending school due to their living situations. James recalls missing 83 days of school because he and his mother were bouncing from home to home. Like James, the 240 students that will attend this school have been identified as “behind in critical academic areas and other factors.”
The name, “I Promise” is a combination of James’ quote saying he “promised to never forget where he came from.” Another essential part to the name of this school is how students and faculty begin each day with their “I Promise” pledge. The words to this pledge are also written in amongst two posts in the main lobby of school, where James’ game worn shoes also decorate the walls. The structure is a bit different than traditional schools. To begin, the school runs an 8-hour school day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will run from July through May all designed to assist students lacking at home support when it comes to school work. Staff is made up of 43 people, including tutors, English as a second language teachers, music instructors, and even four intervention specialists. Classes are made up of a 20 to 1 student to teacher ratio. I Promise students will receive free uniforms, school breakfast, lunch and snacks, free transportation for students who live within a two mile radius, a free bicycle and helmet, and starting 2021, a guaranteed tuition to the University of Akron for every student that graduates. James wants the school to be involved in every aspect of a child’s life, not just academics. James hopes to create a nurturing environment for the students, and hopes that each child is “inspired, and to come away with something that they can give back.” James received praise from famous athletes, celebrities and even former first lady Michelle Obama who took to Twitter to express how “proud” she was of James’ accomplishment. The inaugural class will begin with 240 third and fourth graders. By 2019 it will add second and fifth grade, and hopes to offer first through eighth grade by 2022. I Promise school may be the first of its kind because it goes above and beyond to improve each child’s life by being involved in every aspect, and also ensuring that each student has a guaranteed future once he/she graduates.
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By Nicole LombardoAt some point, every person has dreamt about being famous on Instagram, but Insta fame is not for the weak. Influencers have to be on top of the game, constantly following the newest trend so they are not left behind in the dust of more popular bloggers. Right now, there is huge market for beauty and fashion bloggers on Instagram. There seems to be hundreds of thousands of accounts that fall under this category, but it’s all about finding a niche to capitalize on and post about. Blogging on Instagram isn’t just about the photo, it’s also about the captions, hashtags, and interactions across the platform. Below are just some of this season’s newest trends that beauty and fashion influencers are using to gain a bigger audience. ![]() Warm color palette One Intagram blogger trend that has transitioned from summer into fall is a warm color palette for photos. In summer, blush pink, yellow, tan, and orangey hues were all the rage and that trend is now being translated into the fall season; this time keeping the warm tones and incorporating more orangey hues. Photos can be easily edited using the app VSCO or using photoshop. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to color grade your photos for a consistent palette. ![]() Gender-neutral clothing While dainty, girly outfits were once widely coveted, fashion bloggers are headed towards a more gender- neutral realm. This involves being draped in baggy sweaters and T-shirts, neutral colored cargo pants, and not to mention the sneaker craze. Unisex sneakers are gaining huge traction in popularity with some brands like Nike and Adidas being considered luxury sneaker brands. Interactive captions One way fashion and beauty bloggers are increasing their followers’ loyalty is interacting with them through the comments. Some captions that simply state “comment your favorite beauty brand” can make followers instantly feel more involved. An even better tactic is to respond to comments, so that followers can connect on a more personal level rather than being a detached audience member. It gets everyone involved in the conversation and has the potential to boost likes and follower ratios. Links to LIKEtoKNOW.it Liketoknow.it is an app that lets users shop their favorite beauty and fashion blogger’s posts. Influencers are utilizing this app to link each beauty and fashion product in their posts, so that followers can buy the same product. It can be especially beneficial for bloggers to use when they are promoting a certain brand.
By Natalie YoungSocial Media is increasing in popularity every day as it is how many people, worldwide, communicate with one another. It has always been free to use and is likely to continue to be free of charge in the future. However, how is such a massive online platform regulated and monitored for free? Just as social media is growing, social media marketing is growing even faster. Social media marketing is the method of advertising through social media platforms.
In years gone by, traditional advertisements were made for the mass market and not differentiated at all. Nowadays, however, social media platforms collect all the information we provide. From our initial basic profile, to every piece of information we share about our lives (hometown, work, school, university, and friends) to all our likes and dislikes and events we have attended. In the future, the range of information will only expand as we add more about ourselves, and agree to more terms and conditions. Facebook, for example, already can provide us with weather information to exactly where we are in the world. Marketers are willing to pay more money to market their products more specifically to who will buy them, based on the information they have shared on their profile. In the shocking example of this, a young girl, who before she had told anyone she was pregnant, received marketing material through the mail for baby products. Her social media activity had indicated she was pregnant and the site had sold this sensitive information to a marketing company. If this type of scandal has already happened, then how much more is this going to happen in the future? Every day we are providing more of our detailed personal information to these social media sites, only for them to use it for their own personal profit. Several social media marketing trends are predicted to take over in the next few years. There are the likes of artificial intelligence, making day to day tasks, quicker, more detailed and intimate. The idea of virtual spaces, taking the snapchat ‘maps’ to new heights with our own accurate avatars. Influencer and conversation marketing are also set to be soon mainstream. Next time you are adding to your social media profile, just remember not to share any details that you wouldn’t like marketers to know about you! By Natalie WallaceAs a college student, it’s easy to get swept into the fast-paced lifestyle that surrounds a university. Everyone is on the go, whether it be to class, to a club meeting or to study in the library, everyone has somewhere to be and something to get done. Admittedly, it can be extremely overwhelming, especially if you don’t feel on the same level as your peers, and you can feel lost or out of touch with what you’re actually doing there.
Although it’s difficult not feel this way, you shouldn’t feel discouraged. I can guarantee every college student feels this way at some point in their educational career. If you’re feeling this way now, there are some tools to help you in your career path! Here are five websites to help you kickstart your career. 1. Girl Boss Founded and run by Nasty Gal online clothing store founder, Sophia Amorouso, Girl Boss is a meeting ground for people who want to take control of their life and own their career. The website provides users with content that includes work, fun and play. There are real-life stories from working women, interviews with entrepreneurs excelling in their field and advice about work, money, wellness, beauty, identity and life. Articles range from “What book you should read on your lunch break” to “How to write a business plan-for real”. So whether you need some guidance on a career itself or specific ways to get things done, Girl Boss is a great place for you! 2. The Cusp The Cusp is run by Junkee Media and Westpac, two media companies dedicated to shedding light on the things that matter; “a guide to how to be better at all the important things in life.” They emphasize the idea that being in your 20’s is a difficult time. There’s so much to do: graduate from school, land a good job, excell at the job and continue to grow within that area of life. Then you need to balance that with everything else you have going on. They realize that it’s difficult to do all those things and do them successfully, so they create content to make it a bit easier learning how to handle them. 3. Refinery 29 I’m sure you’ve seen their quizzes on your Facebook feed or their entertainment clips on Snapchat, so you might be thinking really? This girl is reaching. Which I get because in this day and age, it’s hard to distinguish what websites are legit and what websites are just for fun. Although, seemingly just for fun, Refinery29 provides users with content across all boards. Topics range from entertainment, wellness, style, beauty, work, money, news, etc. So not only will you get advice on how to properly organize your school schedule with a social one, but you’ll also know what types of outfits are perfect for impressing a new employer! 4. Levo A website solely dedicated to helping you plan and navigate your career. The first thing you see when logging into Levo’s website is “Everyone has a purpose- let’s build a career you love.” Then they ask you to ask yourself three questions. What inspires you? What are your natural talents? What job would you love? Once you ask yourself those questions, Levo helps you find the answers. They provide users with articles of advice, mentorship opportunities and online courses. 5. Career Contessa Another website based solely on planning your career. Exclusively for women career building, Career Contessa gives users the opportunity to “build a career on their terms.” Not only does the website provide articles, videos and e-learning like other websites but it also has job listings for those searching! And if you don’t know what your plan is, they also provide a 28-day career kickstart where they help you choose a track, get advice and understand the field. Hopefully you feel a little less lost after delving into some of these websites and what they have to offer. Reading an article or watching a tutorial may not seem like it would be helpful to actually landing a job or getting that internship. But you’ll be surprised at what these websites will inspire you to do. By Monica HernandezWeber Shandwick is one of the world’s leading communication and marketing firms. And one of their most recent projects was for their client General Motors Co. (GMC), promoting the new “The Canyon Denali” model.
It's been over three years since General Motors’ midsize pickup truck, the GMC Canyon Denali, hit the market. To keep its model up to date, GMC added a diesel version of the Canyon Denali for users who like more heavy-duty trucks. Senior Associate Carly Pearline explained that in order to send a message out to their audience – vehicle owners who value luxury and need a heavy-duty vehicle - they reached out to Cowgirl magazine. Cowgirl magazine is a print only publication that reaches out to 892,000 subscribers that have a passionate interest in the “Western lifestyle.” The magazine features the best of the modern West including stylish accessories for horses, home, cowgirl fashion and luxurious dream getaways. Weber Shandwick flew six influencers to Colorado for a week to experience the high-end model and gave them activities that would make them experience the luxury of the truck. One of the activities the influencers were given was horseback riding. By doing this activity the influencers were able to experience the beautiful scenery in Colorado, which implemented the idea of the luxurious truck. The second activity, gave influencers access to a fancy dinner while experiencing the luxury of the truck on the road. Finally, The Canyon Denali campaign gave its influencers a luxurious experience with the combination of the truck and activities. For people who are looking to purchase a premium truck, the Canyon Denali is their best choice. The important fact about the Denali is that it is a premium car and a work pickup. There is nothing to sacrifice if you get one vehicle that can handle both duties. By Mia BradfordLet’s face it, we as college students do not have a lot of time on our hands. According to
research done by Georgetown University, over 70 percent of college students in the United States work on top of going to school. Not only that, but we shuffle around socializing, family and more, and time tends to not be on our side. Below are some tips to help manage time: Have your assignments written down and on display Homework and projects can sneak up on you and you can find yourself scrambling the night before to get it done. Having all of your upcoming due dates written down can definitely help keep you on track and prepare your schedule accordingly. Keeping a day planner is great to write down your assignments and other items that will take up your time. For me, I use the “stickies” on my laptop and write all my assignments and due dates there. That way, I have a constant reminder of what I have coming up. Find your routine and stick to it Between classes, work, social lives and sleep, there can be little time to fit anything anything else in. It is important to organize your schedule and find the right routine for you. Consistency is key, and once you’re able to set yourself to your routine, it’s easier to manage time and be able to get stuff done. Put your phone away. Just do it. Our phones are a blessing and a curse. We have access to worlds of information, can talk to anyone at anytime and just have fun on our phones. But, our phones are an addiction and it distracts us from what we need to do. According to eMarketer, U.S adults spend on average around 3 hours and 35 minutes per day on their phones. I am guilty of this as well as I find myself consistently distracted when I have my phone nearby. But in all reality, they are not helpful for when we need to get our stuff done. Put your phone in the other room, or tuck it away in your backpack. It can wait. Instagram and Facebook will still be there when you get your assignment done. Make sleep a priority Studies have shown that over 60 percent of college students are not getting enough sleep. That is not good. Lack of sleep has detrimental impacts on a person, so we need to make sleep a priority. Below are some of the negative effects that lack of sleep can do to your body: • memory issues • trouble with thinking and concentration • mood changes • weakened immunity • weight gain • high blood pressure • risk for diabetes • risk for heart disease • poor balance Sleep is so imperative and we need to make sure we get enough sleep so we can be our best and succeed. Accept sacrifices and value your rewards If you’re friends are inviting you out for Taco Tuesday, but you have an exam you need to study for, you know which one you need to choose. The FOMO (fear of missing out) definitely gets real in college, but you need to accept that these sacrifices will make up for it in the future. Giving yourself the time you need to pass your classes will be a greater reward than partying every weekend. Now, there definitely is room for balance, so you don’t have to miss every social gathering or time for yourself, but you need to know your limits. Education is so important and it doesn’t last forever, so work hard now and you’ll value the reward so much more. We work so hard as college students and sometimes it can be very overwhelming. Hopefully these tips will be able to help you through some tough times and push you toward success! By Marci Bott“College is stupid,” thought every college student ever at least once.
It interrupts your day, companies will use it as an excuse not to pay you, nothing makes sense, and no one knows where the administration office is. But most importantly, it eats up your time and often leaves students with the difficult choice of choosing to be a full time student with no job, a part time student with a job, or (occasionally when a crazy specimen comes along) a full time student with a job. Time constraints make resume building hard and you can’t just put you went to school on your resume and get a job anymore. Businesses want experience. I’ve noticed around me that my college brethren can sometimes be particularly picky when it comes to choosing their first or second jobs, saying they were offered a position here or there that they weren’t sure if they should take or not because it wasn’t in their field. That’s an outrageous concept to me, that someone would demand their first job in their area of study and deny any other offering they had. It is hard to get to where you want, it is a process, and it is something no one tells you about. I have taken every job I’ve been offered; I’ve worked graveyard shift at a fair, as a roller skating waitress, at a rabbit shelter, for ghost hunters, for food critics -- because I understand experience is experience regardless of what field it’s in. I admit I mostly took these jobs simply for having things to put on my resume, but I still learned a lot of useful things (like how long I can stay awake, hint: it’s three days). I’ve also been rejected a lot though, I apply to random jobs, but I also apply to big companies like Warner Bros and Disney. It can be frustrating to get a big ‘NO’ from places where you actually want to work, but that can’t stop you. I let it drive me to do more and help fill in the blank spaces where they saw reasons not to hire me. The point is, you should always take the jobs your given, you shouldn’t be picky about it, because anything and everything will help you. The perfect position will not fall into your lap, employers want experience and they want to see that you put yourself out there. By Makenna GeigerInternships are a must have in today’s day and age, and most importantly today’s job market. If you are a college student starting a career in public relations in the year 2018 without an internship mentioned on your resume, most employers will not take a second look. Now that it has come time to select one, there are a lot of hard decisions ahead.
There are thousands of different internship opportunities to choose from each year. Although it may seem like you are making a simple decision, it is important to understand the environment you choose to work within for the next few months, as it will affect the professional and personal experiences you will take away. In my own experience, I applied for 63 different internship opportunities, both in my hometown and even across the country. However, out of those 63 different possible employers, I had narrowed it down to two - a traditional, big city, agency with a “common” set up, and a non-traditional, small city, non-agency-like, “uncommon,” set up. Right off the bat the, the traditional internship is a “sure-fire,” way to gain experience and excel within your chosen field, in other words, a “safety net.” On the other hand, although a non-traditional internship might seem far-fetched and not worth your time, maybe that “uncommon,” experience will be the experience you need to take your career to the professional level. In my own experience, I decided to continue with a non-traditional sports internship, where I was the only intern in my department, had minimal in-office hours, but more creative public relations freedom to accomplish my goals. Although, I was under the direction of the Development Manager of the company, I was given all the freedom I needed to reach my goals. My superior encouraged me to bounce ideas off of her and come up with my own plan and agendas for the project at hand. After completing this somewhat “odd,” non-traditional internship, I look back and feel that this was the best decision for me at this time in my professional career. Although I may not have gotten to sit at a desk or follow strict guidelines in the big city, I was still able to advance my knowledge in public relations, in my own way. This doesn’t mean a non-traditional internship is always the way to go. I was lucky. So when you are entering the professional world don’t be afraid of an opportunity that may seem “out of the ordinary.” Some might find that traditional internship and thrive, but some might be looking for more of a challenge, more of their own ideas, and maybe even more freedom of expression. Internships are not going anywhere, companies will continue to offer them and students will continue to thrive within them. Therefore when it comes to traditional and non-traditional internships, it truly comes down to the student and what kind of experience they are looking for to advance their professional public relations career. A Profile on Holly Wade, a Former CSULB Journalism/PR Student By Katherine ShinnoHolly Wade is the founder and editor of “Club Crafted,” a DIY, food and lifestyle blog and content creation company. However, her initial career path after college was very different. She had a variety of jobs before working full time on Club Crafted. After graduating from CSULB in 2013, with a journalism/PR major and marketing minor, Wade had a marketing internship, which she enjoyed even though it was not very exciting. By fall, she had an internship with a small PR firm specializing in healthcare. It was easy, but again was not very exciting. In 2014, Wade continued her internship while searching for a full-time job. She discovered PR was not for her and looked for marketing positions, but found it to be difficult. “I went on at least a dozen interviews and ran into the usual problem of not having five years of experience even though it was an entry-level job and I had done internships,” Wade said. Finally, in May 2014, she landed her first job doing marketing communications for an IT solutions provider. Wade was thrilled the job required a lot of writing, which was actually the part she liked about her major. In 2015, she took blogging more seriously and bought a DSLR camera, resulting in better photography. After being forced to take on a more demanding role, she searched for a new job. “I really wanted to start a craft subscription box company, Club Crafted, and I thought starting fresh with a new blog would help me build up interest in the brand before launching. I focused the new brand around color and goofy ideas,” Wade said. In 2016, she secured a marketing manager position at an HR technology company. The job was flexible and independent, but she was isolated so it was hard to stay interested. In 2017, Club Crafted grew steadily, and since work was slow, Wade spent most of her time working on the blog. After leaving the company, she put herself out there with new brands and on social media, and relied on word of mouth from her first client to help her acquire new business. “September [2018] marked one year of freelancing full time. My income fluctuates dramatically month to month, with no benefits, no vacation, no sick days, no excuses and I’m so much happier than I’ve ever been in a job,” Wade said. Although she did not “like” her previous jobs out of college, they taught her what she liked and what she did not like. Wade was able to apply everything she learned from those jobs to her current business. She realized that whether or not you know what you want to do after graduation, those first years out of college will help guide you to what you actually want. “School and career teach you different things, so you don’t really need to leave school with a plan. Getting the first job will tell you a lot about what you want to do next,” Wade said. Don’t bore your followers to death, inspire them and make them laugh with the perfect messageBy Kat SchusterIt’s Friday at 11 a.m., a peak hour for posting on Instagram, and you just spent all morning, camera in hand, meticulously positioning your product in just the right light for a beautiful first post of the day. But just as you’re getting ready to post, you find yourself lost for words. You could just slap down a double heart emoji and tag #fridayvibes, right? Wrong.
Would you post a meme without the subscript? Captions are half the work and have a direct correlation to how many likes and follows you’re getting. While images are important, the captions are essential to helping you gain new followers and engaging your current audience. 1. Don’t bury the punchline The first sentence is the most important because it’s where the eye goes next after the photo, so you don’t want to blow it by starting off with a slow lead into your message. The app will cut off your words after three or four lines with a read more link so grab their attention by using a pun, a quote, substituting words for emojis or asking a question. Captions should generally follow this order: message and emojis first, mentions next and save hashtags for the end. 2. Write a draft, or several Unless there is a typo, please avoid editing your captions after they’ve been published. And yes, it does get noticed, even if it doesn’t have any likes yet. If you compose your message in a hurry and post it, it’s inevitable that you will rethink your caption once you see it on your feed. Use a scheduling app such as Later, Preview App or Hootsuite to see how your posts will look once they’re published. 3. Keep it simple Believe it or not, one liners with an emoji are going to be your best friend. You have 2,200 characters to write the perfect message, so you’ll want to use them wisely. This isn’t a blog, it’s more of a social gallery. Take up two to three lines with your message, add a few emojis, a mention or two, a few hashtags and call it a day. You can have a long caption every few posts, as long there’s a method to your madness. 4. Play tag Please do not use up half of your characters to hashtag everything under the sun, it’s too much clutter. Use four to five relevant hashtags instead. Place your mentions right after the message or within your message if you’re talking to them directly. If you’re just identifying someone in the photo, save it for the tag in the image. When you’re giving someone a photo credit, use the camera emoji before the mention. 5. What’s the point? Identify the goals of your account. Are you trying to create awareness for a movement, brand yourself or your product (or, ahem, sell stuff)? Have a call to action by asking your followers to post their own photos with a certain hashtag, repost for a contest, or direct them to a link in your bio. So let’s recap this simple but formulaic way to format your captions: Write a draft, use a planning app to preview, don’t bury your most important message, use emojis in your message, don’t edit after you’ve posted, save hashtags and mentions for last, have a call to action and, for Pete’s sake, please keep it brief. |
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