A Public Relations graduate from Boston University. I'm loving life in Boston and working in the field of communication.
I am a Boston University College of Communication alumna working as a Public Relations Assistant at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
My passions include volunteering, working with children, art and photography, traveling, speaking Spanish and all things Red Sox!
Perform administrative tasks for the Public Relations department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Assist with department-wide projects, including pitching, assembling clips, ordering images, writing media advisories and other media tasks
Write blog posts relevant to the Next Generation Insurance Group customer
Utilize Search Engine Optimization for the GradGuard blog
Assisted with Boston University Experiential Education programs throughout the summer and school year
Created an environment for team building and fun while explaining the historical significance of the city of Boston to groups between 10 and 25 people
Contributed to nonprofit accounts through social media outlets, blog posts, marketing impressions, calendar listings, press releases and client research
Attended company events and assisted with all aspects of public relations before, during and after events
Submitted relevant photographs and short descriptions about travel to an editor in a timely manner
Edited and developed high-quality photographic images for viewing purposes
Supervised house (summer) and floor (academic year) and facilitated respectful relationships with students and administrators
Participated in intensive training, including managing confrontation and conflict, reporting and paperwork procedures, and effective community building
Coordinated and promoted events with residents and other resident assistants
Assisted the Real Estate team through daily media monitoring as well as contribution to timely client reports
Connected with local and national media through Twitter (@REBostonPR), memos, pitches, media briefs and press releases
Served concessions to spectators at hockey and basketball games, concerts and special events
Provided customer service and managed money throughout the course of events
Assisted with public relations, administrative tasks and all media for the Boston University School of Management
Conducted research and compiled content for contribution to the SMG Twitter account, website and newsletter
Contributed to the Public Relations team through client research, social media updates, pitches, press releases, media lists and dashboards
Worked on various PR accounts including the Boston Red Sox, MedExpress, Pinehurst Golf and the Breeder’s Cup
Contributed to company blog through weekly posts
Utilized Search Engine Optimization for the Edhance blog and brand
Helped with day-to-day company documents, press releases and research by translating from Spanish to English
Worked specifically on the World Corporate Golf Challenge and the Ladies Golf Cup
Created media lists, tweets, blog posts, pitches and press releases representing various clients in the Professional Services and Public Affairs department.
Used tools such as Cision and Factiva for client research.
Facilitated the Common Ground and Sibling Orientation Programs during Boston University Orientation for eight university sessions throughout the summer.
Brought siblings and parents of university students to different parts of Boston, showing them the city and answering questions about Boston University.
Worked during Parents Convocation, Matriculation, International Orientation.
Took care of children and family pets during the day and some nights. This position includes transporting children to various lessons and camps as well as making meals and cleaning.
Everyone knows I love food trucks. I love food trucks almost as much as I love free food. Back in the fall, I did a post on my favorite Boston food trucks. Since then, even more food trucks have popped up in the city and I’d be doing them an injustice if I didn’t give a shout out to my favorites.
First off, my #1 favorite food truck in the world, Clover, recently got a new truck down at Boston Common. The Brewer Fountain Plaza was recently redone in May (I was lucky to be at the ceremony for it) and Clover now has a designated area to give delicious food to the hardworking people of downtown Boston.
Secondly, one of my favorite restaurants in the Boston area recently got a food truck. The Paris Creperie in Brookline–located a stone’s throw away from the Coolidge Corner Theater–launched la Tour Eiffel this spring. This unique food truck serves hot, yummy crepes all over the city. My favorite location is (of course) next to the St. Mary’s Bridge at Boston University. I never said I wasn’t biased. They’re also one of my favorite new Twitter accounts to follow. Why? While I was getting my crepe on the other night after work, the manager made sure to come outside, greet customers and engage them while they were waiting for their food. He asked us if we’d ever been to the store (my co-worker hasn’t been yet and I’ve gone so many times I could probably merit a loyalty card) and then proceeded to explain that if we followed the truck on Twitter, we’d get a free crepe the next time we stop by the truck.
Amazing.
Overall, this was possibly the best customer service and appreciation I’ve ever seen from a food truck–and that’s saying a lot, considering how often I frequent them. It’s great to see a truck not only engaging through customer service but also on social media. The free crepe deal is sweet, but ultimately the people aspect is even sweeter. Their Twitter account answers consumer questions and informs followers about new locations and successful days out in the truck. I will continue to happily follow @pariscreperie and encourage you to do the same.
And of course, make sure to visit the truck. Since it’s getting warmer out, I highly recommend the frozen Nutella hot chocolate. Mmmmm.
My spring break, broken down by the numbers:
I wasn’t actually planning on going to Montana for Spring Break (hard to believe, right?). I had put myself on the waitlist for ASB after I was unable to register in time to grab a trip and subsequently forgot all about it…until I received an e-mail about open trips. Needless to say, I was excited and put my name down for almost every trip with an open spot. The Tuesday before we were supposed to leave, I sent in my deposit to head to Missoula, Montana for a week of hunger-related community service.
I was overjoyed at being able to go on an Alternative Spring Break trip, especially since this year marked my last opportunity to ever participate in one. After hearing all the great things about ASB, I knew I was going to have an amazing week.
On Saturday, March 11th, I woke up early to meet my group and head to Logan Airport in a van. It was great to see the other flying trips (San Juan and Flagstaff were the two I remember seeing in the lot) getting so excited to leave for the week! When we met up at the airport, I could immediately tell that I was lucky to have a fantastic group. From the get-go, everyone was so friendly and funny. The week was destined to be awesome.
We connected in Minneapolis and touched down in Missoula around 8 that night. During our time in Missoula, the South Hills Evangelical Church (SHEC) served as our home base–we were lucky enough to receive air mattresses, food and hot meals from the parishioners, which was incredibly generous.
On Sunday, we woke up with a purpose: go to Glacier National Park. Even though the weather in Montana isn’t completely ideal for seeing a national park, it didn’t matter to our group. We had such a great time in the van getting to know one another that the 2 hour drive went by in a flash. Once we arrived at Glacier, we ate lunch at Lake McDonald (which Frank so lovingly confused with the fast food chain…in front of our guide Becky. She was not amused). We hiked through the snowy park and saw lots of rocks, trees and lichen (ugh) but no animals. However, the park was gorgeous and I can only imagine how breathtaking it can be during the warmer weather.
Monday was officially our first day of service. We began our day at the Montana Food Bank Network, where we met our site coordinator, Jeff (sigh). He was awesome. We did a lot of food-related work during the day, including rummaging through 2,000 pounds of potatoes and making bags of Cheerios for distribution. Of course, we had to have a dance party during service–when we came back on Friday, Jeff already had a boombox waiting for us with the radio on.
When the day was over, our group went into downtown Missoula and rode the 2nd fastest carousel in the United States of America. I definitely never thought I’d do something even remotely close to that. With our visit to the carousel came the first of many inside jokes and catchphrases (“Spring break!”). That night, a SHEC parishioner made us tater tot casserole, the first (and probably last) time I’d ever eat potatoes deep-fried in a pan.
The next day, we hopped in God’s Lifeboat–that was actually written on our van–and headed back towards Glacier for service at the Flathead Food Bank. The Flathead Food Bank is not just a food bank, though–it’s an enterprise. The owners are currently trying to open a furniture store, which resulted in us helping them move things all across the display area. We also got to work with another part of their business, the Flathead Food Bank Thrift Store. The thrift store is a new addition to the food bank and we helped fold clothes, stack shoes and prepare the store during the afternoon. Of course, we couldn’t help but poke around the store a little, too. Most of us wound up buying flannels and sweaters we later dubbed “Montana chic.” My fabulous baggy sweater only cost $3! And all proceeds from the thrift store help benefit the Flathead Food Bank.
Wednesday was a ridiculously busy and epic day for our group. We visited two service sites in the morning and afternoon and continued with a tour of the University of Montana. In the morning, we worked at Missoula 3:16, a soup kitchen for the people of Missoula. They didn’t necessarily end up needing our help with serving food, so we helped clean the entire place (it’s really small) and then engaged in some casual Bible trivia with the owner. Overall, very interesting. In the afternoon, we worked at the Missoula Food Bank. This site had all sorts of food-related activities for us–my small group and I stocked piles and piles of juice to be prepared for distribution later in the week. My friend Alyssa and I also worked on assembling healthy snacks for children as a part of the food bank’s focus on childhood nutrition.
The University of Montana is almost the complete opposite of Boston University. It is located in a grassy, green, open area with lots of spread-out buildings and mountains in the background. BU, well, we have a street (albeit a really, really, really cool one). We were able to see the Hall of Champions, the UMontana football stadium and the gym, plus we had dinner at their Food Zoo aka dining hall. But before dinner we hiked, the “M,” the 620-foot mountain with an “M” on it that all UMontana students climb at least once. The hike was…interesting. Let’s just say I haven’t used my hiking boots in probably ten years before this trip. However, the view from the top was completely worth it. We all made it up the “M” alive and subsequently had a reason to celebrate. And we did celebrate that night by watching “Mean Girls.”
On Thursday, our group took a trip to Idaho to visit the Jerry Johnson Hot Springs. These are natural hot springs buried 1.5 miles into the Idaho woods. In order to get there, we hiked a narrow trail through the snow (obviously snowballs were involved). Not going to lie, I was afraid we’d see a bear or something crazy but we made it there safely. The hot springs were small but super exciting! I had never seen one before and it was really fun to get in a bathing suit in the middle of a snowy forest in order to sit in something that felt like a bathtub. The hike back was so scenic–the woods honestly looked like a calendar or postcard photo. Katie summed it up perfectly by saying, “If you googled ‘beautiful nature,’ this is the view that would come up.”
Our group visited the Povarello Center (or “The Pov”) in the afternoon, where some of us painted and others helped with clothing deliveries. The Pov is one of Missoula’s most prominent nonprofits and it’s obvious why. The people who work there are dedicated to their jobs and providing people who are struggling with a helping hand. It was definitely one of my favorite sites.
Friday was our final day of service–the week had flown by! We returned to the Montana Food Bank Network and Jeff had lots of work waiting for us. During the morning, we made piles of food boxes for distribution–almost all of them were taller than me. It was also a great morning because a local TV reporter came by and interviewed Lindsey (our chaperone and the Community Service Center director), Haley and Frank! Check out the story: http://www.kpax.com/news/boston-university-students-serve-montana-community/
During the afternoon, we assembled more Cheerio bags until it was time to leave. As a group, I think we all loved the Montana Food Bank Network and wished we could have worked more with them over the course of the week. The other sites were amazing, though, and we left Missoula with a well-rounded view of what it’s like to be hungry and living in Montana.
Saturday was hands-down our biggest day of the trip. We decided to make the trek to Yellowstone National Park, a destination almost four and a half hours away from Missoula. Worth it? Absolutely. When we arrived, we were shocked at the spectacular beauty of the park. Our first destination was the Boiling River, where we stripped down to our bathing suits (and underwear for the 11 of us who forgot) and went in the freezing cold/scalding water. It was such a beautiful place to visit and an even better one to experience, even if it meant being cold and burnt at the end. We continued our excursion by driving the van through the woods. This was our first experience with animals in Montana and it was everything we wanted and more. We got to see bison in bulk, including when they blocked traffic! We also took a trip to a waterfall and Mammoth Hot Springs, which were both beautiful. On the way home from Yellowstone/YOLOstone, we stopped and got dinner at the Montana Ale Works. The food was delicious and necessary for our group–we really, really love food. A lot. After heading to bed around 2 AM, we had a wake-up time for 5:30 in order to get to our flight on time.
We didn’t need it. Our flight on Sunday ended up being delayed almost 2 hours and we missed our connection in Minneapolis because of it. The airport consisted of lots of stressing, calling and reflecting–we filled out papers with our names on it and wrote what each person contributed to this fantastic trip. Even though it was a long day, we still managed to have a ridiculously fun time together. Perfect group (totes perf). We flew from Minneapolis to New York and literally ran through the airport like the scene in “Home Alone 2″ so we could catch our plane to Boston. Stressful? Yes. Entertaining? Completely.
Thank you Christa, Katie, Catie, Brittany, Maiya, Kayley, Haley, Rosie and Alyssa for being such fun fellow volunteers during this incredible week. Kudos to Frank, Amanda and Lindsey for making our trip organized, fun and completely “T.” I will always keep this week close to my heart–we bonded, laughed, sang, danced and shared constantly. WHOO! SPRING BREAK!
I love Twitter so much. It’s a great way to share news, ideas, information and everything in between. The catch–how many of us can truly censor ourselves to 140 characters or less? It’s definitely hard sometimes but there are people out there who make their characters count. My favorite Twitter accounts are:
These are not the only twitter accounts worth following, but they are some of the ones that brighten up an otherwise cluttered newsfeed. If you’re not already on Twitter, I suggest getting one–even if you don’t tweet, it’s a great way to follow stories and news!
Did I miss any noteworthy accounts? And out of the ones I listed, who’s YOUR favorite tweeter?
As we all know, Boston University has gone through some serious media scrutiny over the past week. Campus morale has been low and we’ve seen plenty of news reporters and negative articles to keep it that way.
Although I may not be happy with what has happened at my school over the last few days, it does not stop me from loving the place I grew as an adult. BU has given me the opportunity to grow as a worker, student, leader and most of all, a person. During my 3 1/2 years here, I’ve seen firsthand how much the professors, administrators and students care about one another. This has not stopped.
Unfortunately, poor decisions have been made by a very select percentage of our student population. Our administration has been nothing but transparent and open with these issues–representatives issued media statements immediately and have made sure that news outlets, including BU Today and the Daily Free Press, contain all relevant information about what is going on here at BU. Instead of shying away from attention during a tough time, administrators such as our Dean of Students Ken Elmore have reached out to BU students. His weekly Coffee and Conversation group talked about sexual assault and the issues facing our campus this past afternoon, allowing input and discussion from students and administrators across campus.
Obviously not everyone is in agreement about these issues and that’s fine–we’re a campus with a diverse student population that contains many opinions, one of the many things I love about the school. But before you accuse the school of wrongdoing or promoting a negative culture within its student body, ask yourself, “What would my life be like without BU? What has this university done for me?” BU opens many doors academically, professionally and intellectually for its students. Please don’t forget that during these troubled times.
Last night, all Boston University seniors had the 115 Days Until Graduation Party at our student union. Needless to say, it was amazing–but it was also kind of a slap in the face. We’re all graduating soon and there’s so much at BU and in Boston that I still haven’t done! I really don’t know where I’ll be next year (although I’m definitely going to be sticking around the city for the summer for my internship).
Like many other seniors–I’m sure–I’ve started considering what I should do during my final four months at this awesome school. So here’s my BU Bucket List, aka a list of things I want to do at BU and in the city before May 20, 2012.
Am I missing anything? What do you have on your BU bucket list?
Since “30 Rock” starts its 6th season next week on January 12th, I figured a love note would be the best way to celebrate the return of such a fantastic show.
Dear “30 Rock,”
Thank you for being an epic, funny ray of light in a TV universe full of gross reality shows (I have already written a post dedicated to my disdain for “Jersey Shore”) and programs about vampires, which I will never like or understand. Before all tweeting Americans saw Alec Baldwin as a Words with Friends addict, approximately 3.6 million viewers were already aware of his cringeworthy hijinks as Jack Donaghy–if only Sanchester, Massachusetts were real, am I right? In case Tina Fey couldn’t get more awesome from “Mean Girls” and “Saturday Night Live,” “30 Rock” turned her into a comedy goddess and idol for all awkward, sparrow-loving, German-speaking girls across the world (I think).
“30 Rock,” you made every boy wish he could have his own Werewolf Bar Mitzvah and every girl unashamed to embrace her “Jenna” side. You made me appreciate people I didn’t know very well when I heard them slip quotes like “I’ve got something on my mind grapes” or “Verrry wool” into a mundane conversation. One of my favorite things about you is the increase in viewership for certain Kim Jong Il-related YouTube videos–from one of my personal favorite episodes, “Everything Sunny All The Time Always”– after his recent death.
On January 12th, I’ll be sure to spritz on some Enormé, grab my night cheese in my Slanket and enjoy the return of my favorite TV show. Thank god you were easily watchable on Netflix during this seemingly endless gap.
Love,
Tori
With Christmas only a scary sixteen days away, I’ve been racking my brain for gift ideas. What could my family, friends and co-workers want that I’m pretty sure they don’t already have?
After taking into consideration that this is New England and I still am a college student, here are the best ideas that (very little) money can buy:
Hope these suggestions help with the last-minute Christmas shopping!
Although Halloween hasn’t actually happened yet (minor technicality since it’s October 30th), we’ve been scared enough already here in Boston. With biting cold, crazy wind and–oh right–a snowstorm that has caused hundreds of thousands of power outages in Massachusetts, we’ve survived a very atypical Boston Halloweekend.
So here are some lessons we can take away from this crazy, snow-filled weekend of Halloween 2011 (in no particular order):
October 23rd, 2001 may not have stood out as a pivotal day in our lives but it definitely should. Why? Because that was the day the first iPod EVER was released to the public.
Just a few days ago, the iPod celebrated its 10th birthday. Even though I was only 12 when it first came out, I remember being fascinated by the 1 kid at my middle school who was lucky enough to own one. The first generation iPod might not have been the sleekest, coolest product out there but it was way more efficient than CD players, stereos and the now-defunct Walkman.
I was a proud 15 year-old owner of a pink (!) iPod mini (does anyone remember the gold ones? Or when U2 made an iPod?). Fascinated by the fact that all of my music could fit onto a little tiny device with a black and white screen, I brought it everywhere with me. Sadly, the mini’s battery didn’t last that long–by my junior year of high school, it was pretty much dead. But my first foray into digital music literally changed everything about how I listened to the songs I liked and took them with me everywhere.
Once my mini died (I still have it to this day because I couldn’t part with something I loved that much, even if it doesn’t work), I bought the 80gb iPod classic so I could store songs, photos and video on one color device. Not only did it survive my senior year of high school, my iPod made it through my first three years at BU, including my very iPod-reliant study abroad period in Madrid. Apple has really done a great job with improving the iPod battery over these past 10 years. It is a day-to-day product that lasts far longer than the average electronic device like a smartphone and even some laptops. While I do not own an iPhone yet, I’m not opposed to getting one when my phone is due for an upgrade next year.
Basically, this post is a dedication to the iPod–I don’t think I would have been able to survive high school, college and study abroad without one. It’s a product that has changed all of our lives in one way or another and we have a whole corporation to thank for it.
What was your first iPod? Can you imagine life without portable music? And how is it already 10 years old?
Over the summer, my friends Chris and Alison introduced me to the (many) food trucks in Boston. After recently completing my study abroad program in Spain, I was eager to try new foods and avoid spending lots of money. Food trucks were the perfect solution.
Now you can’t go half a mile without seeing these trucks on BU’s campus. In the city of Boston, they’re in Cleveland Circle, Fanueil Hall, Copley Square and the South End at SOWA Open Market.
I’ve been lucky enough to eat at Clover (a vegetarian truck), Bon Me (delicious Vietnamese food), The Dining Car (best bread ever), Roxy’s Grilled Cheese (gourmet grilled cheeses for around $5) and Kickass Cupcakes (need I say more?). Each one is totally unique and awesome, but my favorite is definitely Clover. Their chickpea fritter is the greatest food truck product ever. It’s a sandwich filled with pickles, onion, hummus and all sorts of vegetarian ingredients–I’m not even a vegetarian, but I totally appreciate Clover’s meat-free approach to food.
What makes these food trucks so awesome?