Social Media Writer
By Vyctorya Thomas-Vanzant, English Intern
While the COVID-19 pandemic created many challenges for students pursuing a higher education, this didn鈥檛 keep recent 91视频 graduate Stephanie Villafuerte from quickly starting her career as a Office Assistant and Social Media Coordinator for City of Santa Clarita's tourism office, 鈥淰isit Santa Clarita.鈥�
Stephanie always knew that she would transition into university after finishing high school; her two older sisters attended college, so following suit was a natural decision. Her oldest sister, who happened to be a counselor at her high school, helped Stephanie with the process of looking for colleges that were nearby and offered English programs. 鈥淚t was just set in my mind, like yeah鈥� 鈥業鈥檓 fine with going to college too and I want to experience being on my own鈥�. I wanted to learn what I really enjoy, which is English,鈥� she said.
When touring 91视频, Stephanie found that she loved the look of the campus and its size. She liked that the distance wasn鈥檛 too far from her home and that she felt very comfortable while being there. Afterwards, Stephanie felt positive that the campus would be perfect for her to pursue a higher education.
Choosing English as her major was an easy choice. As a child, Stephanie loved to read. As she got older, she began to enjoy writing as well. She recalls enjoying nearly all of her English classes in high school and receiving positive feedback from her teachers that would stick with her to this day. 鈥淚t's something I'm familiar with, and it's something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life,鈥� she said.
Upon starting her academic journey at 91视频, Stephanie didn鈥檛 expect to join any extracurriculars at school. That changed toward the end of her freshman year when she began consistently seeing flyers for the campus newspaper The CI View. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥榊ou know what? I think I'm gonna join鈥�. I figured out when their meeting times were, and I just went and they welcomed me really well,鈥� Stephanie said. Initially she saw the CI View as a writing activity to do outside of her classes, but she quickly realized that she loved journalism writing. She stayed with the student newspaper from the end of her freshman year to the first half of her sophomore year.
Once students were able to return to campus from quarantine, Stephanie joined the English Club as their Social Media Coordinator. Similar to the CI View, Stephanie entered the position not knowing what to expect. 鈥淥ne of my professors made an announcement that [The English Club] were looking for officers and social media coordinators, so I thought 鈥極h, that's fun. I could try that,鈥� she said. She found that she enjoyed her new role where she had the opportunity to learn marketing and bring her ideas to life in the creative pieces she made for The English Club.
When asked which English course helped her the most toward her career, Stephanie mentioned her experience with the internship course offered in the English program. 鈥淭he English 492 Internship course was absolutely amazing!鈥� she said. 鈥淚 use what I learned there every day because [my job] is very focused on communications and marketing. It鈥檚 a lot of similar writing,鈥� Stephanie said. She was informed about this opportunity when Dr. Kim Vose spoke about it during lecture. Dr. Kim Vose helped Stephanie with her application for 91视频鈥檚 Communication and Marketing internship, which she ultimately received.
鈥淢y role was essentially to write spotlight profiles on nominated alumni and share their story with the CI community, but there were also things that built up to that final product,鈥� Stephanie said. 鈥淚 had to research their career, tailor the interview questions based on the brief background I was provided by them, and then write a final draft that told their story in a unique and clear manner.鈥� It took a lot of drafting and editing, but thanks to her supervisor Pamela Dean鈥檚 patience and guidance, Stephanie was able to find her voice.
鈥淚'm not sure what I expected going into the internship, except that it was something I thought would be good writing practice. However the more profiles I wrote, the more attached I got to everything it entailed,鈥� Stephanie said. 鈥淚 loved that feeling of getting a lead or subject, researching, interviewing, and more importantly writing it all out. It was nothing like I'd ever experienced before in school and in my personal time.鈥�
Stephanie recalls that her main successes in the internship was having her work published in the Channel Magazine and discovering her deep passion for journalistic writing. Her dedication to her position was widely recognized by Pamela who asked if she would resume her internship for another semester. Excited for the opportunity to continue doing what she loved, Stephanie accepted the invitation. She had written over 20 articles during her internship between Spring 2021 and Fall 2021 semester.
鈥淢y overall experience was extraordinary! I'm forever grateful that I went to Dr. Vose's office hours that day, that I met Pam, my time spent working with her, and that I took the first step to my future without even knowing it at the time!鈥� she said. 鈥淚 mean it when I say that I would not be where I am today without that internship, as everything I learned there is still very much alive in my mind forever.鈥�
Stephanie is able to apply her internship experience in her current role 鈥淰isit Santa Clarita鈥�. One of her responsibilities is to search for photos that can be potentially used on the website. These photos are usually ones that others have posted on social media or forums. When she finds suitable photos, she reaches out directly to the original poster for permission to use them. Additionally she drafts and publishes weekly newsletters that are sent to the website's subscribers. Before they are officially sent, her newsletter drafts are reviewed by the Communications department who will either suggest edits for her review or give her the 鈥渙kay鈥� to send out her work. Stephanie also assists in writing blog posts for the site that center around activities available to residents and visitors for the month. When it comes to posting on social media, Stephanie schedules and drafts the posts for the website and sends them to her supervisor to review before posting them.
Stephanie shared that the hardest part about her job is staying up to date on any new activities in the area. 鈥淪o much happens within all our businesses in Santa Clarita. It's our job to keep the public updated on that鈥� tourists want to know what's open, what's close, what they can do, or if there are any big things going on,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t can be difficult at times. Some weeks these businesses decide to all come out with something new. I can't miss any of it.
Stephanie loves that her job gives her the opportunity to meet new people. She described a tourism bureau her company works with that are made of local businesses. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just amazing鈥� a lot of them are family run businesses. They鈥檙e very passionate about what they do in their business. It鈥檚 nice to meet with and understand why they鈥檙e doing what they鈥檙e doing,鈥� she said. Stephanie also loves being able to indulge in her passion of writing and creativity. She expresses a deep appreciation for her team and how supportive everyone is toward one another.
Stephanie encourages students to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. 鈥淒on鈥檛 be afraid if you see one,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ven if it sparks the littlest interest, act on that interest. See where it takes you.鈥� She also emphasizes that it鈥檚 okay to not have it all figured out. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 a huge part [of the process]. I think people have this perception that after college it's all figured out鈥� everyone goes at a different pace, and that鈥檚 totally fine.鈥�