If there’s one thing I’ve learned about myself over the years, it’s that I can’t help but look beyond what’s right in front of me. Looking back, I don’t think I chose this career as much as it chose me. I’ve always been curious about why people connect with certain ideas, trust certain organizations, or remember certain experiences. Marketing and communications simply gave me a place to explore those questions every day.

I don’t just notice the website; I wonder if it’s creating the right first impression. I don’t just see a marketing campaign; I think about whether it’s actually moving the business forward. I don’t just read a press release; I ask myself if it’s telling a story anyone outside the organization would care about.

That’s simply how my mind works. I don’t think I realized it early in my career, but looking back, every opportunity I’ve had has strengthened the way I think.

I intentionally exposed myself to every area of communications and marketing because I wanted to understand how it all fit together. I learned how to build websites, create visual assets, write executive communications, develop marketing campaigns, manage social media, produce newsletters, coordinate events, pitch media, create communication plans, and support organizations from both a communications and brand perspective.

At the time, I thought I was just building a broad skill set. What I was really building was perspective. When you’ve worked across so many areas, you stop looking at projects individually and start seeing how every decision influences the next. You realize a website isn’t just a website. A social media campaign isn’t just content. A press release isn’t just an announcement. Every touchpoint either strengthens the brand or weakens it. That shift in perspective changed the way I approach my work.

One experience that stands out is my time as the Communications and Marketing Manager for Howard University College of Pharmacy. It was one of those positions where no two days looked alike, and honestly, that’s what I loved about it. Some days, I was focused on recruitment marketing or updating the website. On other days, I was developing executive communications, producing the Annual Report, supporting fundraising initiatives, planning events, or creating campaigns that featured the incredible work happening throughout the college.

But if you asked me what I enjoyed most about the role, I’d probably say public relations.

I love the challenge of finding stories that deserve to be told. To me, PR was never about writing a press release and hoping someone picked it up. It started much earlier than that. I spent time paying attention to what conversations were already happening in healthcare, education, and our local community; then I looked for opportunities where the work happening at Howard naturally fit into those conversations.

That meant looking beyond what we wanted to say and thinking about what reporters and their audiences would genuinely find valuable.

That approach led to earned media placements with NBC4 Washington, WTOP, and Black Enterprise, helping shine a light on the faculty, students, and research that were making an impact far beyond the university.

That experience taught me something I still carry with me today. People don’t connect with organizations because we tell them we’re doing great work. They connect because we show them why that work matters.