I was born in Corpus Christi, TX but grew up in the small town of Marion, about 30 miles from San Antonio. With a population of around a 1000, I dreamed of the big city or at least a bigger city than Marion, with its one tiny grocery store. When I graduated from high school in 2001, one of about 80 in my graduating class, I knew exactly what I wanted to do; my dream was to become a sports broadcaster. Growing up, my dad and I developed a special bond over our love of sports, especially the San Antonio Spurs and St. Louis Cardinals. My dad always enjoyed explaining the ins-and-outs of basketball and baseball to my twin brother Ryan and me.
I took this passion with me to college, where I decided to pursue my dream of one day standing on the sidelines at the NBA playoffs, in the midst of all of the action. I left Marion and never looked back. After a year at UTSA, I transferred to Texas State University in lovely San Marcos. What transpired there would alter my plan, the life I thought I was meant to live. You see, I had another passion besides sports broadcasting…English. Some friends and family, who really thought they had my best interest at heart, convinced me to change my major to English and become a teacher. I did so, with little hesitation, as I was convinced that my dream of becoming a sports broadcaster was too unrealistic, too unreliable.
I graduated from Texas State in 2006 with an English teaching certification and got my first real job teaching Sophomore English at Vista Ridge High School in Cedar Park, TX. I thought that I could inspire the next generation and pass on my love of literature to them. I was naïve in this belief and I didn’t know how to handle 30 high school students in one classroom; college doesn’t prepare you for that. Things only got worse and I decided, during my fourth year teaching, that this was not what I wanted to do with my life. In 2010, I made the decision to once again pursue my dream of becoming a sports broadcaster by going to graduate school for mass communications.
Well you may be wondering why I’m now not on the sidelines at a sporting event. It turns out that over the last two years, I truly found my passion, my calling so to speak. This all happened during my time in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications’ graduate program at my alma mater, Texas State University.
While in the graduate program, I took several courses in online media and social media. I found my passion to write, to create things online and to connect with others through social media. Now, this does not mean I still don’t want to pursue a career in sports media. However, I realize that I don’t want to be on the sidelines with a microphone in my hand, but instead I want to use a pen and a computer and the power of the written word. I also know that I don’t want to limit my options to sports, I want to explore all that the mass communications field has to offer, especially online media. Now that I have this focus, comes the tough part…finding a job. Since I graduated in May 2012, I have been looking, searching for that next step, a job, a career that I enjoy and gives me a sense of purpose.
This has brought me to BrandKit. It combines my passion for writing with the skills I obtained in graduate school. I’m truly excited for the next step and to get the opportunity to help others realize what they want for their futures. I’m excited to work for a start-up that has students and recent graduates’ best interests at heart and wants to help them excel in their careers and in life in general. I also hope to discover even more about myself while working with the Next Step Chronicles bloggers, and I know that Chapter 3 of the Next Step Chronicles bloggers will provide some amazing insights into what college students and recent graduates face today and what they want out of life. I know that I will be inspired along with the readers. BrandKit will also give me the opportunity to write about various career-specific topics, which is great for me, because I will be able to learn a variety of things that will help me obtain my future career while utilizing my passion for writing and sharing with others. I can’t wait to get started at BrandKit and learn from this wonderful team!
