Beginning a journey of any career is never easy as there are many bumps. But to live a successful life one must not stop and turn around at every bump one will encounter, instead one must take them in stride. As Russell Warren once said, “obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated,” and a great example of someone who is dedicated to anything and everything he wants to do is Kean University student Julio Garcia.
Garcia is a senior and is majoring in communication public relations [PR]. “I always had PR in me,” Garcia explains, “people who know me want me to [go into] PR because I like to do promotion.” And as of right now, Garcia is currently the PR for the organization Association of Latin American Students [ALAS]. He became a part of this organization in the fall of 2014; “my friend is the president of ALAS and one day I decided to jump into a meeting and I became wrapped into it.”
Although his major is communication public relations, after graduating from Kean University Garcia would like to further his education by becoming a student of The Graduate School of Montclair University, “specifically the Educational Leadership/Higher educational leadership graduate program.” From then on he will begin a career in student affairs. “I would like to pursue a career in student affairs because I would like to work directly associated with residential life,” comments Garcia. He explains on how, although he lives just minutes away from campus, he decided to live on campus and how the decision of living on campus gave him a lot of opportunities to grow and learn. He further explains on how his time on campus wasn’t spent going to parties, instead he spent any free time “peer counseling other students who are thinking of living on campus,” as living on campus grants many benefits. He also spent his free time teaching Zumba classes at a local Zumba gym that unfortunately has been shut down.
What is great about living on campus is having a chance of becoming an residential assistant [RA], and Garcia had a chance to become one. He serves as an RA for the second floor of the New Freshmen Residents hall [NFRH]. “Being an RA,” says Garcia, “is something I have always wanted to do since my freshmen year of college.” Being an RA for two years and living on campus is something that will help him with his career in student affairs. “I’ve grown a lot while living on campus and would like others to grow and experience a lot while living on campus as well.”
Not only does Garcia have dreams of working in student affairs, but “I [also] have dreams of opening a PR Firm. The idea came to me while I was in high school.” He explains how he will like to name the future company J.A.G. Pr., with the three letters standing for the initials of his name. “Everything involves PR,” he explains, “whether it be promoting a business, or a band . . . it is also the fastest growing job because a PR is needed for almost anything.”
Garcia is one of the many students that do not take every opportunity given to him for granted. As many people say, when one finds an open door always walk through it, because who knows when opportunity will come knocking. Good luck to Garcia and with everything he does in the near future, and for everyone else keep a lookout for J.A.G. Pr.
