Hop into my Passenger Seat...

Hello Dolls! So for my first post, I wanted to give you a bit of information about who I am, what I do and of course where I'm going. I mean really wouldn't you like to know a little more about your driver before hopping in their passenger seat? Of course you would! Okay, so let's get started.

Basically, my name is Maria, I'm 22 years old and I have the worst birthday ever...Christmas Eve! I know I must have been a great Christmas gift for my family, but really I think we'll all over it. Christmas is family time, so this means no special Maria-time. <sad face> You see, I'm of Puerto Rican descent, and so Christmas Eve is virtually more important than Christmas itself so my birthday is always just the underlying theme of the day rather than the highlight. I'm definitely working on changing that though.

Anyway, more about my background. In high school I had aspirations of becoming a dentist but that all changed one day when I realized that I had a passion for cars. I had no clue when, why, or how it started, but for some reason I'd always rip pictures of cars out of magazines and stick them up on my wall. I've simply always admired the beauty, the power and the amazing technology of cars. So I decided that I'd take a risk and instead for following my conscious dream of becoming a dentist, I'd run with my passion and study to become an Automotive Technician. So I did. As an undergraduate I majored in automotive technology and became a technician.

I worked on cars for the majority of my time as a freshman and sophomore, then one day decided that I'd try something more and went into diesel maintenance, i.e. working on buses, and honestly that was a decision that changed my life forever. I completely hated it. It was dirty, it was stressful and most of all it was extremely physically exhausting. That's when I realized that yes I loved the automotive industry, but I had to find a way to make it work for me, a strong, intelligent career woman. That's when I moved into automotive business. I figured that by going more into the business side of things that I could find a place for myself, but again experience taught me otherwise. Upon graduation I got my dream job of working as Assistant Service Manager at a Toyota dealership in Manhattan, but I wasn't fulfilled. I felt that I was meant for more. Imagine graduating from college and obtaining a job in your desired industry that people work years to attain. Yes I was proud, but I was left with the problem of "Where do I go from here?" I tried it for a year, but I just couldn't do it. Again, I needed more. Therefore I quit my job and took some time to reflect a little more on who I am and where I want to be. That's when I found automotive public relations.

Automotive PR would allow me to still be in my industry of choice, but it'd allow me to do more. I could help shape the image of these companies that I care so much about. An image that recently has been very negative. That's why during my time here at Newhouse I'm just trying to get a better understanding of this field as to see where I fit the best. Would I work better in an agency that has an automotive department that works on various automotive accounts? or would I be better off working at one of my favorite automotive companies working solely for them? I can't lie, I'm still very much learning a lot about public relations and how I can use this degree to achieve my goals, but I'm very excited for the journey.

So now that you know more about me, hop in, fasten your seat belt and get ready for a wild ride!