This might be my favorite entry because I get to reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly emotions I experienced when I graduated college. This one is long, but everybody loves a good story right? Enjoy!
May 3, 2014, Graduation Day was one of the best days of my life. My support team was 11 deep. My classmates and I were so lit. The day was perfect. I was done, but what next?
I stayed in Miami after I graduated and worked at my alma mater over the summer. After some unsuccessful attempts at employment, I landed a paid communications internship at Johnson & Wales University, North Miami campus. I worked under the Director of Communications & Media Relations, and alongside work-study students my age. I have a passion for arts and education, so this internship was ideal. JWU also had some interesting academic program offerings.
I worked on the installation and unveiling of their 12ft, 50-ton granite wildcat sculpture monument, annual Zest awards, participated in plenty of tasty hospitality showcases, facilitated photoshoots, and edited their student magazine, the Wildcat. It was a great experience but I was ready to find real work.
When that internship ended, I was left once again feeling stuck. I ended up working in the admissions office at FMU until I could find something in my field. However, it didn't quite work out that way in the beginning. I went through the post-grad highs and lows. Career-wise, I was depressed but enjoyed life as best as I could. After all, I was in Miami. I also adored my admissions co-workers. They made the time pass by easily.
On the job search, I may have gone on nearly ten interviews. My goal was to get a feel of what companies look for in public relations candidates. I gathered that most employers in South Florida wanted a bilingual employee who spoke English and Spanish or Haitian Creole. I understood the logic. Miami is diverse and PR essentially is a communication function.
Because I know he’s going to read my blog, I must make mention that every time I spoke to my dad about my employment hardships, he’d suggest I get into the IT field. It was a hard no for me. He always talked about the money and the high demand for minorities in the tech industry. If I had listened, I’d probably be making six figures by now, but my heart just wasn’t there. Welp.
A shift happened when I traveled to the Bahamas in May of 2016 for my close friend Christina’s baby shower. Christina is my college bestie and we’re both PR graduates. On my visit, I realized how much I missed island life. Everyone greeted me. The food was amazing. The air was fresh. I was relaxed. While there, I expressed my frustration with the job search to Christina, and that keeping up with the fast life in Miami was starting to get overwhelming. She simply asked me, why I didn’t consider going back home.
I did not have an answer besides that I felt it would mean I failed to "make it." Then it dawned on me that I was turning my back on the place that raised me. Like, whose idea was it that made home inferior to the states? I shifted my mentality and decided that if I didn’t find gainful employment by the end of the year, I’d return home and figure out my next move there. I was an overachiever, so I’d be good regardless.
Summer ’16 in Miami was literally the best ever. I should have known something was up.
In July, I was informed of a public relations vacancy at the VI Department of Education. After two phone interviews, I was extended an offer to become a public relations specialist for the department. I was going home ❤️ Well, the vacancy was in St. Thomas. Not home, but home.
You see what happens when you let go of things that hold you back? I welcomed the idea of moving back home and a job fell right in my lap.
Welcome to Rock City
I packed up and left Miami on September 6, 2016. 😊
I was nervous but excited. My sister lived on island, so I stayed with her until I got an apartment shortly after in November.
My first day on the job was stimulating. After living in Florida for so long, being around people that look and talked like me was an underrated blessing. The transition was pretty easy. What I loved about Education was the broad range of topics and activities I covered. I’d easily go from covering a school concert to attending a senate hearing to shooting content for a tv show and then I’d end up playing duck, duck, goose in a classroom of 1st graders, all in a week. It was a lot of work, yet, very rewarding and most importantly, it kept me satisfied.
My office neighbor and coworker, Luis Ible, made sure I was comfortable. Over the months, I’d come to realize the cultural icon whose presence I was blessed with daily.
It also helped that I was from St. Croix. I learned Crucians make the best St. Thomians. 😉 My position was on the state level, so I worked between both districts. The entire staff welcomed me with open arms.
Sidebar: You must have empathy to work in public relations; you have to be kind, confident, trustworthy, and understanding. I think that's what sold the good people on me. Not to mention, I truly enjoyed going to work every day so I repelled negativity.
Needless to say, I was happy in my first official public relations job.
About six months into the job, my boss announced that she’d be leaving. I was a little sad because I had gotten used to her leadership and guidance being new to the workforce. Moreover, I was completely shocked to find out that she’d recommended me to the commissioner for her job, the public relations director. 🤯Floored, I tell you. I just got there, and I was only 23 years old. How sway? Why me? Lol but really and truly, why not me? I was a fast learner, I was dedicated, I knew my job and I had the drive and passion for both public relations and education.
If you’re anything like me, you know you have to talk to grandma about life-changing decisions. So by all means, I had to call up my girl. My grandma spoke good sense into me and all of a sudden I was ready.
I spoke with the commissioner and was quite impressed by what she told me about myself.
My dad and Uncle Jeff would always say “when you think nobody’s watching, they’re paying attention to every detail.” True vibe indeed.
I agreed to take the job and for the next few months, I was literally in training every day. Fun!
I officially started on August 1, 2017, before the school year started and things were going good so far. Because I was so young and full of energy, the universe decided I’d be a good candidate for baptism by fire. Ha!
After a month on the job and a year to the date I moved to St. Thomas, Hurricane Irma.
The end. Stress ok.
Ok not quite the end at all, but I’ll just say that that energy, youth, passion, and drive kicked in high gear.
I volunteered to work in the Joint Information Center (JIC) at VITEMA hours before the hurricane made landfall. I secured my apartment, packed a bag, and headed down to the headquarters to brace for impact. It was brutal but I’m grateful that I was safe, dry, and surrounded by lots of prepared people. I was living alone and had never even ridden out a thunderstorm alone.
Over the next couple of weeks and months, I worked round the clock disseminating information for all government agencies via the airwaves and online to those who had access. I facilitated media tours with the likes of the Bloomberg group, Vice News, ABC News, etc. My time spent working in the JIC was exhausting and emotional, but I don’t regret one moment. It was a unique experience I hope to never encounter again.
I slowly transitioned back to my role as the public relations director and it was more challenging than I’d ever imagined. We were tasked with getting students back into school and figuring out a game plan for the damaged facilities. It was far from perfect but I am proud of the work I put in and my contribution in such a humbling time.
To wrap up, I absolutely loved working for the Department of Education. Good VIDE, bad VIDE, I knew the role I signed up for and I took the praises and the harsh criticism with a brave face. I really did it for the precious Virgin Islands children. My heart 🥺 I also met some of the most beautiful people there and made a handful of lifelong friends.
You know I’m not afraid to namedrop so here goes: My Education faves are Kiana, Dionne, Ible, Kalamis, Sarah-Ann, Shamika, Krystal, and Luben, to name a few.
…The story ends here. After two and a half years, I decided it was time for me to move on. Although I truly loved the job itself, "all that glitters is not gold." The workplace was quite toxic. I experienced my fair share of ageism for being a young director. I was also ill-prepared for Virgin Islands politics. So, I decided it was time to leave and that also meant, packing up and moving back home home, to St. Croix 🥳
I won’t discuss my next job, because I’m currently employed. Looking back, I had a short but pretty exciting career thus far. I hope that through my reflective writing on this blog, I'm able to create and manifest the life I envision as I approach my 30th birthday next year.
Love & light,
Keev ❤️
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