Nicole Martins Ferreira - Self Assessment

Hi, I'm Nicole Martins Ferreira! I'm an ambitious student who constantly wants to explore, learn something new and express my creativity.

I'm extremely passionate about extreme sports. I have been skydiving, bungee jumping, mountain biking, rock climbing, snowboarding, etc. I think it's important to challenge yourself, face your fears and take risks. Before any major risk though, I always do a lot of research. It's important to have all of the facts before making a huge decision.

I love baking, running, and learning about business ethics. I also love trying new things and uncovering new interests. I'm always interested in going on an adventure!

I also really love going to conferences. I have been to a wide-range of them: social media, advertising, bioethics and leadership. I absolutely love learning new things.

Since I have started university, I have always been involved in student government. I've developed leadership skills, learned how to do creative writing, and implemented new initiatives. Being involved in my community is one of my greatest passions.

On June 13th, 2011 I graduated from McMaster University with a Combined Honours degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies. It allowed me to express my creativity, learn about things from different perspectives, and develop my writing skills. I learned to be analytical and problem solve effectively. McMaster University was an incredible school because it celebrated diversity and made me develop a great respect for people of different backgrounds-- everyone.

I'm currently enrolled in a Public Relations program at Mohawk College. I have over a 90% average. I'm in the program because it combines many of my interests-- writing, advertising, corporate social responsibility, public speaking and problem-solving. I love writing. Last semester, I received a 98% in my Public Relations Writing class.

I worked at McMaster University for three years doing data entry and events and marketing work. My boss loved to challenge me, which I always appreciated. I used to have a fear of public speaking so one time she asked me to do a short presentation-- in front of 700 people! I was terrified at the time but now I love public speaking. When I worked as Vice-President Communications of the Inter-Residence Council I coordinated a delegation for a conference, created promotional material, updated social media Web sites and had meetings with various external partners. That year I won the Ontario Communications Coordinator of the Year from the Ontario Residence Hall Association.

I created a video of where I see myself in the next 1, 3, 5 and 10 years.

My First YouTube video

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IABC Gift of Communication and IABC/CPRS Holiday Humbug

    Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been busy with a lot of assignments and minimal adventures outside of the public relations world. However, the world of public relations is exciting! I'm truly looking forward to entering the field. To be successful in the industry, I have volunteered to participate in every public relations opportunity that I am presented with.

    The IABC recently ran an event called the "Gift of Communication." I was essentially there to help Halton Support and Housing by providing some public relations advice . I was asked to help them out with some marketing ideas that cost little to no money. I had a long list of ideas. However, I froze. I've never had that happen to me in my entire life. It was mortifying. It was my first time sitting at a table to give some public relations advice with other industry professionals at the table. If it were just me and them one-on-one I'd be fine. I've been in those types of situations plenty of times. It was the fact that there were other public relations practitioners at the table that intimidated me. Normally, I'm fairly confident. My ideas usually receive positive feedback. I was so excited for this event and yet so disappointed with myself because I let myself down. After the event, I thought about everything that went wrong. I made a list of all of the things that I need to do next time so that I don't freeze up and to help boost my confidence. Fortunately, I don't give up too easily. I will be signing up for a lot more public relations events to gain experience discussing with clients and share my ideas with them. After all, I am an idea machine.

    Last night, I attended the IABC/CPRS Holiday Humbug. I signed on as the Volunteer Coordinator to maximize my experience with a public relations event. It was quite a bit of work added onto my schedule considering it is the busiest time of year, academically. Nevertheless, it was a great opportunity to work with industry professionals. The event ran smoothly. I had the opportunity to speak with many individuals. I saw some old friends that I didn't even know were in the field. I gained a bit more confidence.  I was chatting away the entire night. I had an amazing time! A lot of people commented on my goals and how they respected how clearly defined they were. For those of you who don't know, my biggest career goal is to work in the financial industry and to create a positive public image with a strong use of ethics. I want to get the organization I work for on the World's Most Ethical Companies list. It's pretty ambitious but I tend to reach every goal I set out for myself.
    The most frustrating aspect that I tend to encounter at networking events is how forceful people are when it comes to their opinions on what I should do with my life. I am open to people's suggestions. However, one person will tell me to go after my dreams and another will strongly advise against them. Thus, while people are highly opinionated on what my next career steps are, there tends to be various opinions. I feel as if I need to just trust my own instincts. My instincts have always been right up until this point. I just need some time to sit down, create an action plan for what I need to do immediately upon graduation and then live it out.
    I'm really looking forward to the holidays that start on December 16th. I wish you and your families a safe and happy holiday season. My next blog post will likely be after I pursue my next extreme sport adventure, which won't be until after it begins to snow. It'll either be snowboarding or ice climbing.

Wait or Go?

Whenever I lack inspiration, I turn to one person and one person only: Samuel Beckett. In particular, his work Waiting for Godot is highly inspirational. It'll only take the average person a couple of hours to read since it's a play. However, you can't read it only once. The first time I read it I had no idea what it was about and didn't appreciate it. Nevertheless, we had to write an essay on it so I went and read it a second time. When I finished reading it the second time, it still didn't make complete sense but I felt like there was more to it than I originally thought. The third time I read it, it all made sense, despite it being Beckett. If I hadn't been told to write an essay on this text, I would have been deprived of so much inspiration since I didn't really enjoy reading it the first time. Now, the text gets me through every rough time I ever experience. If I don't feel inspired to make a difference in the world, I spend a couple of hours reading Waiting for Godot and I'm excited to get back on the right track.

To be honest with you, you may read it and interpret the text differently so take my perception of what the text is about with a grain of salt. Essentially, the story is about two protagonists Vladimir and Estragon waiting for Godot to come. Spoiler Alert: Godot never comes. In life, we're constantly waiting for people or moments to come. We expect opportunities to present themselves. Yet, we never actively look for them. On average, people are passive. As a result, our lives become routine. We don't push ourselves hard enough to seek new opportunities. We merely aim to have the basic necessities and fulfill the basic duties. We really take our lives forgranted. Vladimir and Estragon wasted their time waiting for Godot to come, however, they never appreciated the time they were spending. They bickered with one another, complained about waiting and wasted their lives away. It is really easy for all of us to do the same. It's really important to throw yourself off every now and then. It's also really important to have a bit of fun. Life is a journey. Each moment should be cherished. There are some really good passages and quotes in it as well. I'll post some of the quotes below yet I really recommend reading the text. Reading a quote out of context is like talking to a person for 10 seconds and acting like you know their whole life story. You don't and you won't. When you read the quotes within the text and read the story as a whole, it's magical. I have never been moved so much by any text. Samuel Beckett is a genius.

Quotes

"Tomorrow everything will be better"

Estragon: "Let's go"
Vladimir:"We can't"
Estragon: "Why not?"
Vladimir: "We're waiting for Godot"

"We are all born mad. Some remain so."

"Let us not waste our time in idle discourse! (Pause. Vehemently.) Let us do something, while we have the chance! It is not every day that we are needed. But at this place, at this moment of time, all mankind is us, whether we like it or not. Let us make the most of it, before it is too late!"

"To-morrow, when I wake, or think I do, what shall I say of to-day?"

Social Media Conference

I swung by to visit my former employer at McMaster University last week and she informed me about a social media conference that ended up happening today. Considering I'm a public relations student, I jumped on this opportunity. At that first public relations event I went to, I wrote about it a couple of weeks ago, I had countless professionals tell me that they're really keen on finding someone who is proficient with social media. I assumed that since I used Facebook daily, I have a LinkedIn account and I signed up for Twitter that I was a professional at it. I was wrong.

I learned so much from professionals in both public relations, LinkedIn and social media consultancy firms. They were all passionate, educated and great speakers. Today's sessions were about seven hours long, yet, time flew by so fast.

So, what exactly did I learn?
- Social media sites that I've never heard of (Mashable.com)
- I don't tweet nearly as much as I should
- I need to Google myself to see what employers learn about me before they meet me
- I have formatted my LinkedIn page incorrectly
- You should engage in conversations with the companies you want to work with
- Most networking can be done online (though I still prefer in-person)

Where do I go from here?
Though the list looks daunting, it's manageable. I'll start working on most of those things over the weekend. I want to be more proficient in social media. However, truthfully, I would never want a career that solely focuses on social media. I would get bored because it wouldn't really challenge me. I wouldn't mind a part-time job that involves only social media to start off with though because I think it would be a great opportunity to get started in the industry. One of the many reasons why I chose to enter the world of public relations is due to how much diversity there is with the work you do. Nevertheless, social media does play a large role within the industry. Yet, one needs to remember that there are other methods of communication which are equally as important.

If any of you would like my notes from the conference, leave your e-mail address in the comment box and I'll send them your way.

My First PR Event

Today was the day of my first public relations event. To say that I was nervous is a complete understatement. I spent about 15 minutes contemplating on whether or not I should wear a blazer with my dress. Though I'm dressed in an all black outfit, I opted for the blazer. So, I had to take the bus to get to my location but today the HSR was not on my side-- kind of. I left ten minutes early because I knew it would take me a bit longer to get to the bus stop with heels on. The bus stop is about a one minute walk normally. I don't know if I'm a lot slower than I anticipated or if the bus arrived too early but there it was headed towards my stop and I wasn't there yet. I flagged him down to get him to wait for me because I was about 10 seconds away. He shrugged his shoulders and drove off without me on the bus. "Oh no, I'm going to be late for my first public relations event," I thought to myself. Let's be real though, I don't give up that easily. I took off my heels and ran 30 meters to the next bus stop. It was pretty embarrassing. Fortunately, another bus came and I got to my destination on time. No one was able to notice that I had run a marathon to chase a bus. Phew! The event was absolutely amazing. We were able to network and ask any question we'd like to professionals in the industry. Every single person noted that I stood out for various reasons. Everyone commented on the fact that I was a philosophy graduate and how in the long run I would be a huge asset to organizations for being rational and ethical in nature, especially since I want to work in the financial sector. I was told by one person that I was an enthusiastic speaker who looked around the room and engaged the audience. I have done presentations in front of a room of 700 parents and students before so I guess that helped me out there. They also noted that my personality and goals would make me successful in the public relations field. However, I was discouraged from starting my own public relations firm as there are too many consulting firms out there. I was told it would be best to pick a company and advance from there. I was also given valuable information on what steps would be best for the financial sector such as completing courses and designations that most of the staff would have taken. Overall, it was a great opportunity and I look forward to being a mentee for the Canadian Public Relations Society and to being in the field.

The Secret to Success

I constantly work to become successful. I'm the classic 'Type A personality' overachiever. I rarely fail at school or work because I work too damn hard to ever let it happen. When I want something, I want it bad and I always get it. Most people say it's because I'm lucky. It's not though. I devote an insane amount of time and energy towards every project that I'm passionate about. When I get excited about something, it shows. Success doesn't happen easily though. There are a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of hiccups along the road, and a lot of rejection. To the outsider, it looks simple. It's not.The journey is a difficult one but once you've won your first award or landed your dream job or whatever it is you're seeking, it's the greatest feeling ever. The high is better than when you go skydiving. Why? Well, it's because it took longer to get there, you worked harder for it, and the results last longer. Below is a video I recently watched that described how to attain success in a way that I never could. Personally, I found it highly influential and inspirational. If you don't strive to be successful, ask yourself why? We need to challenge ourselves on a regular basis, to grow and to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. Every person on this planet holds the power to make a difference in the world. If we all come together and use our strengths to our maximum potential we could change everything for the better. Of course, it's not that simple. Nothing is ever going to be simple. Step by step, we can take the actions to move forward though. I challenge all of you to strive to be the best versions of your self on a daily basis.