After I graduated from Grand Valley State University with a bachelor’s degree in Broadcasting, I felt I had already completed all of the jobs I wanted to do with my degree. Throughout college, I had worked with the media team for the local minor league sports teams and the local news station. So, once I graduated, I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go next.

A friend from college then told me about a marketing manager position available at his company, the Grand Rapids Sport & Social Club. I knew he worked for a company that facilitated adult sports and drinking leagues, so why not apply to help market the sports I loved playing as a kid and encourage people to have a drink, be social and make some new friends? What could be more fun than that?! I applied for the job and got it!

After working there for a few years, I realized I was ready for a new adventure. I had just gotten married and fell in love with the wedding planning process. Learning this about myself, I decided to look for a job in event planning. After a few interviews, I was hired at iHeart Media as the Promotions and Event Manager. I helped create and coordinator anything from small promotions to big events for 10 different radio stations in the area. I had found my calling and loved every minute of it!

Soon, talk about COVID-19 was making its way around the office and we had to start cancelling events. We thought it would only be a few weeks to a month before things would be back to normal, but we were wrong. Sadly, my position was eliminated due to events no longer happening.

I was jobless and not sure where to go from there. I had finally found my calling in events, but event jobs were nowhere to be found. Knowing that sports broadcasting jobs wouldn’t exist either, I started looking for marketing jobs. After a few months of applying, I finally heard back from a company called Serendipity Media for an open marketing coordinator position. After a few Zoom interviews, I was offered the job and I accepted.

It has been a very serendipitous opportunity, as I am now using the broadcasting, marketing and event skills I have learned and loved over the years in my daily work.

I had just wrapped up a client’s conference in Washington, DC when this photo was taken of my husband and I celebrating our five-year wedding anniversary. In that moment, life had come full circle.