My Great Awakening

"What do you want to do after you graduate?" That's the question I have been faced with and continuously struggled to answer throughout my college career. I have always known that a B.S. in Mass Communication was the right degree for me... However, partaking in a double concentration and thoroughly enjoying both is what left me confused about what I really wanted to do for the rest of my life. After brushing off that dreaded question for four years, something happened to me this summer that finally made me realize what I wanted to be. I had my great awakening!

Throughout college, I have worked at WMGZ 97.7, a Middle Georgia radio station. I started off doing mostly on-site promotions and production but have gradually progressed to become an on-air personality with my own show - Weekends with Tori. Music has always been a passion of mine, so working in the radio business never really seemed like "work" to me. I knew if I chose to pursue a career in radio, I would never be the person who dreaded going to work everyday. I would be poor... But happy!

If I wasn't doing something for broadcasting, that usually meant I was working on something for my other concentration - public relations. Our coursework mostly involved planning events and developing campaigns for local businesses and organizations. I was usually put in charge of promotion for each event - writing and recording PSAs for local radio stations, writing press releases for print, etc. It was hard work, but a successful event plus a happy client made it all worth it in the end. A job in the PR industry seemed like a good career choice as well...

As I mentioned earlier, I have always been very passionate about music. For some reason, however, I had never gone to many concerts, much less a festival. Of course, working in radio has its perks, and one perk I received last summer just so happened to be the ticket that led to my "Great Awakening" - tickets to Bonnaroo Music Festival. Not knowing what I was getting into, I left early Thursday morning confused and came home Monday afternoon determined.

Since Bonnaroo, I have spent most of my measly paychecks from Z97 on tickets to various concerts. The way music moves people inspires me more and more with each show. Since I am not musically inclined, I thought, why not be the person who makes all of this possible ? The person who books the talent, promotes the event, plans the show, and the best part of it all, gets to witness the crowd and the band have the best time of their lives! In the concert planning and promotions field, I would be able to use both of my degrees for a common goal - an amazing show with a sold out crowd.

Now that my undergraduate college career at GCSU is coming to a close, I am proud to say that I can finally answer that dreaded question of what I want to do after college. I am currently searching for an internship in the concert planning and promotion field that will give me valuable experience for my future career goals and aspire to eventually go back to school for a degree in music business. I hope to, one day, plan concerts and/or festivals that will inspire people the same way music has inspired me.