REFLECTING ON TRAVEL + THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE
My cousin Ashley and I used to share a large plastic blue piggy bank. We’d deposit our coins with a singular vision in mind - to move to London. Surely this pig would collect enough change to fund such an excursion.
Ah, youth. But as reality set it and this effort lost momentum, the dream of London never left me.
During my second semester at the Fashion Institute of Technology, I took Publicity Workshop with Professor Roberta Elins. I didn’t know what public relations was, and I certainly didn’t expect this class to set me on my path. But during her introduction, Professor Elins shared that she was the faculty advisor for the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and also led a five-week summer abroad program in London. I was determined to be part of both.
I joined PRSSA that semester. Professor Elins encouraged me to run for National Assembly Delegate, which would be held in New Orleans that year. I did. Then she suggested I run for chapter president. I did that, too. While it seems a lifetime ago, I can proudly say that I elevated our chapter’s achievements and participation in this nationwide organization. I had never fancied myself as a school club person, but it’s where I met some of my closest friends today, and really got a taste for public relations.
The London program was now in my sights. Even though I had gotten to know Professor Elins through PRSSA and her class, I was still nervous during the interview. The only question I remember now is if I had ever gone to summer camp - I had, in fact, for many years. Given I’d have to share a flat and a bedroom with other girls abroad, it was a pretty good question.
I was accepted. I was finally going to London!
Those five glorious summer weeks were spent in classes with the London College of Fashion and in Professor Elins’ flat, interning with VIVID Design & Events, seeing historic sites, nights in pubs and clubs, and of course, in Kensington Gardens re-reading Peter Pan. As cliché as it is to say, it was an experience that shaped me into the person I am now… sitting on a couch in a different city, working. I formed lasting friendships with a core group (dubbed the Fab Five by our professor), and while we’re scattered across the country, we make a point of seeing each other in some fashion every year. We even celebrated our 10-year reunion with a trip to London in 2019!
Professor Elins and I remain close, though much to her dismay, I still can’t call her by her first name. She’s a woman I admire, and am grateful to her for having set me on my course.
Being present in the college experience allowed me to travel to New Orleans, San Diego, Austin, and London, and I’ve ended up living in three of these cities (sorry, Texas). My education forged the path for RB Collaborative. Those friendships I made became the foundation for my community. And of course, that love of exploration has never left, and inspires me in my life and work today.
Onto the next adventure.
“It is not in doing what you like, but in liking what you do that is the secret of happiness.” - JM Barrie
— RB
