In partnership with University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s First Generation Nebraska, CoJMC hosted alumna Mekita Rivas (‘12) for First Gen Celebration Week. Rivas spoke to UNL students at the Agency for “A Conversation with Mekita Rivas” on Nov. 10 and at the City Union on Nov. 11 for the First Gen Speaker Series.
During the conversation at the Agency, Rivas spoke with students about her experiences as a first-generation student in journalism. Students were encouraged to ask questions and seek advice.
Junior advertising and public relations major and director of public relations for Jacht agency Ilana Lewis was one of the students interviewing Rivas.
“The biggest takeaway that I had from interviewing Mekita was that it’s okay to take the time to figure out where you’re supposed to be,” Lewis said. “Mekita stressed that you do not have to have it all figured out when you graduate and she had some great insight on work-life integration.”
Mekita Rivas is currently the senior fashion writer for Bustle Digital Group and a contributing editor at Cosmopolitan. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, InStyle, Glamour, Refinery29, among others.
She's currently based in Washington, D.C., and regularly covers culture, style, and politics. In 2012, she graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with a double major in journalism and english.
“First generation representation is extremely important,” said assistant professor of practice Jemalyn Griffin. “As a first-generation Filipina American, it means a lot to me to help give students who may not see themselves represented in the industry a chance to see themselves in a professional that graduated from their own college.”
Additional information on First Gen Nebraska can be found here.
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