Misericordia University

The Trend of August

July 31, 2018

by Mike Gombita Blog

I have been a fan of trends ever since I had a passion for digital media. Seeing trends is critical in engaging with new fans that can like, share, or comment on a certain item you are presenting.

My favorite example of a trend we fortunately caught in my job was the, “If you don’t love me at my worst, then you don’t love me at my best” tweet. This had no relevance to our campaigns, but we took the leap of faith. It became the most retweeted and liked post of 2018 to date.

Life can bring you trends as well. I went back and forth about writing this piece, but this is to prove a point, not a “go me” type of post. August has been a trendy time for me these past couple of years.

2015: Winning the Globetrotters Fan-Draft Contest

Popular to contrary belief, I don’t talk about this as much as people think I do. Unless you bring it up, I will never talk about it. It’s on my bios of social media, but it’s never an icebreaker for me.

However, this was probably one of the best experiences I have ever had with marketing and the experience itself. If you have lived under a rock (sorry, had to put it that way) and have no idea what I am talking about, here’s a video, an article, and photos.

2016: Getting my First “Big Boy Job”

I had the pleasure of experiencing my first “academic-related major” job during my junior year of college at our local NBC affiliate, WBRE/WYOU as a temporary producer. Although news was not for me, I learned a lot about myself and what I wanted to do. That’s why I always encourage everyone to get internships and experience no matter what you study before you graduate. It’ll help make your decisions clearer.

2017: Securing my Graduate Assistant Position

Here we are today. Never thought I would ever be continuing my education for my Master’s, but the benefits and the experiences I am getting working in the Alumni Relations department has been nothing but positive.

2018: ???

I wrote this to make a point to never assume anything. Yes, I had the pleasure of experiencing and gaining things I am super thankful for, but I can’t expect anything is going to be handed to me. Recently, I have personally been working on patience and going with the flow of things. It is possible to make things happen. Set goals for yourself, but don’t sell yourself short with them. Give it you’re all.

I forgot to mentioned that trends sometimes do not work. Anyone remember the social media Vero? Trended for a good week on the App Store’s top social media app. It now ceases to exist.

Do I have high hopes for August? Of course I do. However, I will consider August still trending whether the successes are small or big.

Best of luck to you all in August!

A Balancing Act – Other Duties As Assigned

June 20, 2018

by Mike Gombita Blog Other Duties As Assigned

Before accepting my current job, I was handed the job description. Reading through my objectives and tasks, I reached an odd phrase at the end: “..and other duties as assigned.” Jokingly, I asked my fellow colleague about what that entails and he laughed saying, “Welcome to the job!” In this blog series, I will describe to you some of the weirdest tasks I was assigned to in, “Other Duties As Assigned”

I had the opportunity to be the event photographer for our alumni weekend at our university that I work at. We were celebrating the 50th reunion of the class of 1968.

One of the things in particular that I was assigned to do was to take a class photo of the class of 1968, It was the biggest class that has ever attended in the span of five years of our alumni weekends.

One of the things I had in mind was I wanted to make sure I got their clock that they fundraised enough money for it to be put on campus in dedication to one of their fellow classmates who passed away.

So, I was thinking, “How do I get to the clock? How do I get everyone in the shot?” At the end of the class’s lunch they all came outside towards the clock and I said, “Okay, here’s what we’re

going to do…stand in front of the clock, and I’ll think of something.”

As the class of 1968 was lining up, I remember there was a bench far enough to hopefully get the shot, but would elevate me enough to get the entire class in.

I first stood on the part of the bench you sat, no luck. Flipped my camera to live-view and held my hands up, still not enough. I knew I had to go higher. The only way to go higher was the back-rest.

I went for it. My vice-president luckily was there to initially help me up without falling, but my balance was lacking. I had two colleagues support my left and right leg. An alumna’s husband from the class of ’68 took initiative to hold the back of my belt to prevent me from falling backwards. The ladies of the class were laughing and hopefully scared for my safety when I was attempting to get the shot.

Overall, I knew it was crazy, some classmates you could not see their faces, but it turned out to be a nice photo to commemorate the weekend.

Next time, I’m getting a drone. No exceptions.

Happy 2018!

January 5, 2018

by Mike Gombita Blog

Greetings fellow readers!

So, is 2018 the time where we are teleporting and engaging in hologram devices? No… Okay.

I know it has been quite a while since my last post, but there is always a new year’s resolution!

A lot has happened since my last blog post, but there is definitely great news to present!

Graduated with my Bachelor of the Arts in Communications.
Obtained a Graduate Assistant Position at Misericordia University working in digital media in University Advancement.
Certified in Google Analytics.
New Logo (as you can probably tell).

I can probably go on with the amount of greatness that has happened during my hiatus, but I am here to give you a loose promise! I hope to continue to add more content on this website (specifically blog posts) to entertain and bring value to those who read it.

My work/life schedule is adjusted slightly with less classes, but more work responsibilities, but I am going to try and bring to you content at least once a week. I believe I bit off more than I was able to chew in my last promise, so we are going to start with baby steps!

I am looking forward to this journey and I hope you tag along with me!