Laura Foti, an S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications alum, came to speak in my COM 117 class earlier this week. Foti is a Business Tech Analyst that specializes in Digital Strategy at Deloitte. At 23 years old, she lives a very active lifestyle and is extremely curious, both in the workplace and in life. Foti began her presentation by telling us some of her story, and as she continued, I began to get a feel for where her genuine passion stemmed from. Foti’s recalled how she and her father would make up stories together when she was young. Storytelling was something they both loved; her father worked in public relations and she followed in his footsteps, obtaining a degree in PR. Her father was physically disabled, which inspired her to get involved with and develop a passion for healthcare later in her life. Foti took many risks in her life, and she spoke fondly of the experiences she had as a result. In fact, she told us she believes that the happiest people take the most risks.
In 2008, Foti moved to Argentina for a year. While there, she blogged about her experiences and wrote articles in Spanish for an Argentinian newspaper, discussing the differences between American and Argentinian culture. In other words, she shared her story with the locals, and they responded well.
After she returned to the U.S., Foti began her experience at Syracuse. She was extremely involved with various extracurriculars. She focused on PR, but tried a little of everything. During her senior year, she became aware of a job opportunity at Deloitte. Although it was not a public relations job, Foti felt that it would be a good fit for her. Many people discouraged her and told her to look for a different job, but Foti stuck with her gut, interviewed, and got the job. Now, her job includes a lot of research and thinking ahead. She is very personally involved with the client, and tells stories every day. She learns about companies, what they think their problems are, and develops creative way to solve those problems. She is essentially the bridge between the creators, who think very technically, and the users, who may not understand all of the technical aspects of a product. I got the impression that Foti is very passionate about helping people using communications and feels that she has grown immensely as a person through taking her first risk and applying at Deloitte.
Foti’s story truly spoke to me. As a public relations major, I found her discussion of her job extremely exciting. As I continue my education at Syracuse, I want to find something that inspires me like healthcare inspires Foti. I hope that, like Foti, I can use my love of storytelling to find a career and put myself in a position where I get to do something I love everyday.