A Millennial Learns the Public Relations Way of Life

I have been out of the loop for a couple of months finishing college and seeing my options for the future. Thinking about what to do with my future is possibly a very “Millennial” generation way of perceiving life and one that has been written about in the news of late. I consider myself a Hispanic Millennial – one individual in the ocean of 74 million people born between the years of 1982 to 2001. This Millennials generation has gotten a lot of press – both positive and negative – and I must say it is mostly all true. These are some of the adjectives used to describe us – optimists (+), narcissistic (-), self-centered (-), multi-taskers (+) – and the list goes on and on. There are numerous articles geared towards employers who are or will be filling their offices with newly-graduated college Millennials – giving them advice about how to handle this new breed of employees.

I found myself reading these articles and realizing that this advice was mostly being given to the same individuals (employers) who had “created” and “defined” the Millennials generation by way of parenting in their own households. The theory is that we were given a plethora of opportunities by our parents – education, trips, tech toys, and trophies for “trying out” sports – that have defined a lot of our present and future perspectives about the world.

The Hispanic Millennials are of interest to me for many reasons – born in Puerto Rico, raised in the United States (Boston and Miami), but visiting the “abuela” every summer in the island – I have been raised by the American Dream system but respect very much my heritage. College educated in Connecticut, but finding my way back to the beaches of Puerto Rico every summer has been, until now, a way of life. Cross-cultural influences have shaped my likes and dislikes.

One of the best summers I had in Puerto Rico was last year – when I was accepted to be a Burson-Marsteller intern in their Puerto Rico office. While other six interns spent their time making rounds in the several departments that compromise Young & Rubicam and B-M – I was given the opportunity to spend my whole time working within the Public Relations area of B-M. Sara Lora, Director of B-M Puerto Rico, became my boss, my mentor, and a friend. Just like any “Millennial” – what started as a chore (expected college credit) transformed into a passion for Public Relations. Suddenly I was spending less time at the beach and spending more time at the B-M office (late-nights were usual) … and I was doing so willingly!

In two YouTube interviews, Paul Herrick, Director of Human Resources at EMEA stated – “the learning and training you get at B-M is second to none.” He also talks about the “mentoring program” that B-M has introduced to capture the environment of learning among senior-level management and new employees.



This was the same thing mentioned by Susan Heathfield in an article titled Managing Millennials: Eleven Tips for Managing Millennials. The very second point she mentions is “Provide Leadership and Guidance” which is exactly what my time as an intern under Sara Lora’s supervision was all about.

Now as I embark on this trip of job searching I take inside my bag : my knowledge of the importance of technology and social media learned at college; my Hispanic Millennial values of multi-tasker, optimism, and cross-culturalism; and last, but definitely not least, what I learned at B-M Puerto Rico thanks to the leadership and guidance of a great mentor. Thanks Sara for having confidence in my abilities to succeed in Public Relations!