1. Your parents named you
Valerie Mahaffey Reynolds. I was named Valerie after my Mom’s college roommate and best friend—she was/is very brave and creative. In total my name has 23 letters, which also happens to be my parents’ lucky number. They realized this after they named me.
2. You prefer to go by the name of…
Val (with friends) and Valerie (with coworkers)
3. Your birthday and birthplace…
12/26/82 (I was due on Thanksgiving but arrived the day after Christmas). I was born in Williamsport, PA which is best known for being the birthplace of Little League baseball.
4. Your greatest achievement in life so far…
Being someone who isn’t afraid to stand up for what I believe in, even if I’m the only one standing.
5. Your greatest achievement that you can put on paper…
“Female Sportsmanship Award” given to me in my senior year of high school for my leadership in our tennis team.
6. The college you attended…
It was between Smith College and American University (Washington, DC)—American felt right the moment I stepped onto the campus.
7. Tell us about your work…
My parents encouraged hard work and hard play. I worked hard in school so I got to play during my summers. I had jobs at a local jewelry store, as a lifeguard and babysitter—nothing too demanding. They paid for college, I paid for GMCA.
9. What made you pursue Emerson College and GMCA?
My passion for advertising and creative writing really took off in college but I was majoring in International Relations & German Language studies. After college I sought advertising and PR jobs only to find that I craved more of a formal education in the field. I Googled global marketing MA programs and when I read about GMCA my jaw dropped—it had everything I was looking for. Little did I know at the time that GMCA would one day represent the best year of my life.
10. The best thing about GMCA is…
You discover parts of yourself you never knew existed thanks to the relationships you develop with professors, classmates and the challenges they place in front of you.
11. GMCA helped you to…
Learn how to tap into my creativity, analyze before I act, build fully integrated (traditional + digital) communication plans.
12. After GMCA…
I interned with The Barbarian Group in Boston til October and then found a job with Edelman (PR agency) in Washington, DC. I still make time for an artist date each week, I keep a journal next to my bed to write down my dreams and I walk home a different way every day. I keep tabs on my classmates and try to help them any way I can and continue to learn from the experiences they are having post GMCA. I’m interested in connecting with each new GMCA class and hope we can continue to build our alumni network.
Written by: Suchi Mohapatra
Suchi may be contacted at suchismita_mohapatra@emerson.edu and found rambling on her blog or twitter.
