On Thursday, April 11, the Department of Communication, Media and Journalism hosted the social media expo event at the Center for Academic Success building on the 4th floor from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Students got the chance to meet and speak with alumni who are in the media industry, as well as verified influencers and Union TV. Students also had the opportunity to learn how to build their brand and thrive on social media, the event had a selfie station where students could take photos and were presented with giveaways on each table such as snacks, Kean merchandise, food menus, etc.

Gina Gili and Jazmarie Gutierrez were involved in making the event possible and they gave their opinion on providing students with the opportunity to connect with others and create content.

“It’s been super fun it’s been unreal getting real-world experience and being able to actually create an event while also doing it with the school so we're able to get that audience and get people out there. I see alot of students have come and their interested in social media and media in general,” said Gutierrez.

Gina Gili expresses the importance of students having the chance to network with people who can introduce them to the social media field and how meeting people on social media can benefit each student.

“This is a fantastic networking opportunity, every student now has social media, they’re active on social media, they’re able to meet each other and meet the alumni and see where that can take them,” said Gili.

Jessica Crown ‘19 Kean alumna who is currently a scheduling Coordinator with NBC Sports explains the importance of media apps and websites such as Linkedin and how that played a role in her getting her career started.

“Social media is actually very important it’s the only reason why I got my job which was through LinkedIn keeping it updated as possible and honestly I applied to my job through LinkedIn and it was the biggest learning tool for me,” said Crown.

LinkedIn is a great way to connect with people who are in the same field as you, According to flexjobs.com LinkedIn is a website that gives people a chance to build their brand and resume as companies will view your profile to see if you would be a good fit.

For Students who would like to try something new to eat, Muhammad Darr the owner of Flamin Feathers gave the CougarsByte information on the new restaurant and how it can be beneficial for students.

“I definitely want to make sure that our name is put out there as we're just a few minutes from the University, we're located on 996 Stuyvesant Avenue Union, NJ. I like to make sure the students know about what we’re selling and we have a student combo for any student in high school or college, all you have to do is show your ID, come between the hours of 12 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and you can get a student combo for 13 bucks for a sandwich, fries, and a soda,” said Darr.

Irisa Leverette is a math professor and has over 1 million followers on TikTok, Leverette and her son Darius who has autism make videos together and give the audience a glimpse of what autism is like behind the scenes.

“My table is about autism, it’s about me and my son we do TikToks together, showing the world a behind-the-scenes look at autism,” said Leverette.

Leverette also reminds students to have fun on social media, as it can be intimidating and stressful for some students, to find their passion and not pay attention to negative opinions.

“I just want students to learn about social media, and having fun because social media seems stressful for students, but you have to just have fun find your passion, don’t worry about the trolls, don’t worry about the negativity,” said Leverette.

The social media expo was a great opportunity for students to go around each table and get advice on how to grow their brand and enter the field with valuable connections.