Day & Night

Nothing wrong with a little side hustle :-)

Creating the Buzz

How many times a day do we check our Facebook or Twitter updates? Where do we go for the juiciest gossip or "go-to" insight on the latest happenings and trends? More often than not, the solution to modern day problems are solved on the web. Young people especially can hardly go a day without being "plugged in". So of course my first instinct when trying to get the word out about LiteWork was to promote my events using online forums. The result: I've gained support via the Twitter and Facebook page and was even featured on a couple of blogs! Not too bad...

Written by The Fab Empire's Boston Fab Writer

Written by "I Don't Do Clubs" Boston Writer

Check out the Facebook Fan Page 

& Twitter Account (Catch the feed to the right of the page too!)

New Beginnings: Recap

Now that summer is over and Fall is in full swing, I have a minute to sit and reflect on my new venture! I decided that Boston was lacking in opportunities for young, urban professionals to interact and connect and did something about it. I started LiteWork Events to create social networking opportunities and provide a non-club setting for making connections. I was a little nervous at first but the challenge of it all is both rewarding and exciting! I enjoyed the opportunity to sort of "test the waters" by hosting three summer events and got to work on some amateur skills in the process; I made my own flyers (again lol), created the website on my own, and a whole lot else in between. As time went on I picked up on ways to improve- like integrating interactive ways to get people talking and pulling in the help of my friends to help ease the workload. It's still very much a work in progress but take a look at what I've accomplished so far!

Because It's What I Love To Do!

My presence on here is quite sporadic but... bare with me, I'm a "one-woman-show"! My event management company is almost registered, I have a logo, and the website will be up by the end of the week *Pats self on the back*

Coming soon:
www.liteworkevents.com
www.facebook.com/liteworkevents
www.twitter.com/liteworkevents




So when's my first event, right? Save the date: June 27, 2012 :-)

It's been a long time...

My how time flies when you keep yourself busy! I really can't believe it's been over 6 months since my last post but I'm still trucking... So what have I been up to? Grad school, work, and adjusting to life on my own.

Much of my summer work was centered around an initiative my department implemented entitled "Massachusetts Clinical Research Education Day & Health Fair" which (luckily for me) allowed me to combine event planning and health disparity research. It all started when I had placed a buzz in my  boss' ear about the prospect of doing some sort of health fair to help us connect with the community. A few weeks later when the opportunity arose to collaborate with a state legislator, Mass CRE Day was born!

The event was a collaboration among the State House, Harvard and Tufts Universities. We brought in various clinical and academic sponsors to provide both education and community health resources. It was great exposure for me in terms of experiencing the intensity and structure of professionally managed events for public service. It required several meetings with various constituents, a lot of following up and constant contact, coordination of vendors and publication material - in general lots of work! But that was in October.

And after that I needed to regroup. A lot of the "side hustle" projects I was hoping to get into took a back seat but now that the new year is in full swing, I'm back at it! Balancing the 9-5 flow with an internship and other graduate memberships definitely has my mind racing but I must admit, I just wouldn't be F.A.B. if there weren't a million things going on! There are a couple new ventures I'm ready to try out and I'm excited to see everything fall into place.

Coming soon... The Urban Socialite Network - owned and operated by yours truly.

Details to come ;)

Post-Grad News

Now that I have graduated... the question remains, "What do I do now?!"

Well... I am currently employed as a Clinical Research Recruitment Specialist at Boston Medical Center, supporting the work of investigators who conduct research studies at Boston University/Boston Medical Center. While I love being a health professional, of course I've found a way to slip in my passion for social event planning! Recently, I've had the opportunity to volunteer in events hosted by the Boston chapter of the NAACP and the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts - two civil rights organizations which I plan to join in the near future.

On July 22nd, the NAACP hosted the "Centennial Golf Classic" to raise money for their advocacy efforts while the National Urban League's "Welcome Reception" of the 2011 National Conference was hosted on July 27th. I enjoyed experiencing the dynamics of corporate event management, saw some familiar faces, and networked with a few new ones. Not to mention, I think I might pick up a new sport ;)

Me with the Instructor at William J. Devine Franklin Park Golf Course

"Roxbury Room" Reception (sponsored by Target), Mass. Convention Center

Where it all began...



Me as "Social Activities Director" & former Umoja president Brenda Douyon
(I later served as VP and President in subsequent years)



Anyone who knew me in college, if they knew nothing else about me, would probably know most of my spare time throughout the entire 4 years was primarily devoted to "Umoja". Umoja is Boston University's Black Student Union and from the time I stepped foot onto campus it quickly became home.

One of my greatest successes in the realm of college events was Umoja's 2008 Kwanzaa Dinner, which was held in December of that year in the University's Trustee Ballroom. At the time, no other students were allowed to host events in that location but with the support of our Dean of Students, I made it happen. It was a night of elegance, togetherness, and an overall good time in which we were able to reflect African American tradition through cultured experience. The event featured 150 students, alumni, faculty, and administrators, in addition to African Dancers, the Soulstice Dance Team, Inner Strength Gospel Choir, a soul food dinner, and Dean Elmore as keynote speaker. This one definitely goes down in my records as one of my most noteworthy accomplishments!