Naleen Camara ’21, professional and public writing and public relations, was involved with many student organizations and found a wide variety of interests during her time at the University of Rhode Island. Now, Camara is a social media specialist at Amtrak while pursuing a master’s in gastronomy at Boston University.

Why did you choose to study at URI?

First and foremost, before I am like a Harrington student, I am a talent development scholar. I was able to go to URI with the assistance of Talent Development if it weren’t for them. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how I would have been able to afford to go to university. It’s through programs like this that really do help disadvantaged students that aren’t even able to conceptualize, you know, attending a university. That definitely did have some sway on what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. 

Also, I knew that URI already had a great communication and media school, and I wanted to do something in that realm. I did not necessarily know which major at that moment, but I did study public relations and public and professional writing. I felt like it was all intertwined enough that I could find my way once I entered the program. 

I was looking at other schools like Syracuse, Quinnipiac, Columbia College, and Loyola. They’re all great programs, but it was URI’s program that I felt comfortable enough with. I felt like it was a nice size, and it was at home for me, and again, with the help of Talent Development, I was like, “Okay, it makes the most sense for me to go here.”

What made you choose to study Writing and Rhetoric and Public Relations?

I knew that I wanted to be a PR major coming in. What within it, I didn’t know at all, but I knew that I would have the flexibility to choose which sector or industry I wanted to be a part of. 

First joining URI, I was interested in print and online publications like Condé Nast.  But then Harrington introduced the sports media and communication program, and I thought about being an agent. For a while, I thought about going back to school and getting a law degree after graduating. Then, toward the end, I switched over again because I took WRT490: Topics in Writing and Rhetoric with Luanne Roth and loved it. It was about food writing, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, like I think I want to be a food writing professional.” That course was enough that I am starting a master’s degree in gastronomy at Boston University. 

I really enjoyed the flexibility that I had within the Harrington School because I felt like I was always one interesting class away from changing my whole life.

How do you use the skills you learned while you were at URI today?

I learned nuance and context from Harrington, like making sure you’re seeing all sides of the situation. I learned about it primarily in my senior year. I learned so much, and I feel like a lot of my learning accelerated during my senior year. I had Writing Disaster with Professor Genoa Shepley, and I really enjoyed that class. 

Something that I think about a lot, because it happens in my day-to-day, is when she was talking about a scenario where someone took a picture out of their balcony of strangers on the beach. We talked about whether it is ethical to post that and discussed giving context to that situation, seeing it from all sides. I feel like I already had like experience as a black woman. I already had to look at where I could put myself, especially being on the outskirts of a lot of things. It was nice to see that everyone in my class could do that.

In a lot of instances, I found myself in a position of leadership at URI. I really learned to work with other people that I would have never interacted with in my life. That taught me patience, to step back and look at the situation before saying anything. I like to think I was pretty successful in my roles because of that.

Describe your favorite memory from your time as a student.

In terms of my serving as a student leader, I think some of my favorite things were the students who would come back to me afterward, saying they got a lot out of their experience with me as an orientation leader. I gave my blood, sweat, and tears. I was only there for one summer, so I can only imagine the people who were there longer. It’s a really grueling process during the summer, but I loved the students who would come back to me and be like, “Hey, you were amazing. Thank you so much. You really helped with my experience,” or “Thank you for teaching me about this.”

What one piece of advice would you give Harrington students who are preparing to enter the workforce?

It’s okay if the first thing you do doesn’t stick. For my first job, I decided I just had to quit because it wasn’t good for me. I felt like a failure. I was like, “I was so successful in my university days. Why am I not good at this? Why is this not coming naturally to me?” It’s not like it’s supposed to come to you naturally. This is hard. 

The transition from 21 years of learning, if you are going into the workforce after undergrad, is not easy. It is going to be challenging to just open yourself up to that. Sometimes, it’s just going to suck. But it’s okay to change and do something different. For people in their early 20s, this is the time for you to hop around. You do not need to stay somewhere if you don’t want to. This is your life, don’t waste your time doing something you don’t want to do.