Katie Robinson
My career path has taken me through various roles including fast food restaurants and retail positions like Victoria's Secret, but what really drove me to what I do now is my love of building connections with people. I knew that I would thrive in areas that involve face-to-face activities, and I'm a really good advocate for people that are new and don't have a voice. I've done a lot of events to make them feel more included, and that's just where I thrive. I found a really good position that lets me do the things that I love. A typical day in my role involves a lot of meetings and planning, figuring out key details and problem-solving. In past years, there's been a lot of hands-on planning, setups and teardowns of things, and communicating with different teams to get stuff done. I work with many different people including families, friends, and new incoming people into the community, doing a lot of engagement and organizing events to make them feel more welcomed. We have a lot of different countries represented in our area, so we do a lot of immersing ourselves in different people's cultures.
• Event Planning Certification (in progress)
• Marketing Major (Bachelor's degree)
• Leadership Award for club involvement (2 years)
• Marketing Award (pending as of February 5th)
What do you attribute your success to?
I want to say my siblings. I just try to show them that they can accomplish anything. We come from a background that's not the wealthiest in mental health, but also economically. And so I just strive to show them that what they want to do, that they can accomplish it, and that's kind of what pushes me to do stuff outside my comfort zone and makes me want to keep doing more.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best thing that someone's ever told me is as long as you work hard, you're gonna get what you deserve.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't let what society says is “normal” dictate your path.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
My biggest challenge would probably be AI usage, just trying to get ahead of that curve. But along with that challenge, there's a lot of benefits. You can get really good about using that tool, and I've gotten a lot of, I've worked with it a lot, so I feel like I'm right where I need to be, but again, it is a challenge to make yourself a little bit more useful, now that that's something that people are using a lot more.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I really go by my dad's rule: either show up or don't show up at all. It's more of about work ethic. That's how I do my work- I go full in. I also make sure that I do something that I'm passionate about, and if it's something I'm not normally passionate about, I find something in that project to be passionate about. When you love what you're doing, the turnout of that is just so much better.