Teresa Valenzuela
Director of Social Media
UCLA Alumni Association
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
Family moved from Mexico to the U.S. in 1982 for better opportunities. I learned English at school and perfected it through books and TV. I decided I wanted to become a writer.
Got admitted to UCLA in 1988 as a first-generation student. Struggled academically first two years and ended up graduating with a double-major in 1993.
Moved to Chico to work full-time at CSU, Chico. Learned that Norther California is intricately different than Southern California. I was beginning my career as as student affairs professional.
Began graduate school in 1999 at Pacific Oaks College. Human Development studies for me was a combination of Education and Psychology and an ongoing process to more professional opportunities.
In 2000 I returned to UCLA as a Resident Director and continued my progress as a student affairs professional and took part as staff in the Semester at Sea Program in 2003.
In 2004 I moved out of Residential Life and worked at the School of Nursing for 10 years as a student affairs coordinator and then as its first alumni relations director.
In 2009 I began my UCLA Extension Journalism program and got more involved learning about journalism writing, blogging, newspaper, digital / information systems and social media.
In 2015 I began working in the back end of social media and learned what it really takes to run social media programs and more so, how powerful social media can be.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Fairfax High School
Fairfax High School
Career
Director of Social Media
I engage UCLA Alumni and fans through social media platforms and share the UCLA Alumni story, its mission and goals
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Technology
Being Creative
Day to Day
A typical day is spent visiting different social media channels, seeing what is trending for the day and how the work we do fits into those trends. I spend time planning and executing posts for those channels, working with staff on their own post submissions, editing images and sometimes creating graphics for the posts. I visit the campus often to capture images to be used on social. I work with two wonderful colleagues on planning for our channels months in advance.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Find an individual who is doing the work you believe you want to do, and learn from them, shadow them at work one day, ask them specifics and ask them how they go there-similar to this platform. Sometimes you think you will like doing one thing and then discover it's not really the thing for you. An individual can become a mentor-use your contacts and resources to stay connected and don't be afraid to ask for help, ask questions, ask for favors. Many are happy to share their wisdom.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"This may be too much for you to take on. You may not have the skills needed to do this type of work."
Challenges I Overcame
First-Generation Immigrant
Interviewed By
