Embracing My Inner Geek

Geek is so hot right now.  From thick black glasses, to Glee, to Google Wave.  The IT guy is the high school quarterback of every office, and now Community Managers are head cheerleaders.  Everyone wants to know who they are dating, what they ate for lunch and how they can help the company use Facebook to increase the bottom line.  Now, I was never head cheerleader in high school (or a cheerleader at all for that matter), but as the newest intern to join the Abraham Harrison team I’m looking to up my popularity in the social media world and learn as much as I can so maybe someday I can be at the top of the PR career pyramid.

Before I get much more entrenched in this terrible cheerleading metaphor, let me introduce myself.  My name is Ellie Brown and I am a graduate student at American University getting a master’s degree in Public Communication.

I am very excited to begin working with Abraham Harrison since I am quickly learning that knowledge of social media is an important skill for any communication career I pursue after graduating.  My social media use currently includes sharing my pictures from the weekend with my friends on Facebook and, I admit, the dreaded “what I ate” tweet (@elliebrown1).  But I’m beginning to see the vast possibilities for social media – especially how I can explore my interest in Africa and the application of social media and mobile technology there.

Before returning to grad school at American I worked for three years at a research and consulting firm called Abt Associates, Inc. in the international health division.  I worked closely with Ministries of Health in Kenya, Uganda and Namibia to improve the transparency and reliability of health financing policy. I was so lucky to have the opportunity to do something I loved for work…see the world.  I’ll never forget the times I was “working” among the elephants, lions and baboons in Kenya.

Although I miss my trips to Africa, I’m looking forward to learning more about social media and in the process, embracing my inner geek.