Angela White, ’14
Major
English, Media and Performance Studies Track
Current Employment
Metadata Writer, Crawford Media Services
What have you been up to since you were a student at Marymount?
After graduating I extended my hours at a part time job that I was working with during the school year and applied to local full time positions in the media field. Three months later I started working full time as an IP Content Coordinator at SiriusXM Satellite Radio, the same company and division that I had interned for in the Spring. I worked at Sirius for just over a year before deciding to change my career route and pursue working on a freelance basis. This move came in part to finding out that I was pregnant with my second child and in part to frustration with my commute and work schedule. After leaving Sirius, I soon began working from home as an independent contractor for a company called Crawford Media Services. I am currently working part time as a metadata writer, providing descriptions and keyword tags for archived video assets.
What are you working on now and what are you most proud of?
Right now I am working on learning as much as I can as a writer for Crawford Media so that I can gain exposure and position myself as a candidate for career advancement. I am also working on establishing myself as a freelance writer so that I can explore other opportunities to build and grow within the field. I am most proud of the fact that I have been able set goals and remain on a path to achieve them.
How did your experience at Marymount impact these things?
My experience at Marymount has impacted a lot of my decisions. I began my undergraduate studies after completing an associate’s degree in Business Management. I knew I wanted to have my own business, but was not sure what I wanted to do. After my first semester I decided that English was a passion of mine and paired with a communication minor I could work on establishing myself as writer for entertainment and media. On the Media and Performance Studies track I was able to learn a lot of the written, visual, and oral skills needed to perform well at entry level positions with Sirius and Crawford. Courses such as Studies in Performance, Modern Drama, The Movie or The Book?, and Visual and Cultural Communication gave me the analysis skills and writing techniques needed to convey main ideas in visual and auditory media. A lot of the terminology that I learned has been helpful as well. But one of the biggest ways in which my experience at Marymount has impacted my path today is that it helped me maintain an active drive and determination to achieve my goals. I had some difficult times while working towards completing my degree, and many times it would have been easier to give up; but the programs, support of staff, and professors at Marymount helped me keep sight of what I wanted to achieve. This is the type of determination and focus that I’ve needed to forge into a freelance career.
What are your future career, service, or other goals?
My future career goals involve me maintaining an independent work status so that I can spend more time with my family and raising my kids.
What advice would you give to prospective students considering a career in your field?
The only advice that I can give to prospective students considering venturing into freelance writing is that you really need to know what you want to do, and be prepared for it not to be exactly what you expect it to be. You will constantly re-evaluate your path but this is part of your evolution as a writer so just go with it. The income will not always be steady, but this is also a part of the journey so make plans for other sources of income if need be. Finally, don’t let uncertainty hinder your efforts to keep seeking new avenues that could work for you.
