>> My name is Sara Hoy.
I am the Membership Services and Communications Coordinator for the Chamber
of Business and Industry Centre County.
The CBICC.
We're nonprofit, located here at State College.
We cover the whole county, Centre County.
And we support businesses and work with economic development within the area.
So, great networking opportunities for the business community, as well as provide resources
for increasing jobs and business's growth.
I'm mostly within the communications and communicating to our membership,
communicating to the general area and beyond, letting them know what it is
that we have to offer for the businesses.
We have a lot of benefits.
We have events that happen on a regular basis.
Networking opportunities.
Educational opportunities for them.
So a lot of resources available and opportunities for everyone.
Every day is different.
I spend a lot of time in front of the computer right now with the communications.
Keeping up with social media, staying on top of technology.
Things that, ways that we can continue to communicate with the membership.
We've over 1,000 members and that's businesses
that do business here in Centre County and beyond.
And we want to keep them up to date with what's going on within the world of,
whatever it is that they need to do.
So within the communication side of things.
We keep them updated on government affairs, updated on economic development,
updated on what else is happening in the business community with other members.
So, we have events that happen on a regular basis.
We have like business after hours networking opportunities for them to come together
and get to know one another, learn from one another, create relationships
so that they can continue to build stronger businesses within the area and create more jobs.
[Pause] I think that it's different every day.
And the relationships that I've built with the business community.
Learning their stories.
Learning how some of them have started with two people and now they have increased
to 40 employees or they had this idea and now they are doing this.
So it's been really neat to see and experience what is happening here right in our backyard.
And it's amazing to see the things that are happening here.
For me, it's getting the message across and getting it out there.
Because everyone's just flooded.
Emails, social media, Facebook, Twitter.
Getting our message to stand out from all the others.
Getting it to be clear, so that they know, "Oh, I want to do that."
So being heard, being understand.
Communicating that it's not just events, it's also so many other things
that we have available to the community.
[Pause]
I probably would have taken a lot more courses within the technology and communication side
of things because even then, I feel like there is so much that has changed since then.
And classes that kind of giving you an edge to what is happening, what is coming.
Being versed in how to make some things work.
I did some web design stuff, but at the time, like, a lot of things weren't quite developed
at that time, but it's amazing what has exploded and especially in the technology side of things.
So I would have been a lot more probably in tune to what was happening there.
I think not being afraid of taking leadership roles.
I was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities.
So being able to use some of those skills and success
and failures to take in to the workplace.
There were times that I didn't do well with an activity, trying to coordinate something,
but it still worked, you know, it just gave me a lot more to be aware of how to walk in to some
of these things, that you're not always going to succeed.
[Pause] I am from near the State College area.
So I ended up going to Penn State Altoona.
So it was a branch campus.
I was planning on doing two years, but then the longer I stayed, I loved it.
And they had a four-year program there so I stayed.
I got to know my professors.
The classroom sizes were a lot smaller.
I got more one on one attention and I did much better
than I think I would have in a larger classroom.
So for me, personally, it just, it worked much better for me.
The integrative arts program, every single person that was in that program was different.
So, we could be in the same class, but all be studying
and focusing different things within the arts program.
And mine was mostly dance.
I had a dance minor.
I did a lot of photography, graphic arts.
I was looking even into entrepreneurship, maybe starting my own business someday.
And, when I started looking at some career options,
I began to realize the relationship piece and getting
to know people was a big aspect of what I enjoyed.
And when this job came up, it really lined into what I was really looking for.
[Pause] Figure out who you are and use your strengths and your gifts to do the things
that you love and enjoy and go after them.
And not being afraid to step in to things that might be scary or challenging,
because it makes you stronger in the things that you can be doing.
So, I'd say definitely just go after the things that you enjoy and love.