SHOW UP AND ADD VALUE…
2022, what a year. Thus far it has undeniably been the greatest year of my life. There’s a lot to cover from this year alone, but I’ll do my best to provide a lens for you to look through in understanding the year Lauren Giovannetti has had. At age 21 I retired from 2 dream jobs I so badly wanted to have. One of my greatest successes was wrapping up my time as an LMU tour guide. On the surface, it may seem silly (you’ve all seen the TikToks of the over-enthusiastic orientation leaders). However, it was because my tour guide was so amazing at this school that I wanted to come to LMU so badly. I had my sights set on LMU the second my tour was over because my tour guide completely transformed what I expected college to be on a 90-minute tour in the fall of 2017. I knew at that very moment that if I could grant this same experience to just 1 prospective student, that that might just be the most fulfilling thing in the world. Being able to add value to prospective students is something that I adored doing for 4 years straight. It was through my 4 years of tour guiding I realized that as amazing as LMU is, the most magnificent part about it is the people: they lit up my world for 4 whole years. It was an absolute honor to represent a school that meant so much to me.
So the second dream job…I was very involved in sorority and fraternity life throughout college. I was able to pursue leadership roles I was eager to do, and foster connections with lots of people I may not have met otherwise. I adored my time with my sorority, what I could not have ever imagined is having such a hard time saying goodbye to a fraternity. I know what you’re thinking, this isn’t adding up. How could you be in both? I had the privilege of being the sweetheart for the Beta Theta Pi chapter at LMU, in other words, the female representative for 2 whole years. These guys became my best friends in college, they were my cheerleaders, roommates, and they were the most welcoming, supportive community. Saying goodbye to them was probably the saddest retirement I have had yet to face.
However I had to continue to ground myself by remembering that I was so unbelievably lucky to have had an experience in college with people I loved so dearly, which made saying goodbye so hard. That experience laid the groundwork for some of the best friendships I have had to date.
Aside from my various retirements, graduating college was a huge success of this year. School was never something I was naturally good at, but getting to focus on what I was passionate about, and LMU’s dedicated faculty, made things click like they never had before. 2 weeks after graduating I got to work full-time, at my current job as Community Manager @Snipfeed. A tech startup located in Venice California, which is a link-in bio company that allows creators to build a digital storefront and monetize their content across social platforms. I have been working with them since February of 2021 and worked hard balancing on-campus jobs, extracurriculars, as well as an internship in hopes of securing a full-time role upon graduating. I feel so lucky to work at Snipfeed. I adore the team and am granted creative freedom to always be working on various endeavors.
Enough of the highs, let’s chat lows. This was a year of many ends. End of college, shifting in relationships, end of an era as a student with a fixed schedule, I have known for the last 2 decades of my life. I am always thinking 2 steps ahead, trying to prepare, which sometimes results in not living in the moment. This year that was the case in a few instances. I failed to be present, I was thinking “what’s coming next?” If I have learned anything this year it’s that oftentimes you simply don’t know. You can have a 10-year plan and have it crumble right in front of you, you can plan all you want but sometimes life simply gets in the way: no matter how hard you work, no matter the sacrifices you make. But, you can never get time back, I will never be this age, in this moment, with these people ever again. Rather than let that scare me, I am (slowly) learning to appreciate it. To embrace change but also the unexpected, for the first time in my life not be tied to a school, a location, or a large group of people. 2022 has taught me to examine myself, what I am passionate about, the good parts of me, the bad ones too, and remind myself to never stop learning about what I love, and about who I am, outside of being a student, a leadership position or a job title.
In 2023 I hope to embrace this mindset, and be open to the idea of moving to a new city, trying new things… who knows. I also hope to continue to build my podcast “Drink Smarter Not Harder” alongside my co-host, Dominic Freitas. That is by far one of my greatest accomplishments this year, a podcast has been a goal for me for many years now. Next year, I also hope to produce more content. I have been creating videos since I was about 12 years old. Makeup tutorials, vlogs, music recommendations, and many other random videos that unfortunately still live on the internet. I have wanted to do this for a while, really taking social media seriously and building a community I am proud of. I’m trying to get a head start by posting on TikTok more consistently before 2022 comes to a close.
Last but not least, I want to leave a note for the younger version of me. If I could say anything to my 12-year-old self, I think here’s where I would start. I would tell her not to change one thing about herself. I would tell her I know it’s hard getting made fun of for the outrageous outfits you wear to school in 4th grade, eating lunch with your teacher, or having difficulty navigating friendships in junior high. I would tell her to still do the 7th-grade talent show in a completely decked-out sparkly outfit, and sing “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons. I know it can be hard having people tell you you’re too much, or that maybe sometimes you feel out of place for being so loud, and confident. I know you are second-guessing yourself now and then. But you wouldn’t believe what’s to come. You’ll channel your love for the spotlight into leadership roles, you’ll speak at your high school graduation, and you will find just about every platform you can to be in front of people in college. I would tell younger me that our life motto is “show up and add value”. I know sometimes you didn’t feel as though you had a lot of value to add, but that’s just because you weren’t in front of the right people. In 10 years, you’ll be surrounded by so many people you met along the way who could not be bigger cheerleaders: you aren’t too loud or too much you just haven’t found your people yet. You have started to find some, and your family is the greatest gift of your life, but what’s to come is better than you could've ever imagined. Keep shining 12-year-old Lauren, you’re up to great things. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. So now that you have read what is turning into an autobiography, I wanted to thank Bobby for allowing me to be a part of something so amazing. My friends are always pushing me to be the best version of myself, by trying new things, being open to new possibilities, and reminding me of my strengths, and he is no exception. I can’t wait for what’s to come for CitiZen. I guess, here’s where I’m starting.
Welcome to the life of Lauren Giovannetti.
