Hofstra Alum sits down to give some advice to current students
Hofstra alum Heather Cohen spoke to students about her career as a woman in a leadership position in the communications field. // Photo courtesy of Julia Capitelli.
Hofstra students, mostly women, gathered in a circle with coffee and snacks in Hofstra Hall on Monday, Feb. 12, to listen to Hofstra alum Heather Cohen speak about her career as a woman in leadership in the communications field. Cohen sat in front of the parlor’s fireplace, a coffee in her hand and a smile on her face. Now president of the Weiss Agency, she represents many media personalities and told stories about her time at Hofstra and the development of her career.
The students in attendance came away with advice they can use to advance their own careers.
“I think that her story is really inspiring and helpful,” said Dylan Aleixo, a junior journalism major. Aleixo, who knows Cohen personally, said he was pleasantly surprised to see just how many students attended.
Cohen spoke at length about the various opportunities she seized throughout her career and connections she has made along the way. Joining her high school’s radio station as a shy new student was the first step in her communications journey.
“I was very nervous to be on the air, but I loved pressing the buttons, and I loved being a part of something that seemed a little bit bigger,” Cohen said. “There was just a group and a comradery and it felt wonderful, and I felt like I belonged.”
At Hofstra, Cohen participated in WRHU, where she learned about the business side of journalism and developed many skills she would use to advance her career. She emphasized the importance of the network Hofstra students can build during their time at the university, and she also spoke about having connections and helping students get jobs. She explained that she believes it is important to give back because of the people that have helped her and that it can lead to more connections.
“I have so many friends,” she said. “It’s like one degree of separation in terms of a contact or putting people together.”
Having worked in board ops at WOR radio station early in her career, Cohen said there was a lot of pressure, but she wanted to learn.
“I needed to prove to myself that I could do it,” she said. “It was my foot in the door.”
Avery Stenstrom, a sophomore English major, said that she thought Cohen did a good job of explaining her attitudes on new responsibilities.
“She gave pretty good examples of ‘if you see an opportunity that seems good, then take it,’” Stenstrom said.
Aside from opportunities and connections, Cohen addressed the constantly changing nature of the industry. With the development and proliferation of new technology, it can be difficult for organizations to stay relevant. Cohen discussed how, with the rise of social media and artificial intelligence, people in communications have been forced to reinvent themselves. This includes Cohen herself.
Similarly, Cohen said that media is everywhere, and even the language of the industry is changing because of how multifaceted the industry is.
“Today, I couldn’t say ‘I want to be a program director’ at a radio station. No, I can say ‘I want to be a director of content,’” she said. “Don’t limit yourself, because these platforms are changing.”
Stenstrom and Aleixo both said they intend to use Cohen’s advice moving forward in their own careers. For Stenstrom, an aspiring author, this means finding publishers that might be interested in her work.
“I’ll definitely try and go to more author-based conventions or meetups and such to hopefully meet publishers that might want my work,” Strenstrom said. “Basically, just put yourself out there and don’t be afraid to.”
