Loretta Golden ’20 discovered her passion for communications and storytelling while working on a project as a Girl Scout. Her efforts earned her a Gold Award, the highest achievement within Girl Scouts of the USA with only 5 percent of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earning the recognition. “My Gold Award project included creating an educational video and Powerpoint presentation about disability awareness,” she said. “Doing that project made me realize how much I liked doing that type of work.” She enrolled in the radio and television program at Suffolk County Community College, earning an associate’s degree. “When I was in that program, I was hearing about other schools, including Oswego, where I could earn my bachelor’s degree,” she recalled. “I was very into filming and radio since I was a young teenager and the program at Oswego sounded like a great opportunity.” She enrolled in the broadcasting and mass communication program at Oswego, and enjoyed her courses, particularly Marybeth Longo’s Advanced Editing class. She also wrote some articles about music and entertainment for The Oswegonian. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic cut short her on-campus Oswego experience but she was able to secure an extended learning internship at Stony Brook University in the radio station WUSB 90.1 FM. “I learned about broadcasting firsthand and was given my own rock radio show, ‘The Rock Round-Up,’ which I still run today,” she said. After graduating from Oswego in December 2020, she found two per diem jobs: one at a local newspaper, Newsday, and the other at a local media broadcasting company, Connoisseur Media. “Those jobs gave me great experience and connections that enabled me to land a dream job at Girl Scouts of Suffolk County,” she said. Today, as a communications associate, she is involved in a variety of tasks, including interviewing people, video editing and production, creating graphic design using Adobe software and Canva, crafting social media posts, taking photographs and organizing events. “I love all of the things that I do!” Golden said. "I like working for the Girl Scouts because it’s such an amazing opportunity to work with the company that guided me through my childhood and taught me how to have courage, confidence and character. The Girl Scouts is also the group who taught me to be the leader I am today." She has an exciting year ahead of her, as she is pregnant with her first child, a daughter, and is engaged to be married. “One day, when she is looking at colleges, I hope to return to Oswego to show her the campus where I got my start,” Golden said. “Oswego was an important part of my life, and my creative projects and writing became a part of my portfolio,” she said. “I am thankful for the opportunities I had through my time at Oswego.”