I am an outgoing individual of many talents; you will always find me teaching, blogging or indulging in graphic design projects for the local community. My main interests lie in the Spanish language, Hispanic cultures, multi-media, and the fast-paced journalism industry. My main objective at this time is to use and strengthen my writing skills and knowledge of creative media.

My interests in culture, language and creative media have evolved into a passion during the last eight years. I have studied abroad, traveled between three unique Pacific islands every year and immersed myself in various island cultures. I initially picked up photography and graphic design as a way to document my experiences and while it became a fulfilling way to express myself, I started to use my skills to help certain art and literary organizations.

I am an active member of the Oahu community and Guam. I have been involved in educational events and programs that help to benefit students in Hawai’i. This includes maintaining an art and culture blog showcasing the beauty of the Pacific Islands that I call home: Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Employment History

SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST / PUBLIC RELATIONS

8/2012 – Present Ekadanta International Group

Social media management for various clients, drafting and distributing press releases, content production for website and promotional content

ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR

9/2011 – Present Hawaii Pacific University Honolulu, HI

Experience in producing lesson plans and teaching Spanish in a university class setting.

SPANISH GRADUATE ASSISTANT

1/2010 – 5/2011 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI

Experience in producing lesson plans and teaching Spanish, teaching advance level culture and literature in Spanish, tutoring students of various Spanish speaking levels.

GRAPHIC ARTIST / SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST

4/2011 – 5/2011 Univision Hawaii Honolulu, HI

Experience in graphic design (logo, flyers, etc.), handling social media public relations through Facebook, Twitter and online blogs.

PUBLIC RELATIONS / WRITER / SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST

1/2009 – 1/2010 Hawaii Pacific Entertainment Honolulu, HI

Experience in writing articles and promotional content (including website content, brochures, business proposals, company projects and coordinated company promotions through online social media networking through Facebook, Twitter and online blogs.

NEWS PRODUCER / ASSIGNMENT DESK EDITOR / ONLINE PRODUCER

5/2008 – 1/2009 KHNL NBC News Honolulu, HI

Experience in producing newscasts, writing and producing content for newscast and website management. I have also conducted interviews and gathered information from government and private organizations.

STUDENT ASSISTANT

9/2005 – 4/2008 Pacific Business Center Program Honolulu, HI

Experience in business plan research in the Hawaiian Islands and Micronesia.

INTERN / REPORTER

6/2007 – 8/2007 Honolulu Star Bulletin Honolulu, HI

Experience in conducting interviews, writing articles, contributing to news content, assisting in gathering information from the Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu Fire Department and various government and private organizations.

EDUCATION HISTORY:

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Master’s Degree in Spanish (completed in 5/2011)

Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Spanish (completed in 12/2008)

Course of Study: Spanish (MA) and Journalism (BA)

University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras

Spanish Certificate (completed in 2006)

Sacred Hearts Academy

Class of 2003, Honolulu, HI

ABILITIES:

• Producing lesson plans, teaching language, culture and literature in Spanish
• Writing news and feature articles, writing/producing/shooting/editing video segments, producing newscasts
• Graphic design (logo, promotional content such as fliers, etc.)
• Blogging
• Social media promotions (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Member of the Spanish Honor Society Hawaii Chapter
• Freelance graphic artist
• Presented research at the LAIS Graduate Symposium (2011) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Moderator in the LAIS Undergraduate Research Symposium (2010 & 2011) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Assistant for ESPN (for coverage of the 2007 UH football season)
• Contributing writer at national lifestyle publication DISfunkshion Magazine.

For a list of references and writing samples, please email me at brandisalas@gmail.com.