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>> My name is Sara Hoy.

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I am the Membership Services and
Communications Coordinator for the Chamber

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of Business and Industry Centre County.

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The CBICC.

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We're nonprofit, located here at State College.

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We cover the whole county, Centre County.

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And we support businesses and work with
economic development within the area.

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So, great networking opportunities for the
business community, as well as provide resources

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for increasing jobs and business's growth.

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I'm mostly within the communications
and communicating to our membership,

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communicating to the general area and
beyond, letting them know what it is

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that we have to offer for the businesses.

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We have a lot of benefits.

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We have events that happen on a regular basis.

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Networking opportunities.

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Educational opportunities for them.

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So a lot of resources available
and opportunities for everyone.

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Every day is different.

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I spend a lot of time in front of the
computer right now with the communications.

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Keeping up with social media,
staying on top of technology.

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Things that, ways that we can continue
to communicate with the membership.

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We've over 1,000 members and that's businesses

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that do business here in
Centre County and beyond.

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And we want to keep them up to date with
what's going on within the world of,

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whatever it is that they need to do.

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So within the communication side of things.

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We keep them updated on government
affairs, updated on economic development,

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updated on what else is happening in the
business community with other members.

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So, we have events that happen
on a regular basis.

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We have like business after hours networking
opportunities for them to come together

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and get to know one another, learn
from one another, create relationships

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so that they can continue to build stronger
businesses within the area and create more jobs.

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[Pause] I think that it's different every day.

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And the relationships that I've
built with the business community.

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Learning their stories.

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Learning how some of them have started
with two people and now they have increased

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to 40 employees or they had this
idea and now they are doing this.

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So it's been really neat to see and experience
what is happening here right in our backyard.

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And it's amazing to see the
things that are happening here.

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For me, it's getting the message
across and getting it out there.

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Because everyone's just flooded.

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Emails, social media, Facebook, Twitter.

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Getting our message to stand
out from all the others.

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Getting it to be clear, so that
they know, "Oh, I want to do that."

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So being heard, being understand.

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Communicating that it's not just
events, it's also so many other things

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that we have available to the community.

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[Pause]

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I probably would have taken a lot more courses
within the technology and communication side

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of things because even then, I feel like
there is so much that has changed since then.

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And classes that kind of giving you an
edge to what is happening, what is coming.

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Being versed in how to make some things work.

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I did some web design stuff, but at the time,
like, a lot of things weren't quite developed

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at that time, but it's amazing what has exploded
and especially in the technology side of things.

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So I would have been a lot more probably
in tune to what was happening there.

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I think not being afraid
of taking leadership roles.

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I was involved in a lot of
extracurricular activities.

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So being able to use some
of those skills and success

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and failures to take in to the workplace.

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There were times that I didn't do well with
an activity, trying to coordinate something,

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but it still worked, you know, it just gave me
a lot more to be aware of how to walk in to some

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of these things, that you're
not always going to succeed.

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[Pause] I am from near the State College area.

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So I ended up going to Penn State Altoona.

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So it was a branch campus.

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I was planning on doing two years, but
then the longer I stayed, I loved it.

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And they had a four-year
program there so I stayed.

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I got to know my professors.

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The classroom sizes were a lot smaller.

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I got more one on one attention
and I did much better

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than I think I would have in a larger classroom.

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So for me, personally, it just,
it worked much better for me.

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The integrative arts program, every single
person that was in that program was different.

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So, we could be in the same
class, but all be studying

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and focusing different things
within the arts program.

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And mine was mostly dance.

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I had a dance minor.

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I did a lot of photography, graphic arts.

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I was looking even into entrepreneurship,
maybe starting my own business someday.

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And, when I started looking
at some career options,

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I began to realize the relationship
piece and getting

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to know people was a big
aspect of what I enjoyed.

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And when this job came up, it really
lined into what I was really looking for.

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[Pause] Figure out who you are and use your
strengths and your gifts to do the things

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that you love and enjoy and go after them.

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And not being afraid to step in to things
that might be scary or challenging,

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because it makes you stronger in
the things that you can be doing.

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So, I'd say definitely just go after
the things that you enjoy and love.