Staff Spotlight: Meet Karina Macias

Karina is a current Fresno State student majoring in Public Relations who is serving as OCED's spring semester San Joaquin Valley Rural Development Center (SJVRDC) student intern. She joined the team as part of the MCJ 191 Internship Course and is completing 150 hours this semester. As part of her duties, Karina assists in the day-to-day maintenance of the SJVRDC website and social media channels.

Karina is not new to understanding rural communities. She was raised in the rural community of San Joaquin and is a graduate of Tranquility High School. Over the years, she has been successful at leveraging the skills and education she’s garnered, and at age 21, while enrolled at Fresno State, she opened her own small business in San Joaquin: a hair salon that employed two members of the local community.

What are you passionate about?

I'm passionate about learning, and self-discovery. I love to continue working on myself, by learning new things and developing new skills. Both my careers require me to stay on top of latest trends and because of this, I set goals for myself to continue learning and growing as a person and a professional.

Tell us about your professional background.

I am a licensed cosmetologist, with five years of professional experience in the beauty industry. I'm also currently pursuing a BA in Mass Communication and Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations while I run my small business in San Joaquin, CA.

Who inspires you?

The person that inspires me is my mom. She inspires me to make my dreams a reality and always supports my entrepreneurial adventures. She has taught my sister and me that any time we spend learning is never wasted time. Because of her, I can say I’m a crafty person; always taking on the challenge of doing things myself. My mom is a joyful being with a contagious laughter that never lets you leave a room without a smile. She inspires me to be a kind, loving person.