FRESNO STATE FOCUS RADIO EDITION 3/23/2024

Show date: 3/23/24

I’m Leslie Gonzales. Today on Fresno State Focus Radio edition,
We will be celebrating Women’s History Month.
And in case no one has told you,
Happy Women’s History Month, girlie.
In honor of Women’s History Month,
two Fresno State students, Elle
Martin and Lily Diaz will join us.
We will discuss women
working and operating in traditionally
male-dominated fields
and the importance of forming connections
that support overall academic performance
and one’s future goals.
And later, we’ll be standing on business
and answering men’s most-asked questions
about the girlies.
So be sure to stick around.
But first, we take a look at a student
athlete and social media leader.

Elle Martin is a Senior at Fresno State
majoring in Business Sports Marketing.
A member of the Equestrian team
and an intern with Fresno State Athletics.
Here’s Lauren with more.

Elle Martin has recently taken a lead
on Fresno State’s
men’s basketball social media.
She is the woman behind the camera
and captions for many recent posts,
taking on the role of managing the men’s
basketball
Social media account
has really been an adventure.

“I feel like I’ve learned a lot
about content creation

and being so much more creative
and trying to be a little bit
more out of the box and really applying
all of the things that I’m learning
in class.
I’m a Business Sports Marketing Major,
so a lot of it is about like
getting consumers
attention, and advertising,
and all those kinds of things.
And I really come
to appreciate the content creators who
come up with these things
that is so catchy, and that goes viral
because trying to do that, like
even if you look
at the people who do it so well
and trying to mimic those things,
I really felt like most of the time
I was looking at other accounts
like the top basketball schools
and what they were doing
on their social media accounts
and really using that to try and fuel
what I was trying to do.
Also, looking at our football account,
which is always so on fire.
They’ve got great content,
they have such great content
because they have the people
who are pouring into who is going
and looking at other accounts.
I talked to some of the ladies,
like one of my supervisors
and another one of the women who works in
athletics, who runs the football account
sometimes, she says,
you look at the best accounts
and you really want to mimic
what they’re doing
so that we can catch on
to those same things.
Like obviously, it’s working for them,
so it’s going to work for us too.
And even if it doesn’t pan out,
just continuing to do those things
that are proven to work
well, for other schools
and maybe we don’t have the same following
as these other schools,
but people are attracted to it.
And so kind of just applying those things
and being persistent and also learning
that I can’t take it personally
when content doesn’t go like
it doesn’t take off like I wanted it to.
Like there were a couple of posts
that I was like,
Man, like this
content is going to do super well.
And then it kind of just flopped.
And I was pretty disappointed by it
and I was taking it personally.
But really, I needed to learn that
even though the content doesn’t
do as well as I thought it would,
I can’t take it personally.
And that’s okay.
Like the next time
it could go super great, or the content
that I didn’t think would take off
goes viral.
So I think it’s really taught me a lot
about being persistent.
It’s been cool
to get to interact behind the scenes
and kind of see
what goes on and talking to photographers
and yeah, a lot of behind-the-scenes
stuff.

It’s also interesting to see that
like these guys are just regular guys
and it’s been a great adventure.

But balancing three different roles
hasn’t always been easy for Elle.

I’d say the most challenging part
about balancing all of those things
has been not placing my worth and my value
in each of those things because I love them.
I’m somebody who will go 110 percent
and just like go until I drop.
And I have so much FOMO
that I don’t want to miss out on anything.
And so, having my hands in the cookie jars
in so many different areas
and trying to pour out my energy
into all these different things,
I want to do them
to the best of my abilities.
I want to be a good steward of all
these opportunities that God’s given me.
And it’s tough for me to say no, and to say
I don’t have the time to do that
or really find that balance, to just slow
down and not burn myself out, I’d say.
Learning to have healthy boundaries
and learning to have that balance
in my own life of study,
practice, rest a little bit and then go
do a game later on that evening
has been definitely a challenge for me,
but it’s been extremely beneficial for me
because I’ve learned to balance
and I learned to take naps,
which has been very helpful for me.
But yeah, it’s definitely a balancing act
that I have to continually try
and bring myself to the Lord
and really not place
my worth, my value in what I do,
but in who I am to him.
And like I mentioned earlier,
when stuff doesn’t go as planned
with the social media, then I would think,
okay, this isn’t going well in this area,
but at least my grades are doing well
and if I do poorly on a test, like, okay,
my grades aren’t doing that great,
but at least my competition has been going
great, my competition has been going well.
And if that’s not going well, like
not trying to just move my worth, my value
and how I’m doing in those other areas,
but really staying firm and who I am
and not allowing that to change
based on how I’m doing in
all of these different areas.
So that’s definitely been a challenge
and it’s been great to get to solidify
that, especially in my senior year
because I did feel like it took me a long time
to figure that out.
But this was the perfect opportunity
to do that
because I was able to balance
the social aspects because I love
being around people
and going and doing fun things.
And also I love competing.
I have that very firm competitive drive
and I love to be the best at something
I can be.
But it was humbling to be able to say
like, Hey, I’m not doing well in two
out of the three areas or three
out of the three areas,
But that’s okay because I know that I’m
just going to continue to work diligently
in that, and I know that I’m doing my part
to get rest,
to eat healthily,
to study and practice well.
So to finally be able to say, like,
“Hey, it’s okay”.
And I think that comes a lot
with maturity, too.
But to find that balance and really do
that in a way where I don’t place my worth
and my value and how I do in each of
these areas have been a huge blessing.

Despite her challenges and grueling schedules,
Elle looked forward to the opportunity
that aligned with her future goals.
Elle will tell us more about the benefits
of this competitive environment.

So this role was a big stepping
stone for me.
I felt like it really boosted
my confidence and enabled me to take that
next step and do it boldly
in pursuing my career post-graduation.
I want to be a professional horse
rider and horse trainer,
so I’m going to continue
on being an athlete.
But part of that role for the job that I accepted is managing
social media profiles and being in charge
of marketing and getting new clients in.
So I’m also not only
am I riding and training horses,
but I’m also interacting
with customers and clients
and trying to get new clients in
and then managing the social media pages
to try and attract new clients
and riders to come in.
So to have this background of, like what
my plan is going to be going
forward has been a huge help.
Now that I have that like, okay,
I have the boldness to test something out,
and if it doesn’t work,
then it didn’t work.
I’m not putting
that kind of pressure on myself
to really figure it out like this.
Content has to work
and I have to be able to figure it out.
Also, giving myself a little bit
more grace in realizing how long it takes
and really that
if I want to do the content well,
I need to have it
planned out early in the week
or like two weeks in advance of, like,
“Okay, let’s video
a couple of funny clips now
and get two or three of them recorded”.
So then, when I want to post them
two or three weeks from now,
I already have them ready to go.
So capitalizing on different holidays
or funny things that are happening in
the Daily News or like world news
or culture has been cool to figure out,
and I think that’s going
to be really helpful to me,
especially with the way that
the economy cycles because that does
impact and school cycles because
that does impact our writing schedule,
like we usually take the winters off.
So using that as a time to really like
get people in and get people involved
and also summertime,
that’s when we get a lot of kids
who want to start riding horses
because they have more time for school.
So really using that as a time
to capitalize on marketing and doing
TikToks and engaging with our own clients
so that they can refer their friends
and different things like that.
And also this field being very male-dominant, has helped me really
be a lot more same thing,
like a lot more confident, a lot bolder,
and just talking and interacting
with people of authority.
A lot of the time I’m afraid
I’m going to say something wrong
or being really a people pleaser.
And now I feel like
after being able to interact with people
who are very high up or very stressed out
like some of the photographers
at football games or people
who didn’t get their credentials on time?
And so they’re asking you
all these tough questions
and you don’t really
have the answers to them
or you can’t give them the answer
that they want
instead of just shrinking back
and accepting it all on myself,
it’s enabled me to be able
to be more confident in that and be firmer
in the healthy boundaries
that I have with people,
not just let them walk all over me,
but still, be gentle and respectful,
but to not be so afraid
to say the tough things or have the tough
conversations of also like, “Hey,
I didn’t appreciate that you did this”,
or “I really would like this to happen”.
So what can I be doing
to make this happen?
So it really has helped
with the tough conversations.
Also, in my sport,
The top rankings are always male
dominated as athletes like men and women
compete in the same categories
in the same field,
which is unlike any other sport.
And so now I feel like
I’m able to ask them more questions
because I’ve always gravitated
more towards the women
because they understand
more what it’s like.
And also, I don’t want to bug these men
who have such high rankings,
but now I feel like, why not?
They offer great information
and I don’t have to worry
so much about what they think of me or
bugging them because they are superior
or because they have everything together.
They’re doing so great,
but that they’re humans too.
And I have the freedom
to ask them questions
for things that I don’t really understand
or I want clarity with,
and to assert those boundaries
with things that I don’t appreciate.
And to say that boldly.”

Although basketball season is over,
Elle will continue this internship
until she graduates this May.
We wish Elle and the rest
of the Equestrian team luck this season.
Back to you
Leslie and Victoria.

Elle isn’t the only one
making headway in a male-dominated space. As women entered college
and pursued an education,
Frat Row quickly
became decorated with sorority houses.
Over one thousand men and women make up
Fresno State’s 38 fraternal organizations.
Here’s Victoria with more.

Meet Lily Diaz, a Fresno State freshman
rocking the Kappa Kappa Gamma scene
while also being involved with the RTDNA Club and the social media team.
Welcome, Lily.
How do you balance your sorority
life on top of classes, work, clubs, etc.?

Hi, Victoria. Thanks for having me.
Yeah, it’s definitely a lot on my plate
withholding, you know, a position
in Kappa, while still trying
to hold a title of an RTDNA
president and doing some MCJ department
social media stuff.
And it’s just a lot,
you know, on top of working,
trying to maintain finances in
so trying to stay in shape,
I try. But it’s hard for me to stay
organized and be on schedule as it is.
So I feel like these college years,
it’s really good for me to navigate
and keep me on track.
I would definitely say being a part
of all these things has taught me
to communicate better with everybody.
Like my sorority sisters,
my colleagues, my classmates,
and even family and friends
about my schedule and commitments.

I totally feel you and understand,
you know, being a freshman in college,
jumping into a new lifestyle
can be very overwhelming.
A lot of college students
often struggle to balance
academics, jobs
and extracurricular commitments.
However, Kappa Gamma
focus is to inspire positive change,
mental health and well-being.
I shined a little bit on Kappa’s
philanthropy.
What is it, and what events or activities
does your chapter do to support your philanthropy?

Kappa Kappa Gamma is really dedicated to
just promoting mental health, especially.
I feel like it’s crucial today.

I love that Greek life emphasizes
on philanthropy, academic success,
and your well-being.
It’s not just about
the stereotypes of partying,
but there still is a social aspect
within the Greek life,
and you can gain so much more
than just that.
That brings us to our last question.
What do you hope to gain from
being in Kappa?

This sorority has brought me
great community
that I feel like
I was lacking. A little background about me
as I actually grew up in Kingsburg,
and I still chose Fresno State
knowing it was going to be
a commuter school. With the sorority,
I feel like it’s just brought me
great connections and networking
and it’s just so great to be a part
of this national organization.
And it’s truly,
really something special to be a part of.

I totally feel you on the connections
and networking aspect.
I actually transferred back
to Fresno State for those reasons
because I felt like
I was missing out on those things.
But thank you so much, Lily,
for joining me and sharing your experience
that you have had within the student
involvement and Greek life.

Men always say women are so confusing.
The Girls Club took to social media
and asked men
what they wanted to know about women.
To no one’s surprise, it was a lot.

Our Instagram polls received over
a hundred responses.
We’ve compiled the polls.
Let’s clear the air
with a women’s perspective.
Here are Leslie and Victoria with
their answers to the top four questions.

The polls were definitely popping up,
but for this week, we took the top
four most asked questions.
So, our first question is: “Why do we always have to pick what we eat
or where we go out to eat?”

Women make a lot of decisions daily
that most men don’t have to make.
Men will never understand
the process behind our outfits
and how we want to style our hair.
It honestly feels nice when you, as a man,
make plans, are decisive, and take the lead.

I have even seen it on
TikTok, where men tell their partners,
“Hey, guess where I’m taking you to eat?”
And whatever
their partner responds is where they go.
Some will even act
surprised and be like, “Wow,
how did you know
I was going to take you there?”
So be creative.
We’re just girls.

Next, we had someone ask, “Why don’t women
compliment men or make the first move?”
Well, these are two questions in one.
So, in my opinion, women
making the first move will be more
about the physical actions
than what we actually say.
Like touching your arm,
or just getting closer to you.
Most girls who do make that first move
probably feel confident
that you’re interested in.

So men, please
make some eye contact and make us feel
some sort of interest on your part.
I think the universal male compliment
is probably
“You look nice”,
but that feels boring and overused.
A lot of girls will compliment men.
If they don’t, it’s probably the fear
of rejection or feeling like they’re dumb.
But I think it falls back on the level
of comfort you feel with someone.
The vibe.
If we feel confident
that you’re interested,
we are more likely to compliment you
or make the first move.

So our next question is: “How long are women
willing to wait to be proposed to?”
I think many factors play a role in this.
Each couple has their own timeline.
I’ve heard some men usually know
they want to marry their person
within the first six months
of dating them.
But then we need to consider
high school sweethearts,
or even those couples who may not be
in a strong financial situation.
I would definitely say reassuring
your partner is important
and communication is key,
even thinking about marriage.
Just be realistic
with what timeline fits your relationship.

This brings us to our last question.
If he’s a two,
What would make him a ten?
Why is he a two?
I feel like this
could be a variety of things.
Confidence is key, king. But there are things, as a man,
you can do that
make you so much more attractive
to the girlies. For example,
And I hate that
I even have to include this,
Having good hygiene, good banter, and
just being a kind and approachable person.
It really is about being sure of yourself.

And that wraps up our show today.
Next week, we will talk about Fresno State’s
Vintage Days, spring sports
and new trending events on campus.

Today’s episode of Fresno State Focus:
Radio Edition was produced by Professor
Hanayo Oya for the Department
of Media, Communications and Journalism.

Our stories and interviews were produced
and edited by Carissa Guzman.
This program is produced in collaboration
with 90.7 KFSR for Fresno State Focus: Radio Edition.

I’m Leslie Gonzalez,
and I’m Victoria Picasso.
See you next week.