October 2018 - GENEVIEVE GOURDIKIAN

GENEVIEVE GOURDIKIAN

Bio: Genevieve Gourdikian graduated from Pepperdine University in 2018 with a degree in Integrated Marketing Communication. While at Pepperdine, Genevieve participated in various on-campus clubs, including the Pepperdine Dance Team, Armenian Student Association, Public Relations Student Society of America, and Catholic Student Association. She traveled overseas to Florence, Italy, where she studied Florentine art history. Her passion for art history led her to work at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum, where she led guided tours for seasonal exhibits for elementary, high school, and senior citizen groups.

Genevieve worked as a Marketing intern for the Annenberg Presidential Learning Center. During her internship, she helped create the “Reagan NextGen” social media series, volunteered for the Reagan Institute Summit on Education (RISE) conference in Washington D.C., processed consumer data information on Salesforce, and wrote a press release for an event co-sponsored by the White House Correspondents’ Association. Genevieve plans to pursue a career in marketing at a public affairs firm or an in-house advertising agency.

INTERVIEW WITH GENEVIEVE GOURDIKIAN

If you could say one word defines leadership what would it be?

Patience

What does leadership mean to you?

Great leadership means putting the needs of others before oneself. A good leader leads the people from above, a great leader leads the people from within.

If you had the opportunity to spread a message to a large group of people, what would it say?

I would quote Eleanor Roosevelt and say “Small minds discuss people; average minds discuss events; great minds discuss ideas”.

What are you reading right now?

I am currently reading Three Feet From Gold by Sharon Letcher and Greg Reid with the Napoleon Hill Foundation. The story follows a struggling entrepreneur through a life-changing series of encounters with business leaders and inspirational figures. These influential people encourage the entrepreneur to persevere and not be afraid of fear because it challenges you, sharpens you, and gives you the opportunity to become the best version of yourself.