Samara Finn Holland, FCLC ’03, spends a lot of time online making real-life connections.
As the head of an influencer relations group at a communications firm, Holland focuses on the next generation of opinion leaders—like bloggers and instagrammers—who are online influencers.
“I am very passionate about social media. A focus on people is also really important to me. I think the beauty of social media is twofold—you can get inspirational content and crowdsource, and you can also maintain connections and make new ones based on mutual interests,” she says.
Holland believes that the power of social media has already changed the way people think about everything from culture to careers.
“People naturally promote things they’re passionate about on social media,” she says. “And now more and more people want to pursue a profession that is also inherent to their passions and what drives them.”
Holland is one of those very people. Driven by the excitement of an ever-evolving media landscape and the idea of creating meaningful connections, Holland promotes her interests via the social media platforms she’s so passionate about.
One of those interests is Fordham.
Whether she’s sharing a picture of a Rose Hill campus squirrel, encouraging her friends to donate on Giving Tuesday, checking into a mentoring event on campus, or congratulating fellow alumnus Denzel Washington, FCLC ’77, on his recent Golden Globe win, Holland is always hooked into the Fordham network.
“It helps my friends think about their Fordham experiences,” she says, “and it’s important and positive for me in reconnecting with them and my alma mater. I also had great mentors and received financial aid at Fordham, so it’s important to me to help the next generation have the same experience I did.”
Her friend Ryan St. Germain, FCLC ’02, GSAS ’03, GABELLI ’12, says Holland helps him stay connected to his alma mater. “There is seldom a piece of Fordham news you can’t find on one of her online accounts. It’s clear Sam has never forgotten the value of the education, relationships, and experiences she gained at Lincoln Center.”
And her non-Fordham friends notice it too. Though Holland is also a member of the Fordham Mentoring Program and the Fordham College at Lincoln Center Board of Advisers, it’s her social media profiles that truly allow her to be a constant Fordham advocate.
“People who didn’t go to Fordham know me as having a lot of excitement for my alma mater because of my social media accounts,” she says. “They ask me about Fordham all the time. Or they tell me about their own Fordham connection. My HR department at Marina Maher Communications even comes to me and asks what Fordham students are like.
“It’s just a part of who I am,” Holland says, “online and offline.”
