Students gathered in Ezell for a slice of hot pizza and a presentation by Lipscomb alumna Heather A. Moss Gad for the first Media Masters of the year.
Moss Gad shared her journey of the ups and downs of her career after graduating from Lipscomb.
She began her story by talking about her first job as a news reporter, which did not go as planned.
“Some of the main faces you see on camera every night do not make as much as you think they would,” Moss Gad noted. “I started out making only $19,000 a year. I am motivated by money. Growing up, I didn’t have a lot and that’s where that desire came from.”
Since Moss Gad was motivated by money, she wasn’t pleased with her starting salary as a reporter. She said she would look at all of the fancy cars at NewsChannel 5 and NewsChannel 4 and wonder how long it would take her to climb that ladder so that she, too, could have the nicest things.
Her boss looked her dead in the eye and simply told her, “Sales.”
Moss Gad took that to heart and immediately got a job in sales with healthcare and pharmaceutical companies. In one short year, Moss Gad would become the top sales representative at her new business.
Moss Gad hit six figures a year by age 22, but she said success did not come easily for her. She faced many hardships and trials throughout her career, but she always tried to put God first. After getting turned down for jobs, battling through a divorce and being mistreated by customers, she began to lose hope.
Nevertheless, Moss Gad said she resolved to fight through this hard time by staying strong and trusting in God.
“I made a promise to God that I would do everything I could do to be light for Him in this world if He wouldn’t put me through anything like that ever again,” she said.
Moss Gad attributed her success to a hard work ethic and perseverance.
“If you can communicate with people and sell yourself, you can do anything, guys,” Moss Gad said. “Whatever path you choose down the road, give it 110%.”
In closing, Moss Gad encouraged the crowd to realize that someone is always watching, even when it seems like the hard work is going unnoticed.
“Everything you do counts, and your name is all you got.”