WRITING

FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS

George Mason University Alumna Susana Castillo Breaks Boundaries and Finds Political
Success
By Alexandra Tubell

From Colombia to the Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser, Susana Castillo has become

the definition of dedication and hard work. She has found success and happiness in politics, a

career field she never dreamed of being involved in originally. This past January, Castillo was

promoted to press secretary for Mayor Muriel Bowser.

During her time at George Mason University, she majored in communication with a

concentration in public relations. “Mason allowed me to create tangible products to show

employers,” she said. “The value of internships in this area is huge as well. Mason was able to

provide me with lots of real world experience.” At George Mason University, Castillo is

described by her professors and peers as a hard-worker, inspired, and a student who was always

aiming to make her work better.

Upon her graduation in 2013, she went to work at Media Force LLC as a client service

representative. From that experience, she learned she wanted to work where she could focus on

giving back to her Latino community, so she became a community mobilizer specialist at the

Department of Behavioral Health at Latin America Youth Center. She found her niche there and
continued to grow and became a public relations specialist at the Mayor’s Office on Latino

Affairs. “Giving back to the community that built me was the most important thing,” she said. “I

learned that through local politics I could have an impact on them.”

At the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs, she was able to create a communication and marketing

plan from the ground up. As the only person working in the communication department in their

office, she was able to hit the ground running and create everything from scratch. This included

their social media, branding strategies, and more. Throughout her eight months there, Castillo

met people working in her field who she was able to build strong relationships. Castillo met the

Press Secretary for the Mayor at the time, and was able to prove herself as a key individual. She

stayed in contact with the press secretary and was offered a few small jobs to work for the Mayor

Muriel Bowser.

In 2016, many employees left the Mayor’s office to go work for various presidential campaigns

which led to job opportunities within the Mayor’s office. Castillo was offered a three-month

position in the Mayor’s communication office where she did every small job to the best of her

ability. She put together binders for the Mayor, organized press releases, and communicated with

the Mayor on where she should be for specific events. The Mayor’s office saw how dedicated

Castillo was and promoted her to press secretary at the Executive Office of the Mayor,

Government of the District of Columbia.

In her current role, she is responsible for all of the coverage the Mayor Bowser gets and the

messages she intends to put out. “Mayor Bowser’s life is my life,” she says. She hosts press

conferences, events, oversees all of the agencies that report to the Executive Office of the Mayor,

handles the media, and more. She says, “You have to have a story behind everything, and that’s

the most important part.” She creates the total package for reporters, as she crafts the story,
message, interviews, tours, and more to pitch journalists. Castillo says, “I would not change my

job for anything, it is what makes me happiest every single day.”

Castillo faces adversity every day. She noted that people often try to put her in pockets simply

based off her nationality. However, this gives her more empowerment to fight and push past

being put in a box. Castillo proves herself as a key element to the mayor through every aspect of

her work. She has found reward in her position through being able to help her community in

local politics.

George Mason University’s Communication Department provides its students with the tools

they need to succeed, whether that be putting together a portfolio of writing samples, creating

promotional videos, creating strategic media plans, and more. Susana Castillo is the prime

example of success and what George Mason University’s Communication Department produces.

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George Mason University is located in the center of one of the world’s most influential media

markets. The communication department is focused on delivering programs and courses provide

education about the most basic of human social processes: the creation and dissemination of

meaning and information. The communication department offers a variety of undergraduate and

graduate degrees and provide membership opportunities in a number of nationally-recognized

student organizations. Our world-renowned faculty prepare our graduates to enter the market

place as well-prepared and knowledgeable professionals.