Hannah Yoshinaga joined Just Drive Media as an intern, driven by curiosity and a love of telling stories. Less than three years later, she’s a Strategic Content Specialist on our team, advising CEOs on executive brand strategy. That kind of career trajectory doesn’t happen by accident. It takes sharp instincts, strategic thinking, and a continuous drive to learn. Now, after mentoring her own intern for the first time, Hannah is reflecting on her path and sharing some great advice on breaking into comms and building a career with intention—even if it doesn’t follow a straight line.

AW: Welcome, Hannah! So excited to have you share your story with us. Let's rewind a bit. You grew up in Orange County, California – what was life like as a kid? Were you always destined for the world of tech, or did you have other dreams?

HY: Haha, not exactly. My parents were the type of people who thought that you can't rule something out until you try it, so they wanted me to try a little bit of everything. I tried all kinds of activities: musical theater, piano, baking, arts and crafts, a few sports. The one that stuck was competitive swimming, and I played water polo for several years as well.

When it was time for high school, I had a choice to either attend the high school in my home school district or try out for another school with a competitive STEM magnet program. I really enjoy math and science, so it seemed like the STEM school could be a good fit. They also had great swim and water polo teams. Those factors convinced me to see if I could get in, even though the application process was difficult and you had to take a six-hour admissions exam. I went through that process and was really excited when I got in.

Looking back, I would say that my high school experience really shifted the direction of my life.

AW: How so?

HY: The culture of the school was very driven and intense. Everyone was invested in learning and wanted to be challenged, and we were doing homework for eight, nine, ten hours every day. Even though I originally wanted to go to the school to learn about fields like engineering and computer science, I realized early on that I didn’t see myself working in those industries for my entire career. But, I still saw how the strong work ethic and study habits I was building would help me pursue any career I was interested in. They eventually enabled me to accomplish a lot of other goals in life outside of school, too.

When you have that innate love for learning and you’re surrounded by hundreds of other students who have it too, it creates a culture where everyone’s going to work as hard as they can, learn as much as they can, and pursue what’s most important to them. Kind of like what we’re doing here at JDM.

AW: Yes! I love that. So, high school was a launchpad, and then you went to college far from home, right? You traded the California sunshine for Boston winters. What prompted that choice?

HY: It’s funny because I always said I was never going to leave California. But my high school counselors encouraged me to apply to a few out-of-state schools as a safety net because California’s state schools are super competitive.

When it was time to choose a school, Boston University ended up making the most sense for my career goals and interests. My friends and family strongly encouraged me to take advantage of the opportunity to go there. My parents were my biggest motivators because neither of them had the chance to move away for school, and they worked really hard to make sure that would always be an option for me. So, I ended up choosing BU even though I was nervous about being so far from home. I joke that I might have chosen BU for the wrong reasons since I essentially let my family and friends make the decision for me, but I definitely stayed for the right reasons.

AW: What sparked your interest in studying communications? Were you always a storyteller, or did something specific draw you to it?

HY: When I was in high school, we got to choose our own electives starting sophomore year, and those were required to graduate in the STEM program. I had just completed a mandatory year of classes in coding and computer logic algorithms, and I didn’t want to continue down that path. I ended up picking yearbook as my elective because I had always been interested in photography and design as hobbies, and I knew I had strong writing skills.

When I joined the yearbook staff, I joined the copywriting team and wrote feature stories about different students and organizations. I was really interested in finding those stories to tell, and I eventually started to think about whether I should find a way to use those skills professionally. A few of my teachers and mentors suggested I look into marketing or communications.

AW: Before focusing on communications, did you have other career aspirations? Did you have a childhood dream job?

HY: I wanted to be an engineer for a long time, which is part of why I ended up at that high school. But when I got there, I realized it wasn't something I saw myself doing every day. Being part of the yearbook staff led me to communications.

I was really interested in sports, especially baseball and basketball, so I started exploring sports communications and marketing. In college, I was part of a few student-run sports journalism clubs. I also did a few great internships in the sports industry, including one with the Orleans Firebirds in the Cape Cod League, where I got to live on the Cape and market the team all summer.

But, as I went through college, I started to question whether the demands of the sports industry were sustainable long-term because you need to make a lot of sacrifices to work in sports. 100-hour weeks on the job aren’t uncommon either.

What changed my perspective was interning at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard when I was a junior. I hadn’t gotten much experience doing communications in a technical field up to that point, so I knew that working with the Broad’s communications team would be a challenge. When I started, I quickly realized that I enjoyed the challenge of not just understanding the complex research the Broad was doing but also finding a way to effectively communicate about it to both technical and non-technical audiences. I learned so much every day, which was amazing as someone who loves to learn.

After that internship, I had a valuable conversation with a mentor who had faced a similar decision about leaving the sports industry earlier in his career and ultimately chose to move to another field. That conversation helped me realize what was most important in my life, which included having time for personal growth and ambitions outside of work and spending a lot of time with family and friends.

I didn’t necessarily realize then that tech was the industry I’d land in, but transitioning to this field over the past few years has opened so many new opportunities and exciting challenges for me. So that was really the best decision I could have made.

AW: Mentors can be so incredibly valuable in life. You’re fortunate in that you had a good one early on. Do you feel like you've had other instances where mentors changed your perspective?

HY: Yes, I'm grateful to have had several strong mentors since high school. I was fortunate to find mentors at many of my internships and jobs who helped me figure out what I wanted out of my career and outline steps for achieving those goals. It’s one thing to want a certain job, but it’s another to make it happen, especially because our industry is so competitive.

AW: How did you find these mentors? Any tips for aspiring comms professionals on how to connect with potential mentors?

HY: A lot of the time, it was being willing to ask questions and set up meetings with different people in the organization, even if their titles or responsibilities weren’t directly related to what I was working on. Showing genuine interest in what they were doing and understanding how our job functions could support each other enabled me to build some valuable relationships.

Also, just staying in contact with former managers or colleagues can make a big difference. It’s not always easy to find reasons or opportunities to reach out, especially if you’ve switched organizations or industries. But you have to do it anyway if you want to keep those connections going. And you never know how one of you might be able to help the other at some point in the future.

AW: That’s awesome – super smart of you. You mentioned this role allowing you to pursue goals outside of work. Can you give us some examples?

HY: There were so many goals I had that were never achievable because I didn't have any spare time. A big one was learning Japanese because my grandparents and other family members speak it, but I never had the time to commit to lessons. Now, having time outside of work to spend on that every day has made a world of difference.

I’ve also had the opportunity to get more involved with an advocacy organization I’m part of called the Japanese-American Citizens League, which is really important work to me. And I’ve gotten to explore some other passions of mine like international cinema and find communities of people in New York, where I live now, who are interested in those things, too. That’s been a great way to make some connections since I moved here.

AW: Japanese?! Love it! What resources are you using to learn?

HY: I have a few textbooks and a program for learning kanji and vocabulary words because there are about 2,000 essential kanji and 6,000 essential vocab words. So, the program helps you learn those and holds you accountable for studying every day. I also use Duolingo a little bit, but I’m not the most committed Duolingo student, haha.

AW: Beyond language learning, what are some of your other life goals?

HY: I would love to travel more and spend time in other parts of the world. I took my first trip to Europe last year with my mom, but I want to explore other continents and countries, too. My goal is to take an international solo trip sometime in the next few years.

I also want to find a new creative outlet or hobby—I used to spend a lot of time on photography and design, which I really enjoyed. And finding a new exercise routine like running or yoga would be a fun way to challenge myself.

AW: That’s awesome! Any fun travel plans in the near future?

HY: I’m going to Japan and Hong Kong for the first time this spring. I’ve wanted to go to both of those places for as long as I can remember, so I couldn’t be more excited. We’re also going to visit family in western Japan, whom we’d lost contact with until we reconnected last year, which will be an awesome experience.

AW: That’s so cool! You’ll have to share some pictures with us. Now imagine it's five years from now, looking back. What advice would you give yourself right now? What wisdom would you impart?

HY: I feel very lucky that I’ve had a lot of great experiences in the communications field. When I was in the Cape Cod League, I got to work with some of the best baseball players in the country, who are now playing in the MLB. The year I interned with the Massachusetts branch of the USGA, the U.S. Open was held just outside of Boston, so I got to work the event and see the world’s top golfers up close. There are so many others I could name. And I can’t even begin to describe what an amazing experience I’ve had at JDM. Going to LinkedIn Talent Connect, our team summit in Nashville, and the Fast Company Innovation Festival were incredible opportunities I’ll never forget.

All of these memories remind me why I chose this field in the first place. That said, it can be easy to constantly ask what’s next and think about the next opportunity, project, or event you’ll get to be part of, especially if you’re a future-oriented person like me. So my advice might be a little corny, but I would say to remember to live in the moment. The wonderful experiences we get to have in this field really do go by in the blink of an eye!

AW: That’s advice we can all use a reminder of. What about for a young person wanting to get into this field? What advice would you give them?

HY: Here are a few thoughts:

• Don't be afraid to take a path that's not linear. Be willing to enter this field from different angles. Some of the best communications professionals I know were in completely different fields like IT, teaching, and civic service before moving to comms.
• Sometimes, it’s better to be a specialist than a generalist, especially if you’re early in your career. Being able to show that you’re really, really talented in one or two comms functions like social media or design can be hugely valuable when you’re looking to get your foot in the door at an organization. Once you’re there, you can always learn more skills and broaden your horizons.
• Actively look for mentors, even outside of your organization or job field. Find someone who has your best interests in mind and is willing to be transparent and provide constructive feedback. Mentors can also coach you on how to advocate for yourself, which is crucial.

AW: Hannah, this has been fantastic. Thank you for sharing your journey and such great advice for all of us!