Each day is a new day. Most days, people go about their routines, while on others, they do nothing at all.
But there are those few rare days in life in which a new person manages to make an impression. Or, perhaps, provide inspiration.
Here behind Mercyhurst’s gates, there are some of the most inspirational people dwelling about the halls. One great example is Elizabeth Rathburn.
A recent graduate student of the class of 2019, Rathburn is now a study abroad assistant in Preston Hall, where she is working on her master’s degree in Organization Leadership.
During her undergraduate days, Elizabeth was a busy body taking part in numerous activities on campus. She was a double-major in Communication and Music, the majority of her time spent being a member of various music ensembles.
What sets Rathburn apart is her accomplishment of publishing a novel — at the undergraduate level.
Her experience all began one day when a professor from Georgetown reached out to her and asked her to join the Creator Institute program.
This opportunity would forever change her life. With confidence, she gladly accepted.
In her senior year of undergrad, Rathburn divided her time between academics, music and writing a novel as a member of the Creator Institute.
This program features students all across America and they all write their own novels.
As a communication major, Rathburn wanted to write something that was important to her YouTube and thus “Fulfilled, Not Famous” was born
In today’s world of social media obsession, it’s easy to unconsciously delve deep into the YouTube rabbit hole at one time or another.
Elizabeth’s novel explores the different points of view from various small scale YouTube content creators and how people make a living off of posting on social media.
“While this project did teach me the importance of time management, I ultimately wrote it because there simply are no books about this very topic,” Rathburn said regarding the subject of making a living on social media..
“Fulfilled, Not Famous” was a year-long process for Rathburn, and while in the midst of the chaos that is senior year, she managed to keep this project only known to a few.
As the only Mercyhurst student participating in this program at the time, Rathburn juggled schoolwork, music and weekly writing meetings simultaneously and as time went on, her novel came along.
“This book consumed the entirety of this past summer but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Rathburn said.
When the novel was complete, her goal was then to raise as much profit as possible. Her attempt at what is known as the “Indigo Campaign” kicked off in the late summer.
Ending in September, the “Indigo Campaign” helped Rathburn to finalize her novel and ultimately print it. Finally, in November 2019, “Fulfilled, Not Famous” hit the shelves and our amazon shopping carts.
Rathburn’s experience is inspirational because it shows how the sky is the limit behind the gates of Mercyhurst.
When it comes to an opportunity such as this Rathburn’s best advice is to “Do it.”
“Find someone to motivate you, and find the people who will support you through your process.” Rathburn said.
You can now purchase “Fulfilled, Not Famous” on Amazon or for more information on her novel, contact Elizabeth Rathburn in Preston 205 or email erathb51@lakers.mercyhurst.edu.