Lia Hyman, 24, has a passion for writing and creativity.
After growing up in Philadelphia, Hyman went to the University of Delaware, where she received an undergraduate degree in communications with a focus on public relations and a minor in international business. In addition to her work at public relations firm Abel Communications, Hyman is a resident at the Moishe House Baltimore in Fells Point, where she helps create programming for young Jewish professionals. Hyman became the only female resident in December of 2022.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
I love writing. I’ve been a songwriter my whole life. Being in a creative environment came naturally, so I knew I was going to be in a writing kind of field. So, whether that be advertising or PR, I was just always really attracted to those avenues of storytelling like writing and music.
How did you find this job?
My uncle was a journalist in Baltimore for a long time there. He was friends with the CEO of our company because he was also a journalist before he started his own PR firm. During the pandemic, I had a lot of time to network, so I just reached out to learn more about his firm. So then, when I was graduating, I saw they had an open position. I applied because I already knew the firm. I moved here directly from the University of Delaware, so I packed up the stuff in my dorm and just drove an hour.
What has your experience in Baltimore been like?
It’s been nice since my cousins and my aunt and uncle were here. We always called them the Baltimore Hymans, and then since we lived in Philly, we were the Philadelphia Hymans. It’s funny to now be considered a Baltimore Hyman. Living here is a much different experience than visiting because I think a lot of people only see the downtown area [when they visit]. But I think there is so much more beauty and more local neighborhoods like obviously Fells Point, Mount Vernon, which is where our office is, as well as Hampden. I love Golden West Cafe. I think there are a lot of cool restaurants here. I would call Baltimore very eclectic.
What’s your favorite place to go in Baltimore?
It has to be on the waterfront. I used to live in Federal Hill, so now that I’ve moved to Fells, I love being on the waterfront.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
I mean, the sky’s the limit, right? I think that Baltimore was a really good transition. I just love exploring cities that are not the center of influence per se. Some people flock to LA because they want to be famous. Some people flock to Miami because they like the nightlife. I think Baltimore is a very misunderstood city, and I’ve enjoyed meeting the people I have here. In terms of the future, I would say that I don’t have a lot of limitations on where I might move. Now that I’m older, I have friends that have moved to New York. My childhood best friend lives in Dallas. So I know people that are all over the country. It might inspire me to move there and check out that city. I don’t plan on leaving Baltimore anytime soon, but I have no hesitations if there was a place I wanted to move to.
How did you get involved in Moishe House?
Back in Philadelphia, my uncle was involved with them. He always says he wished something like this was available when he was my age, so he’s the one that introduced me and my cousins to it. He encouraged me to attend an event here while I was in Baltimore because there are so many Moishe Houses everywhere. I found out that one of the residents announced that she was moving out and that they were looking for new residents. I saw the house and met the guys, who are just the nicest guys ever. They have become my brothers very quickly. I thought it was a good fit. As much as I enjoyed living alone, there’s a nice aspect to living with your friends.
What is your favorite part about being a resident there?
It’s fun to brainstorm different events, and there’s a lot of control that you have over that creative brainstorm. Like I’ve been saying, I just love creativity. We have a certain budget that we’re allowed to use, and we want people to come to the events that we plan. The whole point is that we’re trying to be the center point for the young Jewish community in Baltimore, so we’re constantly asking ourselves what would we want to go to. Would we want to do so things like a night at Dave & Buster’s or have bagel brunches? We want to entice people to come up with activities that can be centered around this social aspect. Some of our events are educational, but still at the core is that we’re hoping for people to come and make friends so that they do keep coming back because we want
them to.
What do you feel you specifically bring to the Moishe House?
Besides being the only woman in the house, which is pretty important, I think my background in PR. I have taken over social media. I’ve been thinking about what we might want to do differently and how we can showcase our amazing residents, so people don’t necessarily come to events anxious because they don’t know what to expect. I think I bring a lot of enthusiasm to event planning. I’ve always loved it. I was on an event planning committee when I went to the University of Delaware.
Shira Kramer is a freelance writer.
