By Maddie Inman
When transferring to UNI in the midst of a pandemic, I thought I would never get any hands on experience in the world of public relations. I was only taking one class pertaining to public relations during my first semester and I was trying to think of ways to put myself out there and get acquainted with the PR world. During one of my first days in my Principles of Public Relations class, the President of UNI PRSSA came in and spoke to us about the organization. Some of the opportunities she spoke about included speakers that have experience in public relations as well as agency tours. It sounded like a perfect fit for me, so I decided to jump at the opportunity. When attending the first meeting, it almost felt like going to your very first day of class at a new school. I had no clue where to go or who to talk to, but everyone in the organization was very welcoming and I felt at home almost instantly. After attending a few meetings, I knew that this organization was a good fit for me. Although all of the meetings were beneficial to me, there was one that stood out to me the most. At one of the meetings in October, we Zoomed with Shelby Cravens, Director of Media Relations for the Iowa Cubs. This meeting assured me that I was going in the right direction with my major. Cravens described her job and it was very similar to where I want to be in the near future. I had always loved sports because I grew up watching them with my dad, but I never knew how to acquire a job in that area without actually being on the field as a player or a coach. I went into college as an elementary education major, then switched to marketing and public relations. Right before I transferred to UNI, the transfer coordinator mentioned that the public relations major at UNI included three different emphases and the sports one obviously piqued my interest. That is how I came to be a sports public relations major with a minor in marketing. I recently added on the marketing minor because that is the direction I wanted to go initially, and then I discovered public relations, but still wanted to incorporate the marketing aspect in my studies. Joining the Newsletter Committee After being in PRSSA for a while, they asked who would be interested in writing for their newsletter, The PRogressor. I wanted to do more than just show up for meetings, so I jumped at the opportunity. At first I was nervous because I have never written anything that was published, but the members that produced the newsletter were more than willing to help me when needed. Knowing that others are able to see your work is an exciting feeling, especially because I hope to one day acquire a job in the sports industry where people will see my work. Joining the newsletter committee not only helped me become more involved in the organization, but it helped me feel more comfortable with my writing skills. Becoming the VP of External Communication I never thought that I would get the chance to be on the Executive Board my first year of being in the organization, but a position opened up at semester that I applied for, and was granted the position of Vice President of External Communication. It is exciting to see my work on our social media platforms and be able to work with other people in the same major as me. Having this position has given me many learning opportunities while teaching me to stay organized. As a transfer student, or any student in general, I would recommend becoming involved as much as you can. All of these opportunities will help you out in the long run. I would never have all of the opportunities I have been given or be confident in my career path if I wouldn’t have ended up joining UNI PRSSA. Wanting to take advantage of all the opportunities UNI PRSSA has to offer? Attend our meetings every Monday at 4 p.m. in Maucker Union Ballroom B. *Meetings subject to change. Please refer to our event calendar on our website and socials.*
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By Riley Fridinger
When switching my major to public relations as a junior in college in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, I never thought I would have the opportunities, excitement, and growth that I have been fortunate enough to experience in such a short period of time. In the time that I have been a part of UNI PRSSA, I have gained friendships, insights, involvement, and so much more. One of the most influential opportunities I have been able to grab hold of was attending a virtual PRSSA District Conference hosted by Temple University in March. This conference provided me with more insight into the public relations industry than I could have ever imagined. Oh, the Insight I Gained:“The day you stop learning is the day you stop living.” Meghnaa Tallapragada, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at Temple University, said this during the conference and it has stuck with me ever since. Learning is a vital aspect to any goal an individual is trying to achieve, especially when it comes to “stepping into success” as a PR professional. I began this conference feeling inadequate because I felt I had so much to learn. However, this quote from Meghnaa recentered me and showed me that needing to learn is not a bad thing and is not something to be ashamed of. The breakout session, “The Future of PR,” focused heavily on web analytics. I had little knowledge on this topic, however I left the session filled with new knowledge on the topic and an eagerness to continue learning. Within the topic of web analytics, I learned how crucial research is for the PR world because it investigates what the user goals are and how they can relate to the overall organizational goals. This is information that can also be related to my minor in marketing because marketing focuses on consumer wants and needs compared to what a company is trying to achieve. This was very insightful because it stressed the importance of doing your research as a public relations professional and how it can impact your success. I attended another breakout session on event planning. Event planning is right up my alley as I am an event planning major, so this breakout session was one that was more comfortable and felt more natural. Even though this topic of event planning came more naturally to me, I was still able to learn a great deal of wisdom from this breakout session. The biggest insight I had during this session was that event planning can still thrive in the middle of a global pandemic. There was an example given of a virtual Santa Claus visit for kids last Christmas season in order to bring holiday cheer amidst the chaos. The children loved this and the parents were able to give a glimpse of joy to their family in hard times. This was an amazing story that opened my eyes to the vast ways one can make event planning successful during different situations of life. Event planning has the potential to bring light into a dark time and this is one of the many reasons why event planning gives me such happiness to be a part of. These were the two different learning situations I found myself in throughout the conference. During the analytics breakout session, I was soaking in as much knowledge as I could in a short period of time with a curiosity to learn more about something I was not yet comfortable with. In another, I went into the “Virtual Event Planning” breakout session with quite a bit of background knowledge and an excitement to enjoy this topic with others who have similar interests as me. I am equally thankful for the chances I had to learn about topics that I had both very little wisdom in, as well as a good deal of background knowledge in. Both experiences were valuable to my journey of “stepping into success” as a PR professional. Community and Connections:I was a bit hesitant to participate in my first virtual PRSSA District Conference because of the fear of a lack of community building and involvement due to its virtual presence. However, this conference was completely opposite of what I thought it would be. The conference was set up well and was easy to navigate. Chat boxes were heavily utilized for engagement during the sessions. All the speakers were personable and extremely willing to have conversations with anyone who was interested. I logged onto the conference in the morning and finished up eight hours later with so many new connections and friends. As a college student with large ambitions for a career, I urge you to try anything even when you may have hesitations at first. This is the best way to “step into success” and pursue your goals. I was the only midwestern participant, but if I had listened to the doubts I had due to the conference being virtual instead of in person, I would have missed out on so many new connections. I left that day with over 10 new LinkedIn connections that I could personally connect and reach out to. The amount of knowledge a person can gain in just eight hours of time at a conference such as the Temple PRSSA Conference gives me curiosity into how much more we can learn throughout our lives and careers as professionals. This conference gave me an eagerness to continue seeking these opportunities to learn and grow to be the best professional that I can be. I am so thankful that I was able to take part in this informational and stimulating PRSSA conference. For more information on how to take advantage of these amazing opportunities through UNI’s PRSSA Chapter, visit uni-prssa.weebly.com. |