Every college student spends a great deal of time going to
classes, doing homework, and being involved in activities that will be beneficial
for their future success. When looking at their future, students often look to
professionals in their field for guidance and reassurance. One of the
individuals that can be used as a resource for public relations is Amy Paul, a
UW-Whitewater graduate and current employee of Ascedia.
While she was an undergraduate student at UW-Whitewater, Amy
was very involved in PRSSA or the Public Relations Student Society of America.
She joined this organization the year she declared herself a public relations
major and she quickly rose to leadership through her position on the executive
board. PRSSA provided Amy with the opportunity to go on agency tours,
luncheons, conferences, and BMA events.
Also while in college, Amy had many internships that would
later help her excel in public relations. These internships included brand
ambassador for Qdoba Mexican Grill, Student Assistant for the UW-W University
Development Office, fundraising and special events intern at the Children’s
Hospital of Wisconsin, and the communications intern and street team member for
the Milwaukee Admirals. For all of these positions, Amy had to dedicate a great
deal of time and effort into being successful. Through her position with the
Admirals, Amy was able to create a website for the team to sell the photos
taken of the team. She also was able to write press releases and do work that
would later be a part of her portfolio.
Amy had many recommendations for being successful and how
college students should prepare themselves for success. These recommendations include:
participating in and making the most of internships, networking and maintaining
connections, getting involved, not giving up even when things become
frustrating, and having fun!
Amy is a wonderful resource and connection to have. She
surprised me because she has done so much in her short life and has really
enjoyed everything she has done. Amy is a great example to show students that
with a little determination and a lot of hard work, everyone can be successful!
She definitely stressed how important it is to get involved during our time in college! Sometimes it is hard to be so involved when we have to work, do homework, and try to have social lives! But Amy gave us hope that becoming involved is a stepping stone to success!
ReplyDeleteI did really love how Amy stressed to have fun while in college. Although listening to all of her internships and involvement, on top of classes, it would seem she would have been very overwhelmed and busy all the time. I think Amy set a great example, however, because she seems to be a very happy and upbeat person who doesn't let a little stress get her down. It is easy to lose sight of the big picture and become stressed by the little things, but it is more important to learn as much as you can and enjoy all the experience you're gaining.
ReplyDeleteI love how you say that Amy is a great connection and resource to have. Throughout her entire presentation she talked about how important networking is for professionals AND students in Public Relations. But what I thought was the most important side note to networking, was staying connected to those you network with. I think Amy is a great connection to have and then maintain for future endeavors. Amy did say in her presentation that you never know when one of those connections you have maybe needed in life!
ReplyDeleteI think it's wonderful that Amy allowed us to connect to her, and reach out to her though social media. She really seemed like she cared about bettering our futures. Being connected with such a hard working PR professional will be useful while looking for internships as well as after graduation.
ReplyDeleteAmy is truly an inspiring person. She is so young and yet she has accomplished so much and been so successful in her career. I also, think it was awesome that she made great relationships with her professors and could use them as references when applying for jobs.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you started off your blog got me interested right away and you made some good points. It was an excellent opportunity for our class to have a professional talk to us and give us so good advice.
ReplyDeleteI agree and found it very reassuring that she made it clear that even though everything she has done sounds like an awful lot, she sounds so pleased with where it has gotten her. I also like how her portfolio was very dynamic and showed a broad range of interesting things for I am also all over the board with things that interest me, so it didn't seem like that held her back at all ")
ReplyDeleteVery informational post! I think Amy is a great resource to have as we are all making our way into the professional world of PR. She was so helpful, and I really liked how she was willing to answer any questions we had.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I really love the style of your writing! Secondly, I agree that Amy is a great resource to have. We are so fortunate as students to have opportunities to meet people from the field and listen to their advice. I hear time and time again that internships are important but Amy really drove it home for me. She was a great example of how those internships can pay off in the future. Had she not taken on those tasks, she wouldn't be where she is today.
ReplyDeleteThis is really well written! I also agree that Amy is a great example for us all and really proved to us that right after graduation we can jump right into working in PR. It's exciting but also kind of scary! I think Amy will be a great resource to have.
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