I came into BU undecided with my major in the College of Arts and Sciences, completely unsure about my future career path. After realizing my passion for communication and learning more about COM through COM101, I declared my major in Public Relations the summer after my freshman year. But, to be honest, I didn’t really know what Public Relations was, so the best decision I made was joining the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) to help me figure it out.
I attended my first PRSSA meeting the first week of sophomore year. I was enthralled by the opportunity to hear from guest speakers and what working in the PR field is actually like. I attended every weekly meeting, eager to learn from industry professionals about their experiences and advice. By the end of my sophomore year, I was so passionate about PRSSA that I decided to run for the e-board. Everyone running for a position had to give a speech to members in attendance. I was nervous to speak about myself and why I felt I was capable for the position of Programming Coordinator in front of my fellow members. However, I overcame this fear and was elected into the position.
As Programming Coordinator, I am in charge of scheduling our weekly guest speakers. I was intimidated to reach out to industry professionals at first, but realized it wasn’t so scary after all. They are all excited to share their wisdom and experiences because they were once in a place of fear and confusion like us. I came back in the fall semester with the majority of guest speakers booked, and couldn’t wait to hear and learn from them.
PRSSA has taught me so much about the Public Relations world. I had the opportunity to attend the PRSSA National Conference, with over 1,000 PR students from around the country, hosted in Boston this year (shout out to CA Rachel for being one of the students who planned it!). I spent four days learning from industry professionals such as IBM Chief Brand Officer Jon Iwata, CEO of The Celebrity Source Rita Tateel, as well as speakers from PR agencies such as Weber Shandwick and Ogilvy PR. I also connected with other PR students from all over the United States, and Peru, who had similar goals and interests with me, realizing that PRSSA is far more than just our BU chapter. It was a great experience that I am so grateful to PRSSA for.
If you have any interest in Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, or the Communications field in general, I definitely recommend joining PRSSA. Hearing from diverse speakers at weekly meetings has helped me determine what type of organization and industry I would like to work in for the future. This pre-professional organization truly prepares you with connections and advice for the post-grad world!
