Public Relations Student Society of America at Texas State University

By: Stephania Ortega

The only thing I remember thinking is: I want to go. As a mass communication-PR transfer student, I was anxiously awaiting the first PRSSA meeting at Texas State. My previous school’s chapter was not what you would call “active” and I was glad that at least this chapter kept up with its website. Once at the meeting, the officers described what the society entailed and some of the member benefits including attending National Conference where you get to meet other students and professionals. I was sure I wanted to be a PR major but not entirely sure what branch or what focus I should take and I thought attending this conference might be the one life changing event where I would have an epiphany, stop and realize my lifelong career right in front of my eyes. You know, no pressure. I decided to ask more about it after the meeting and a couple of days after I was finding myself buying a plane ticket to Florida. The whole process was kind of fast but I knew I had to experience it - something told me that this could be a great eye opener, plus the fact that it was taking place in Orlando which meant trip to Disney World, only made it more appealing. I was hesitant since I was not familiar with the members, let alone the officers, involved and I was traveling on a plane by myself for the first time, but thought it would be worth it in the end.

After a missed flight which involved a trip to Tennessee, 12 hours later I finally made it to conference. I was surprised to see the amount of students there and how professional we all looked. Soon the VP of global PR for Disney Destination, Craig Dezern, delivered the keynote address. He spoke about the different tactics that Disney has used throughout the world and how you have to know your audience and connect your global brand to a local story. It was really inspiring to see professionals tell their stories and give us advice. If there is something that I noticed everyone told us, it was to get internships and to network. “It’s all about who you know,” is all I kept hearing. I attended several lectures like Diversity in PR with two professionals from NBC Universal who talked about how it is important to be able to be aware of other cultures and to celebrate the fact that we are all different. I also attended Government Relations/Public Affairs, International Communications and Media Training. These sessions were all in one day and throughout them many students would be tweeting to keep others informed. That is another thing that stood out to me, everyone is actively involved with social media so I realized this makes it easier for you to interact with professionals in the field, follow them and more than anything network. If there is one thing I will do different is to take business cards. I was not sure I needed them since I felt I was not job worthy yet, but once there everyone had them and it made me feel a little less professional. It doesn’t matter whether you think you will need them- make business cards! It is much easier to interact with professionals and exchange information this way. It is also helpful when you want to keep in touch with other students you meet from across the country. They are also future PR professionals, so you want to make sure you meet as many people in the field as you can.

The next day I attended the Creativity: Innovative Ideas Generate Receptive Publics session with the VP of Creativity Inc. at Walt Disney Co. This was my favorite session because not only was the presenter entertaining but he also really made me believe anything is possible. He said to date an idea - not marry it. He also said be open to other possibilities and emphasized to think outside the box, that no idea is too crazy or out there. This was a particularly hard day to choose which session to attend because all of the speeches seemed appealing, so that is something to keep in mind when planning your schedule. We also attended a session with the PRSA conference attendees, where Soledad O’Brien gave her keynote speech to both PRSSA and PRSA. After visiting the PRSA Conference, we returned to a session about Corporate vs. Agency: Finding Your Place and realized I will probably be interested in an agency.

There seemed like there was a session for every student, from first time attending who is still unsure what to do with their major to graduating seniors wishing to network and possibly earn an interview post graduation. Throughout the week I felt endless possibilities within the public relations field and realized I should be in these events and always networking. Attending this conference not only gave me a clear look into my future but it also allowed me to see things in a broader perspective. I strongly recommend this conference to all of our members if they want to feel a deeper sense for the field and to meet great people from across the country. San Francisco, here I come!