Hard work pays off

If there’s one thing I’ve learned after four years in college it’s this:

Hard work pays off.

As I approach my final months of being a college student, I’ve been looking back a lot lately at the past four years, evaluating my experience, identifying what went right and what went wrong. But one thing that remains constant throughout those experiences is that the harder I worked, the more I achieved, and the happier I was in the long run.

If you know me, you know I’m a big fan of goals, a la Rachel Berry from Glee. I am a strong believer of following your dreams, but an even bigger advocate of hard work.

I found a quote a few weeks ago that I really identify with:

"Some people dream of success, while others wake up and work hard at it." --Author unknown


We all have dreams, and we all want to believe we can achieve anything we set our mind to do. But the reality is, that’s not enough—it takes a lot of time, a ton of effort, and probably a few sacrifices along the way.

One of the best decisions in my college career was joining the student PR firm, ImPRessions. Never in my life have I met so many hard-working and dedicated people in one group. I was reminded of how lucky I am to be a part of it today, when we announced that our firm has been honored with national affiliation status through PRSSA National.

In the past few months I’ve found it harder and harder to motivate myself as senioritis and anxiety of life after graduation have taken their toll, but then I remember to take a step back and remember that slacking off isn’t going to get me anywhere.

If I could offer any advice to younger students or my peers in general, it’s find something you want in life and work harder than you could have ever imagined to get there.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this…do you agree? Disagree? What advice do you have?

PR happens

Never in my life have I seen more focused and driven students as I saw at this weekend’s PRSSA National Conference. You could just feel the energy in the sessions as PR minds came together for a common purpose: surviving and thriving in our chosen industry.

Back in Athens, there is a stereotype of the “Scripps kids” as being highly involved, very confident and exhibiting an eagerness to learn. I can report with certainty that our hunger and passion for journalism and PR is not unique to our neck of the woods, but is shared across the country.

With the current state of the economy, it seems that our generation seeks an omniscient power to descend upon us and give us the answers to our questions of whether or not to go to grad school, if we should choose agency or corporate PR and what makes us stand out from our competitors in the job market. While I’m sure most professionals, advisors and professors have opinions of what the answers to these questions should be, I’m beginning to see that in reality there is no one answer.

I admit that I am guilty of asking these questions to everyone who will listen to me, lately emphasizing the grad school inquiry. Not only is my incessant interrogation likely annoying, but in reality nobody has a clear answer for me, and they shouldn’t. Decisions about something as important as my career need to be those that I can personally be proud of and stand behind.

As public relations students and practitioners, we are so focused on our clients and our other “publics” as we strive daily to please them, but I would argue that we are forgetting one very important key public: ourselves. There is no possible way that we can be all things to everyone in this industry—there are simply not enough hours in a day. And while I’m not advocating limiting yourself by any means, deciding what your key values are and finding something you are passionate about are integral steps to becoming the professional you want to be.

Some overall advice from the PR pros at National Conference:

•Be hungry and demonstrate hard work, but also be a team player.

•Always show your thanks and gratitude. That extra mile can go a long way.

•Present A+ work all the time.

•Become an expert in something—it will set you apart.

•Listen to the conversations going on about your company.

•Passion is not a substitute for planning.

•Never limit your creativity.

•Be who you are.

What else would you add to this list? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

A senior's guide to surviving and thriving in college

Senior year. It’s hard to believe that three years have gone by so quickly. It seems like just yesterday that I was moving into the dorms without a clue as to what college was all about. I can say that it was everything that I expected and nothing at all like I thought it would be. I’ve had lots of ups and downs, make lots of mistakes and enjoyed lots of successes.

While I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I will attempt to savor these last nine months at Ohio University. Despite the expense of attending an out of state school, I have never regretted my decision to come here. I cannot image being anywhere else, and I will be a Bobcat for life.

For those of you who haven’t started college yet or those of you who still have a couple years left, I hope the following advice will help you make the most of your college experience.

1. Get involved. I know it’s intimidating to join an organization in which you don’t know anyone or know anything about, but it will be worth it. If I hadn’t gone to my first PRSSA meeting in fall 2007, I would have never gotten the chance to network with professionals, meet other PR students or even join ImPRessions. Not only have I met some amazing people, but I’ve had the opportunity to gain leadership experience that has been vital to my success.

2. Work hard. The workload in college is extremely intimidating at first, but if you stay on top of things you’ll be fine. I’m not saying you need to get a 4.0 or study 24/7, but establishing a killer work ethic early on in your college career will not only make the next few years seem easier (because you’ve realized you can handle the work) but it will show future employers that you have what it takes to shine. My secret to long nights of studying: energy drinks, studying in groups and taking breaks so you don’t get too burnt out.

3. Save time for fun. This may seem contrary to my previous tip, and it is the lesson I’ve had the most difficult time with. I get so caught up in school work, meetings and my organizations that I forget to let myself have some free time. Take time away from your stressors and go see a movie, go to the gym, hang out with friends or simply do nothing at all. Nobody expects you to work 100 percent of the time, so you shouldn’t expect that of yourself either.

4. Try something new. While I’m not exactly adventurous, I have taken opportunities to try new things in college. I’ve gone to a Latin dance night and attempted to keep up with the authentic dancers, played intramural softball (a sport I’ve never played in my life) and flew to Chicago, my first flight without a chaperone.

There’s no doubt that I will be sad to leave Athens in the spring. I’ve made a lot of good memories in my time here and have made amazing friendships that I hope will last a lifetime. Even so, I am looking forward to what the future brings. People say that college is the best four years of your life, and while I agree that it is a unique period of time like which you will never again experience, I don’t think it’s a completely true statement. My belief is that these four years will be my gateway into fulfilling my dreams and is a foundation upon which I can build my future.

The Windy City

As I sit in the O’Hare Airport waiting for our flight back to Columbus, I feel the need to reflect on my first visit to Chicago. Besides some interesting experiences getting here, the trip was amazing.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather: the first two days were sunny and exceeded 50 degrees. The city is fast-paced, but not overwhelming like New York. The atmosphere itself motivated me to take every extra step I can to achieve my goals.

The agency visits were very impressive. Each company had its own way of organizing and working together, but all seemed to run seamlessly. Ruder Finn gave me great insight on how to be a great intern and how to get the internship in the first place. Weber Shandwick stressed the importance of advocacy and building relationships. Fleishman Hillard talked about branding yourself and how to stand out, whether in an internship or as you grow in your career.

I met some amazing people and got to know many more from PRSSA. The trip confirmed for me that I’m pursuing the right career.

Chicago, I’m sad to leave, but I know I’ll be back soon!

Going to CHICACO!

I just bought my plane ticket for the PRSSA networking trip in Chicago. I'm not really sure if I can describe how excited I am. This trip will mark a lot of firsts for me. First, I've never been to Chicago, just being in the city will be an amazing experience. I've also never flown without my parents or been on such a big trip without them. Although it's a little scary, this is just another step toward my independence, which I have been working on ever since I got to college.

Every day I become more and more passionate about what I've chosen for my career path. I feel blessed that I actually know what I want to do with the rest of my life at a relatively young age. I'm hoping that this trip will only deepen that passion, and probably give me some good connections for the future.