Today we are profiling two Communication Studies Department members and their involvement in the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Senior Communication Studies major Corin Sanchez is currently President of PRSSA. Recent Communication Studies alum Michele Ewing served as Secretary of PRSSA last year. Many of our majors are members of PRSSA, and the club is in the midst of recruiting for new members, so I asked both Corin and Michele to share their experiences with us.
According to Corin, “PRSSA stands for Public Relations Student Society of America, and it is the largest pre-professional organization within the United States. It’s meant to bridge the gap between public relations professionals and students, so that students and professionals, can both gain some insight from one another. I joined PRSSA during my first semester at USF, I was looking for a way to meet new people in addition to participating in something that involved my field of study. What I like most about PRSSA is that once you join, a lot of resources are available to you, and everyone is friendly. There are a lot of internship, networking, and scholarship opportunities that are available and if you take advantage of them, they can greatly benefit you.
PRSSA Chapter President Corin Sanchez
The reason I became an officer was because I thought that it would be a good way to make a positive contribution to our USF chapter, and myself, along with the other board members are looking forward to making positive changes this year! So far we have had a lot of interest, and I can only hope that PRSSA will be a long standing academic society at USF.
Membership Requirements are stated in the following
1. Submit an application before the due date, September, 30. This can be submitted to the Communication Department office in K313, or to any one of us officers on campus.
2.In addition to the application, there is a $60 application fee. I know it may seem like a lot, but $50 goes to the PRSSA national chapter, and $10 goes to our USF chapter. Think of it as an investment :)!
3. Lastly, PRSSA is open to all majors, and we encourage people who are not communication,business, or marketing majors to join!
As far as this semester goes, we have an upcoming agency tour at Weber Shandwick along with two other agencies, and we’ll also have our induction ceremony that will include a guest speaker.”
I also asked alum Michele to share with us her experiences. Michele, along with the other officers, “were in charge of executing events that allowed our members to get involved, while still being beneficial to their career. We did a service learning project, resume workshop, ‘Pizza with the Pros’ event, agency visit and holiday party. My favorite event was probably the agency visit because we were able to see exactly what agencies looked like and what it was like to work there.
Recent grad Michele Ewing on graduation day!
I joined PRSSA in order to network with fellow Communication Studies students, PR professionals and also to add it to my resume. From my research, a lot of companies like to see leadership experience on student’s resumes, so I felt that this was completely applicable to my career goals. My Communication Studies courses have taught me how to communicate with a wide array of people and also taught me the basic fundamentals of Public Relations- two things that I believe are important in this field. I have been working for a Law Firm for the past four years, so PRSSA has given me exposure to PR professionals that I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to otherwise. I would recommend joining this club to anyone who is interested in Public Relations, but even more importantly would recommend students to go above and beyond and take up a leadership position with the club.”
You can find USF’s chapter of PRSSA on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/PRSSA-USF-Chapter/267952735163
You can find the application form in KA 313 or you can download it here: PRSSA_Membership_Application_Fall_2011-3
Thanks Corin and Michele! Remember, applications are due this Friday, September 30th!
