ANDREA GILS MULTICULTURAL EXPERIENCE
Native proficiency in Spanish and English | Excellent skills in Portuguese Travel to Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, France, Germany, Spain, Holland and 11 states in the United States
AWARDS | INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATIONS 2014 Marcia Silverman Student Minority Award Public Relations Society of America Foundation and Ogilvy PR Worldwide 2014 Missouri College Media Association Awards - Division 1 2nd. place, Best Overall Newspaper | 1st. place, Website Home Page 3rd. place, In-Depth News Reporting | 3rd. place, News Writing Honorable Mention, Infographic 2013 Diversity Multicultural Scholarship Public Relations Society of America Foundation Cert. TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Certified by Trinity College London Certificado de Proficiencia em Lingua Portuguesa para Extranjeiros Certified by Universidade de Caxias do Sul
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PRSSA 2014 National Conference - Washington, D.C.
andreagilsm@gmail.com | @andreagils | /in/andreagils | andreagils.wix.com/andreagils
EXPERIENCE
Newsletter Editor - Communications Committee Volunteer April 2014 to present Public Relations Society of America - St. Louis Chapter - St. Louis, Mo. • Copywriting and editing for chapter’s monthly newsletter sent to nearly 300 PRSA St. Louis Chapter members • Teamwork with Communications Committee Chair on Twitter to create relevant content to more than 2400 followers Public Relations Intern | International Student Ambassador May 2014 to present | Jan. 2014 to April 2014 Office of International Education and Services - Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, Mo. • Website copywriting, mapping and redesign • Copywriting and design for external and internal communications with the department’s multicultural audiences • Branding of department and weekly events • Social media campaign planning and monitoring • Led, guided, provided customer service to more than 250 new international students from more than 48 countries including China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Congo, India, Spain, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Brazil and Colombia Diversity and Ethics Subcommittee - PRSSA National Sept. 2013 to May 2014 Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) - Cape Girardeau, Mo. • Wrote articles for PRSSA National’s blog discussing specific aspects of ethics and diversity in the industry
Presenter Missouri College Media Association 2014 Conference - Kansas City, Mo. PRSSA 2013 National Assembly - Albuquerque, NM. Delegate for PRSSA-Southeast Chapter National Committee Candidate V.P. Advocacy | V.P. Professional Development 2013 American Advertising Federation Conference - Kansas City, Mo. PRSSA 2012 National Conference - San Francisco, Calif. PRSSA 2012 Regional Conference - Nashville, Tenn.
SOFTWARE PROFICIENCY
Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Muse and Flash CC Microsoft Office, Constant Contact, MailChimp, Wordpress, iMovie Bizminer, ESRI, Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics
EDUCATION
B.S. Mass Communication: Public Relations B.A. Mass Communication: Journalism Southeast Missouri State University | Aug. 2011 to present Expected graduation date: Dec. 2014 Jane Stephen Honors Program and Phi Eta Sigma honor society member Cumulative GPA (courses at Southeast): 3.951 Overall GPA (with Cert. TESOL transfer credits): 3.757 Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Certificate Dickens Institute- Montevideo, Uruguay | March 2009 to Dec. 2010 Public Relations and Event Planning Course CEI Institute- Maldonado, Uruguay | March 2009 to Dec. 2009
PUBLICATIONS
USA Today College | Southeast Missourian newspaper | PRSA St. Louis BurrellesLuce blog |PRSSA National’s FORUM newspaper and Progressions blog Cover design for Southeast Missouri State University Helix journal
Online Managing Editor | Copy Editor and Staff Writer May 2013 to April 2014 | Aug. 2012 to April 2013 Arrow (Southeast Missouri State University’s student-run newspaper) - Cape Girardeau, Mo. • Recruited, motivated and supervised 50+ reporters for daily story assignments • Redesigned award-winning website home page using Tracker platform • Teamwork with 8 editors and 3 advisers • Led, supervised and evaluated 4 editors • Designed 3 weekly pages of print edition on Roxen Internet Software, online infographics and center spreads • Increased Twitter followers by 116% and Facebook likes by 131% • Successfully contained a crisis on Facebook Public Relations Intern Jan. 2013 to May 2013
University of Missouri Extension Small Business Technology and Development Center of Southeast Missouri - Jackson, Mo. • Worked in small teams with advertising intern and colleagues to develop and implement campaigns • Led client meetings and pitched campaigns to clients from tobacco, music and food industries • Researched clients’ industries using Bizminer and ESRI to establish market size, identify primary and secondary competitors and provide recommendations for marketing and public relations campaigns • Designed Facebook and Twitter covers for clients’ pages and mentored clients on how to use social media effectively Firm Director | Staff Member Aug. 2012 to June 2013 | Jan. 2012 to May 2012 Riverfront Public Relations (student-run public relations agency) - Cape Girardeau, Mo. • Rebranded the firm and created company’s mission, values, website content and site map • Recruited and retained, interviewed, motivated, led, supervised and evaluated 19 members • Recruited and maintained six accounts (three pro-bono, three for-profit) • Oversaw and maintained communication with staff, clients, advisers and PRSSA chapter’s executive board • Researched, planned campaigns and pitched to clients including the accounts: Element 74 and City of Sikeston, which generated highest revenue recorded for the firm • Led ethics discussions with staff