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 Missouri College Media Association Awards - Division I 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 2013 Tri-State Advertising and Marketing Professionals Scholarship Tri-State Advertising and Marketing Professionals 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. 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 blog| PRSSA National’s FORUM newspaper and Progressions blog | Cover design for Southeast Missouri State University Helix journal
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 | Served on search committee for International Student Counselor | Branding of department and weekly events | Social media campaign planning and monitoring | Event planning logistics and promotions | Created newsletter (design and content) for the international student population | Lead, guided, provided customer service to more than 250 new international students from more than 48 countries including China, Japan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Congo, India, Spain, Bangladesh, France, Denmark, Germany, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador 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 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 | Redesigned website’s home page using Tracker platform | Managed daily calendar of story assignments | Teamwork with 8 editors and 3 advisers | Created promotional recruitment materials | Lead, supervised and evaluated 4 editors | Designed 3 weekly pages of print edition on Roxen Internet Software | Increased Twitter followers by 116% | Designed online infographics and center spreads | Increased Facebook likes by 131% | Successfully contained a crisis on Facebook | Created, recruited, and lead an small online team 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 developed and implement campaigns | Lead 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 | Mentored clients to use social media effectively and implement campaigns we pitched 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 | Created company’s mission and values | Created agency’s website content and site map | Recruited and retained, interviewed, motivated, lead, supervised and evaluated 19 members | Recruited and maintained six accounts (three pro-bono, three for-profit) | Oversaw and maintained communications with clients, professional advisors, account executives, staff 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 | Lead ethics discussions with staff