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In addition to research, Dr. Rosalynn Vasquez is passionate about giving back through teaching and mentorship to the next generation of public relations practitioners.

with Dr. Rosalynn Vasquez

By Giana Speranza

Giana: What inspired you to pursue a career in the field of journalism and public relations?

Dr.Vasquez: “I always excelled in writing and reading as a child, so it was a natural fit for me when I was in high school and college. I always wrote for the student newspaper, student magazine and yearbook. I discovered public relations during college by getting involved with PRSSA and meeting other professionals. After I graduated, I accepted a job with the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (now called Prospanica) in Dallas. This provided important training for me since I had majored in journalism. I had a great boss who guided me in my transition to public relations and this gave me the confidence to stay and excel in this field.”

Giana: You went to Texas A&M, The University of Dallas and Texas Tech for your degrees, how did your experiences influence your career journey?

Dr. Vasquez: “At TAMU, I learned about journalism and then worked in the PR field for a decade or so before returning to school to pursue my MBA at UD. I had so much exposure to company leaders, different stakeholders, and organizational culture, so I wanted to gain more knowledge in business acumen to be a stronger PR professional. After graduating, I worked at EarthX, an environmental advocacy organization. During our Earth Day conference, I met a professor from TTU and enjoyed her talk on climate change and environmental advocacy, and was intrigued to learn more about her research and see if there are any connections to public relations. This led me to pursue my Ph.D. at TTU. I got to work with her at the TTU Climate Change Center and I did my dissertation on the sustainability topic of Corporate Climate Change Communications.”

Giana: What made you want to pursue a career in academics?

Dr.Vasquez: “I was intrigued by the idea of pursuing research in a field that I’m passionate about and also having the opportunity to give back and teach and mentor the next generation of PR practitioners. I think it’s a gift to be able to share knowledge and practical experiences accumulated over the years and bring it to the classroom to help inspire students. As a woman of color (and former immigrant), I resonate with students of color and their experiences. It’s important for them to be seen, heard and understood, so I’m looking forward to connecting with them and being a resource as they pursue their careers in PR.”

Giana: Can you tell me more about what it was like being born in Peru and growing up in Texas? How did this influence your upbringing and passions?

Dr.Vasquez: “I was born in Lima and raised in Texas. I feel like I grew up with the best of both worlds because even though I lived in Texas, my home was filled with Peruvian culture and I’m proud to be bilingual and bicultural. Every time I visit Peru, I feel joy because it’s such a beautiful country—rich with Inca traditions and history and amazing landscapes such as Machu Picchu. I think my passion for social impact/justice issues came from my upbringing and influenced my decision to dive deeper into sustainability and DEI research topics.”

Giana: Can you tell me more about your experience studying abroad? Why you decided to and what new perspectives did you gain?

Dr.Vasquez: “I studied abroad with a professor who was studying media and tourism. He invited me to be his research assistant and work with him on this project.

I learned more about qualitative research, immersed myself in different cultures (Scotland & Northern Ireland), and we published a paper out of this project.”

Giana: What sparked your interest in certain areas of research?

Rosalynn: “I had worked in public relations for 15 years, so I wanted to study in the PR field and specifically look at the integration of sustainability and DEIB as these two areas are increasingly growing in companies and need more attention from a PR leadership and stakeholder management perspective. For example, one of my current projects is examining the challenges and coping strategies of Latinas working in public relations, which I hope contributes to the DEIB field.”

Giana: How does your research improve the field?

Rosalynn: “DEIB is still young and a growing field… and there’s a need for greater emphasis on understanding the experiences of marginalized and underrepresented groups, so I hope my research sheds more light on challenges, strategies and recommendations for DEIB in public relations leadership.”

Giana: What advice would you give to students currently pursuing a degree in public relations?

Rosalynn: “Make time to hone your skill sets, especially in writing and strategic thinking. I would also highly encourage students to develop their business acumen and emotional intelligence.”

Giana: Why did you decide to come to Baylor? What are you most looking forward to?

Rosalynn: “I’m a Texan and I’m excited to return to my home state! Baylor is a top university that brings together research, teaching and Christian faith. It’s the perfect place for me and I’m thrilled to be joining this community!”

Story continued from page 5:

Rachel: What’s your favorite Baylor memory?

Kim: I have to say, I loved living in Collins dormitory. Back then, it was a big deal to get in Collins if you were an incoming freshman girl. I ended up with a roommate who was so different from me. The girls across the hall were from Highland Park, and I wasn’t by any stretch, but then I found some friends down the hall. We’re still friends to this day. We just ended up with the greatest little group of friends, and it just gave me comfort. I was able to navigate the next several years with them, so that was a great time. Another one of my best memories was truly being in the journalism program and realizing, “Oh, I found my path. This is clicking for me.” Before, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t necessarily want to go into medicine or law. My dad was a lawyer, and my brother ended up at law school, but I was like, “Oh, that seems boring to me.” But when I got into the journalism and public relations program and I met these faculty members, it clicked for me and learning became fun. I remember interviewing Dr. Tom Hanks, who I think is retired now. He was a very beloved English professor at the time and for years. I remember interviewing him for the Lariat and writing a feature on him. He sent me the sweetest note complimenting the story. He probably did that for anybody that ever wrote anything about him, but I thought about what a kind person he was to take the time to send this lowly reporter a handwritten note telling me how much he appreciated my work and how good it was. It just gave me such a boost of confidence and I thought, “I can do this for a career, and I want to do this for a career. This is so fulfilling to help people get to know him through words.” What’s interesting about that is that just in the last six months, I worked with Dr. Hanks on setting up a scholarship for his wife at MCC. Talk about the circle of life. I said, “You don’t remember me, but I interviewed you when I was a junior at Baylor for the Lariat.” I told him how much I appreciated his note, and he and I set up a scholarship in honor of his wife who was in failing health. It was just a really sweet moment. One of the beautiful things about staying in Waco is that I’ve gotten to know some of my professors as people as opposed to just a student and professor relationship.

Rachel: What inspired the transition to teaching at this point in your career?

Kim: The beautiful thing about having been at MCC for half my life is we have a great retirement system. I’m able to retire comfortably. I wasn’t planning on it because we still have some pretty big projects going on that I plan to see through. However, those projects are also at a point where that could be an easy handoff to the next person. One thing was I didn’t want to leave the next person who has this job in the lurch. I’ve got way too much sweat equity in the foundation as well as the college to do that. That’s just not how I roll. When this opportunity came up, they contacted me and said I might want to look at this and I thought, “OK, that’s a long shot. It’s a serious long shot.” I haven’t done a lot of adjunct teaching at Baylor. But again, I thought, “God’s throwing this door open for me, so I would be foolish not to go to walk through it and see what happens.” I started thinking about how I could share the things that I’ve learned with the next generation of communicators, and I thought back to those teachers that encouraged me. I thought back to the folks like the AP reporter guy and Dr. Adrian Vaughn, and how much they changed my life. That’s what I would like to do with the last chapter of my career as opposed to riding off into the sunset doing what’s comfortable. Change is uncomfortable, and this is very comfortable here because I know what I’m doing. But then, I thought that last chapter of my life could be spectacular doing something different. So, when the opportunity came to fruition, I was like, “OK, God has this in mind for me.”