April newsletter

The

PEAK Weber State University - Ogden Peak Communications - PRSSA

Alas, All Good Things Must Come to an End As the school year ends, we’re given an opportunity to months. As crazy busy college students, it’s not unusual to forget what we did last week, let alone back in January. However, it can be very rewarding to think about all the long nights, huge projects, and milestones reached during the semester.

Since January, Ogden Peak Communications has had the priveledge to work with some amazing clients: The Daily Rise Expresso, Ogden Sweet Spot Bakery, and Higher Ground Hot Yoga. Each semester we start fresh with new challenges and goals as we work with local business owners to help them grow. We feel so lucky to be given these opportunities as students; to be able to make connections and build relationships with the people who keep Ogden and the Weber State

By Tara Smith community thriving. The realChapter President life lessons learned in PRSSA are invaluable and help us on our path to being PR professionals.

Peak Communications, it’s impossible to overlook Dr. Yeonsoo Kim and her contributions to the student-run past, there was a drought for several years where the organization was a not part of the Communications Department. Just one semester after Dr. Kim began teaching

Peak Communications up and running.

As most of you know, Dr. Kim has accepted a new teaching position in Virginia

President Tara Smith Vice President Kirsten Stuart Account Executive Shaquille Heath Thomas Judd Camille Twitchell

and we are sad to see her go.

Adviser We will always appreciate her guidance, knowledge of PR, Yeonsoo Kim and her dedication to creating an atmosphere for learning.

We’ll also miss her amazing fashion sense and the sound of her coming down the hall in her amazing stilettos. We want to wish her well in all of her future endeavors and best of luck in her new adventure!

We look forward to new beginnings as some will graduate and some will move on to keep Ogden Peak progressing. New opportunities and outlets for growth will come with each new semester, and we are so excited to have Dr. Nicola Corbin as our new adviser for the to lead us down a rewarding path and help us ease into the professional PR world.

We hope everyone will have an exciting, safe, and eventful summer. Graduates, we wish you the best on the job search and all of your future achievements. Students, get ready for another great year with lots to learn and goals to accomplish. Good luck!

VOLUME II April 2014

T

PRSSA: The Beginning

he Public Relations Student Society of

Growth: The largest, most respected

shaping the next generation of public relations practitioners. It has helped students throughout ship. It is the student chapter of Public Relations Society of America, or PRSA. Where did this organization get its roots and how did it get started?

and widely recognized organization for students with an exceptional interest in public relations

Relationships: Networking and

PRSSA is the result of an 18-year struggle led by three main advocates - Jon Riffel, Chris Teahan, J. Carrol Bateman - and other educators, students and practitioners

By Camille Twitchell alike. Triumph came in NoAccount Executive vember 1967 at the PRSA Assembly in Philadelphia where it was unanimously decided via a voting process to establish PRSSA (www.prssa.org, 2010).

building the relationships through PRSA that will advance careers and opportunities

Advancement: Moving forward

through public awareness and understanding ethics

Education: Educating the future

professionals through real-life clients, leadership and experience.

-

PRSSA is a great organization to get involved with

196 members. On June 28, three additional chapters were approved: North Dakota, Central Missouri and versity received its charter on Sept. 13 and Northern grew to over 14 universities in less than one year of establishment (www.prssa.org, 2010).

Currently, PRSSA has over 11,000 members and 300 chapters. All but one of those chapters are locatDe La Empresa. PRSSA explains how it has become, and will remain, a pre-professional organization for relations:

skills learned and utilized can help in almost any dents will not be disappointed with what they learn throughout the course of a semester.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Laycee Moss Q: At what point did you realize you wanted to go into public relations?

I met a lady when I was a senior in high school who was a PR and Marketing Specialist and she was telling me about her job. I decided that was exactly what I wanted to do, especially since I love to talk.

Q:

What do you think is one of the most valuable things you have learned while being a member of PRSSA? I would have to say the experience is the most valuable thing. When you are working with a real client everything is different. You realize your true potential working with PRSSA.

Q: What inspires you to achieve your goals?

I like to think that each step I take is that much closer to accomplishing my goals. That is usually my motivation, knowing I am that much closer to the end.

Q:

What do you like to do when you’re not doing school work?

Age: 20

I like to relax and go to a movie theater to watch movies and eat popcorn. If I’m not at a movie theater I also like -

Greatest Success:

camping, swimming, you name it, I’m probably doing it.

Favorite Movie:

Q:

What is one of your guilty pleasures?

I love Ice Cream. I will eat pretty much any kind of ice cream even if I’m full. It is the best thing to ever be invented.

Q: Who is one of your role models?

My parents are probably my biggest role models. They have always set an example and supported me through everything I have set my mind to.

Q: Where do you see yourself after graduation?

Hopefully, I can achieve a corporate PR job with Disney or help plan events for the Superbowl. That would be pretty sweet.

Receiving my Associate’s degree.

The Little Rascals

Favorite Food:

My Dad’s Spaghetti

Tips for Building and Maintaining Professional Relationships

W

guest speaker, Nicholas Dragon, who came and talked to us about making yourself stand out in today’s professional world. He talked about but also how to use various social media networks to your advantage when job searching and as a useful tool in your career.

thank your contact for helping out.

5.

Meet in person. Remember to meet local contacts for beverages or lunch periodically. For remote connections, this may not be possible, but if you travel, try and meet on the occasions when you’re both in the same city.

6. Send links, but personalize. See a link Professional relationships are essential to that one of your contacts might appreciate? this ongoing process. Building your network Send it but explain why the link made you and keeping up with those people, both over think of your contact and how you thought it social media and in person, can make or would be useful. Remember not to send too break your career. Keeping up with these many links to the same person. cult balance because you need to keep the 7. Introductions. Chances are, many of your relationship alive without being overbearing. By Kaci Welch connections could help each other out if PRSSA Member These tips, found on businessinsider.com, are only they were connected. When you feel an a great place to start: parties have agreed, introduce two of your connections 1. Congratulate them. When someone is promoted or to each other. changes professions, send a congratulatory note and 8. Check In. Don’t have an explicit reason to reach up on other matters and provide an update on your own out to a connection? Send a short note to check in and status. inquire about professional developments. Provide a brief update about yourself and thank the person for 2. Provide professional leads. When you hear of an being part of your professional network. opportunity, let appropriate people in your network know. Think beyond jobs and referrals to everything 9. Re-introduce yourself. The truth is, we connect from committees, board positions, speaking opportuni- with so many people on networks like LinkedIn that ties, writing assignments, and special projects. Offer to for some people we can’t remember why or when we provide an introduction if you’re comfortable doing so. connected. Perform periodic network housekeeping and reach out to these contacts, conceding that losing touch 3. Mail something. To get someone’s attention, hand is sometimes inevitable, but that you’re interested in write a note and mail it them. Finished a good book or what’s new with them. interesting magazine that you think a contact would love? Mail it to the person with a note expressing why 10. Let Them Breathe. Wine connoisseurs like Miles you’re sending it. from “Sideways” will tell you that letting wine breathe 4. Ask their opinion. Your contacts are in your network for a reason, so remember to take advantage of their knowledge and experience. While taking care not to contact people too much, reach out when you have a need and you know your contact will be able to assist.

Inquire about other matters during the exchange and

aeration and the warming of wine from the surrounding air. Professional networks, like wine, also need time and give the people in it the space and room they need to breathe.