By: Leona Falconer
Ever since I joined PRSSA as a freshman, I knew I wanted to get more involved and take on a leadership role. For integrative public relations students, and even related majors in the media fields, PRSSA is the best option for gaining hands-on experience and making connections in the industry. I immediately saw that and wanted to become a core part of the organization.
Three years later, I am now wrapping up my first semester as president of CMU PRSSA. Just as I predicted, being a part of PRSSA has had the most significant impact on me since coming to CMU. I have expanded upon my classroom knowledge, planned fundraisers and events, networked with industry professionals and received multiple internship opportunities.
As president, I truly got to learn the intricacies of leadership and how to run an organization. At the surface level, I am responsible for assembling our semester meeting schedule, creating social media calendars, recruiting guest speakers and running our weekly meetings.
While these management skills are important, it is the interpersonal communication that goes on behind the scenes that has been most rewarding. Through my presidency, I have made countless connections with alumni, networked within the PR industry, bonded with my E-board and truly learned how to manage all different types of people. These are skill sets that most candidates don’t have the opportunity to develop during college – another unique advantage of joining PRSSA.