This blog was provided by Ketner Group intern, Sara Shaw
My name is Sara Shaw and I am a senior Public Relations major in the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations at The University of Texas at Austin. I am also pursuing a minor in Spanish as well as a certificate in the Business Foundations Program. I grew up in Austin and, naturally, love it so much I decided to stay for school, which is easily the best decision I’ve ever made.
I am the youngest of three children, so I have had my fair share of older-sibling-bullying. Too many times did I fall for, “I’ve got a surprise,” and end up with a bar of soap in my mouth. Talk about a surprise. As an “adult” this has made me a great team player and very capable of laughing at myself.
I became interested in public relations in high school because of my love for stories. More specifically, the stories of people around me. What people were passionate about, what motivated them, why they loved what they did. I was good at creating relationships with people and getting them to tell their stories. I loved that PR combined the art of story-telling and business strategy. So with the click of the mouse I declared my major and haven’t looked back since.
This past summer, I had the incredible opportunity of interning for Southwest Airlines in Dallas. I was the communications intern for their Network Operations Control Department. Imagine a command center at NASA, but these guys are dispatching nearly 4,000 flights a day. I was lucky enough to be on their communications team and learn more about the airline industry than I ever imagined.
When I’m not in the office or in the classroom, I love to explore my hometown and discover the next great taco place. I recently went to El Chilito on Manor Road, and highly recommend the Cherrywood breakfast taco.
As a senior in college, I often get the question, “What are you doing once you graduate?” I’ll tell you now that I have no idea. However, I am very excited to be with Ketner Group this semester and get hands-on experience in a more “traditional” PR setting. Everyone here has already taken Daniela and me in as part of the team and we are eager to keep learning from everyone!
Austin
