I don’t know exactly when I decided that the public relations industry was a fit for me. I did watch a lot of Sex and the City my freshman year of college, so there may be a correlation there.
I wanted to live Samantha Jones’s glamorous (fake) life. Little did I know that Samantha Jones’s fabulously glamorous life was an unrealistic version of what the public relations industry really is.
I was disappointed to find out that not everyone in PR rubs elbows with the elite and lives in million dollar condos, but the more I learned about the industry I was able to forgive Samantha for deceiving me all those years. Maybe this industry was right for me even without all the glamour. Who needs $500 Manolo Blahnik shoes, anyway?
As my undergraduate public relations education almost comes to a close I’m excited and nervous for what this industry has in store for me. I will be graduating in December with a public relations degree and business foundations certificate and look forward to using my education and experience to become a great PR professional.
My course work thus far has been a well-rounded mix of advertising, business and public relations classes, and I’ve worked with teams to create a PR plan for Animal Trustees of Austin — a local animal welfare non-profit as well as a hypothetical media plan for another local Austin business.
Outside of class, I’ve had experience in various industries such as special events, journalism, production and public relations. I worked at Study Breaks Magazine where I gained experience in social media as well as journalistic writing. Last year, I interned for Cultivate PR, a boutique lifestyle public relations firm that ignited my passion for food and was fortunate enough to meet Top Chef winner, Paul Qui and Tyson Cole of Uchi and Uchiko. After my internship at Cultivate, I had opportunity to drop everything during the summer of 2012 and move to NYC to intern for a production and branding agency, inVNT, which I eagerly and willingly took. I won’t lie; before I left I thought that I might actually have the glamorous life of Samantha Jones, even if it was just for the summer. However, as amazing as my summer in the “Big Apple” was, it was no Sex and the City. It was more work than anything, maybe a little glamour, but most importantly, a tremendous experience.
I’m extremely excited to use my skills and experiences at Ketner Group. I’m so happy to be part of the team. I feel at home even on my second day.
Austin
