FIRM OF THE ISSUE
Pros at Pro-Bono: Firm Serves the Community
BY SARAH JOHNSON
PRSSA VICE PRESIDENT OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The 35 members of Louisiana
State University’s Nationally Affiliated Student-Run Firm, ImPRint Communications, enjoy
the portfolio content and networking opportunities the firm
offers them. However, they also
share an altruistic motivation to
engage their local community
and make lasting impacts. The
personal benefits are nice, but
these students realize the reach
of their student-run firm can go
far beyond just themselves — and
they work together to make it
happen.
“When you give back to the
community you not only put your
firm in good light, but you feel
like you have a purpose in the
world,” said Meagan Morvant,
LSU student and the firm’s media
relations department head.
ImPRint
Communications
recently made significant contributions to a global nonprofit organization. In September,
the firm partnered with Hands
Producing Hope to launch a
$20,000 fundraising campaign
by executing two local promotional events. Hands Producing
BENEFITS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
how your Chapter operates.
I also specifically recommend
listening to as many speakers
as possible to gain a larger understanding and scope of what
public relations is all about and
what opportunities there are in
the industry. One important tip
for freshmen is to begin learning AP style. I was the editor of
my high school newspaper, so
I started college with the fundamentals, and that paid off
significantly. Simply put: The
sooner you know it, the better.
SOPHOMORE YEAR:
Try to get more involved in
your university’s Chapter or
student-run firm (if your university has one). This could
depend on your Chapter’s
size, but all Chapters should
have ways for you to learn
and grow in the field of public
relations. Try writing for your
Chapter’s blog and then add
that to your portfolio.
Another good idea is to check
out the PRSSA website and familiarize yourself with PRSSA’s
national initiatives. Get ahead
of the game by getting a better sense of what additional
opportunities are available beyond your Chapter. Also, while
you’re on the PRSSA website,
you would benefit from checking out the PRSSA Internship
Center to prepare you and give
you some ideas for possible internships in your area.
Sophomore year is also a
great time to start attending
PRSSA events. Any event, such
as a local mixer, a Regional
Hope is a social enterprise focusing on empowering women of all
communities and social statuses
through income assistance, education and skills workshops. The
goal of this particular campaign
is to start a program in Nkombo
Island, Rwanda, in addition to
growing an existing program in
Costa Rica. During the launch,
ImPRint Communications handled all aspects from setup to
teardown, including media and
public relations. They also assisted the organization’s founder, Rebecca Gardner, to sell handmade
products from women in Hands
Producing Hope programs.
“Selling merchandise in addition to promotion creates a market for their handmade products,
and it gives people in the U.S. an
opportunity to support the organization and have something
beautiful to remember it by,” said
Morvant.
In addition to Hands Producing Hope, the firm works with
eight other clients in the Baton
Rouge community. Serving the
community is consistently at the
forefront. This service-minded
Conference or PRSSA National Conference will surely get
you started on the right path.
These events are launch pads to
get a taste of the exciting world
of networking and lifelong
learning from other members
and professionals across the
country. One more thing: Business cards are not required, but
it seems like an unstated rule to
have them.
JUNIOR YEAR:
Hopefully by now, you have
followed PRSSA National on
all social media platforms and
joined Facebook groups, but
you now most certainly should
take advantage of participating
in Twitter chats. These types of
social interactions not only continue to build your network but
also keep you in the loop with
what’s happening in PRSSA.
By junior year, you also might
consider running for an executive board position. This can be
done sooner than your junior
year, but junior year is a solid
middle ground. Applying for
PRSSA national scholarships
and awards is something that
you should check out as a junior, as many scholarships are
geared toward upperclassmen.
Networking with PRSA members, such as Champions for
PRSSA or your PRSA 7