Three student representatives from West Chester’s chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) attended the PRSSA National Conference in Washington, D.C. this past weekend. The five-day conference benefits college students who are dedicated to pursuing a career in communications, specifically public relations.
Chapter President, Lauren Grow, was fortunate enough to prove to Student Government Association that conference attendance was important, and SGA gave a grant for the attendance for Grow, Nick Gremminger, and Meghan Kennedy.
Grow said, “I learned a lot about specific public relations fields through workshops, and I was able to learn about chapter development and interact with the national committee and other student leaders.”
Kennedy elaborated on the various sessions on specific types of public relations. “There was a niche PR workshop. You could go to a session on history, entertainment, public affairs, or non-profit.” Kennedy went the entertainment public relations session, as Beyonce’s publicist was the guest speaker.
The conference provided representatives with a networking opportunity, with both collegians and professionals. “I met [public relations] professionals, I met with national leaders, and with other chapters, and luckily able to build a good relationship with LaSalle [University]’s Chapter President,” said Grow.
After meeting other representatives, Grow and Kennedy have big plans for the chapter. “There are plans to create a student run [public relations] firm,” said Grow, who wants the firm to help other organizations, specifically new organizations and organizations unrelated to public relations, with their own PR efforts on campus and in the community.
“It was almost like each chapter was a fraternity or sorority,” said Kennedy after meeting representatives for chapters with 200 members. “I think we can market ourselves better and get more involved on campus and with the community, and get more members.”
Grow emphasized the importance of their attendance. “We never had a representative attend any of the national conferences or national events, so it’s important that we’re visible to other chapters by attending.” On a personal level, Grow said the “most beneficial workshop was the chapter presidents workshop,” which informed attendees on how to run an effective chapter.
For Kennedy, a senior, attending the conference was important as she is beginning to think of post-graduation plans, “I went to a general session that focused on searching for your first job, it was really helpful.”
“Ideally, I would have preferred to attend the conference longer,” said Grow, as the representatives could only attend for three of the five days. While the conference is over, Grow is already looking forward to attend future national conferences and events, and how she can continue to improve West Chester’s chapter of PRSSA.
If students are interested in learning more about PRSSA, or how PRSSA could help their organizations, they can contact westchesterprssa@gmail.com.
Victoria Holt is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies. She can be reached at VH758202@wcupa.edu.