So, What Happens After UWW?

It's the question that you want to have an answer for, but it may seem a little foggy. On Wednesday, our PR Tactics II class featured a guest speaker that cleared up that dreaded question. Amy Paul, a 2011 PR graduate of UW-Whitewater spoke to us about preparing for our future, and what we can do now to make life after graduation successful. 

Amy is currently an interactive account coordinator for Ascedia located in Milwaukee, WI. Some of her specialties there include digital marketing, website design, and social media. But don't think that Amy landed this position by chance. Throughout college she worked extremely hard and became involved in PRSSA as well as numerous internships. During her years at UW-Whitewater she interned with Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Qdoba, UWW University and Development Center, and the Milwaukee Admirals. She even created a photo buying website on her own time for the Admirals (Milwaukeeadmirals.smugmug.com)  Always striving for more responsibility and leadership opportunities are what made Amy stand apart from the rest in the professional field.

The greatest advice I took from Amy's presentation was to start my search for internships early. And not just a month early, either. Because I am in the process of finding an internship, this was very helpful. She also advised that networking will be extremely necessary in finding the right internship for you, and creating ties with professionals can only further your career. Another piece of advice I found very inspiring was that no matter what we as students do, we are a representation of UW-Whitewater. I will definitely be taking Amy's advice with me as I go through the internship process. Thank you, Amy!

The PR Student

It's that time of year again. School is in session and new opportunities and experiences are unfolding all around us just waiting to be discovered. I'm Sydney, a  senior PR student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. This semester I'm taking a class called PR Tactics II. During this semester my classmates and I will be completing numerous assignments that are simulations of what we will encounter in the professional world, such as e-newsletters, video projects, speaker assessments, twitter postings, traditional resume work, and creating a variety of personal social media websites. We will even be attending an Alumni Engagement event in Milwaukee to network with professionals. I'm looking forward to these assignments to gain knowledge and skills to better my chances of becoming employed after graduation.

My goal as a PR student is to get an internship for the spring/summer so that I can apply the skills and knowledge that I've gained thus far in a real life setting. I have a passion for music of all genres and I would absolutely love to become a PR or promotions intern at a radio station such as FM 102.1 in Milwaukee. 

Aside from being a student, I am a server at Randy's Restaurant & Fun Hunter's Brewery. I am going on my third year as a server there, and surprisingly, I still learn new things every day. You may not realize it, but working in the service industry can teach you many life lessons, and can even relate back to PR. For example, working as a server has taught me how to mentally prioritize and manage a long list of tasks while simultaneously working on what is in front of you. Serving also taught me interpersonal skills. While sometimes it may prove to be difficult, it is my number one priority to keep my customers happy and keep the reputation of Randy's at its best. 

I genuinely can't wait to see what this semester has in store for me!