The
PRogressor
Letter from the Editor 2
Meet the Executive Board 3
PR Students Boost their Business Skills 4
Pie a Member! 5
Member Awards 6
Diversity and Inclusion 8
Painting Pumpkins 9
Write for Our Blog! 10
Catching Up with Alumni 11
Dues-Paying Members 12
Follow Us on Instagram 13
Meet the Advisors 15
ICON Fall 2023 16
Game Night! 18
Thank You! 19
Editor
When I got the position as Vice President of External Communications
for UNI PRSSA, I was excited to see how I could use my graphic design
knowledge outside of the classroom. PRSSA has allowed me to
advance my skills and get out of my comfort zone in many ways.
Without PRSSA, I might have never found my passion for
photography, design, and ultimately content creation.
This semester our Chapter has hosted eight successful functions. This
includes hearing from three PR professionals, three fundraising
events, one social, and our end of the year banquet. We have grown
closer as a Chapter, and have made some amazing connections. Not
only is this the first newsletter I have ever published, but I am also
thrilled to have gained experience in video content as well.
Throughout the semester, we have created Instagram Reels to keep
our follower in the loop.
I am so grateful for what UNI
PRSSA has given me, but it would be
nothing without the dedication from
our members. This edition of The
PRogressor includes articles
written by our members. I hope you
enjoy!
Paige Beck
Written by
Wesley Johnson
On September 25, 2023, our
chapter had the pleasure of
being able to hear from
Corporate PR Veteran Ron
Culp about his career and
tips about finding success in
the PR industry. Culp has
over 50 years of experience
within the PR industry,
currently working as an
independent PR consultant
as well as the Professional in Residence for the PR and Advertising
Program at Depaul University. During our meeting, Culp gave our
chapter some tips for success in the PR industry that have been
referred to as “Ron’s Rules”. Some of these rules include:
Expand your news diet- read the news on a regular basis to stay up
to date with major stories
Read something new- read something that your clients or
coworkers are interested in
Follow business leaders and influencers
Build your network both internally and externally
Create your personal brand- you can do this through LinkedIn as
well as other social media.
Written by
Wesley Johnson
On September 14, 2023, our chapter held a
fundraiser on campus to raise money, so we could
send members to PRSA’s national conference
(ICON) in Nashville. For this fundraiser, our
chapter set up a table outside of Maucker Union
on UNI’s campus where we allowed people to
shove pies in our faces if they donated to our trip.
Though we may have had whipped cream stuck in
our noses and ears for days following, we were
able to raise $123 to help cut down on the cost of
our trip to Nashville in October. To see the video
of us getting pied in the face, visit our Instagram
page @uni_prssa.
Emerging Member Marquette
for dedicating their time to the Millam
organization as a new member and
becoming incredibly involved as a
first-year member.
Nicole A Team Player
Waters for being selfless, sacrificial,
and devoting her time to
better the Chapter and its
members.
Panther Award
for embodying a true UNI PRSSA
Wesley
member by attending events, Johnson
socializing with members, and
acknowledging the opportunities
the Chapter provides.
Paige The Most Involved
Beck for dedicating her time and resources
to better herself through attendance
and participation in PRSSA’s extensive
opportunities
The Step-Up Award Elisa
for being involved and willing to step
up where needed in the Chapter, and
Macek
for never saying no to an
opportunity.
Hannah Dedicated Member
Bailey for dedicating their time and resources
to better themselves through PRSSA’s
extensive opportunities.
Outstanding Service Zoey
for making a meaningful contribution
to UNI PRSSA through service, Hutton
committing to working with and for
others, and successfully inspiring and
motiving others to act.
Kylie The Mountain Mover
for never taking “no” for an answer,
Ryder accomplishing tasks with effort and
pride, and putting the organization
above everything else.
Written by
Nicole Waters
Del Galloway, former PRSA
President was able to come
and talk to us about diversity
and inclusion in the
workplace. He talked about
the importance of creating a
welcoming culture that will
attract good talent to the
office. Galloway also talked
about how it is important to
find corporations that are
supportive and inclusive. He discussed the Employee Research
Network (ERN) where people can learn about other cultures and help to
break down barriers doing so.
Del gave the example of the University of Colorado Buffaloes Football
team and their hiring of Deion Sanders. Deion made lots of changes
within the program which included cleaning the house and starting
fresh. His goal was to recruit a very diverse team and capitalize on
inclusivity turning the whole program around. Del also highlighted
Target and their LGBTQ+ campaign from a PR standpoint. Target ended
up facing criticism for pulling the line due to threats against
employees. He wonders if Target will do it again in the future and
stresses the importance of shared values getting to know each other
and making conversation.
Written by Paige Beck
PRSSA hosted their very first pumpkin painting on
October 9th, 2023. This was a chance for members
to get to know one another and paint some fun
pumpkins. The pumpkins, painting supplies,
cookies, and apple cider was all provided with a $10
ticket. On the top right, Wesley Johnson painted
Batman on his pumpkin. Marquette Millam created
a candy corn, Nicole Waters made little ghosts, and
Zoey Hutton painted Frankenstein. UNI PRSSA had
so much fun making connections and getting to
know more about each other during this event.
Written by Hannah Bailey
Joining UNI’s Public Relations Student Society of America chapter has
many benefits. One of the biggest benefits is being able to write for the
website’s blog. This helps members in many ways, from improving
their writing skills to having published writing.
Throughout my time at PRSSA, I have written two blogs for the UNI
PRSSA website. Writing these blogs has helped me grow as a writer
and professional. Writing blogs has helped me improve my writing
skills. A lot goes into writing a blog like, picking a topic, researching
that topic, writing the blog, and making edits until it is perfect. These
skills are necessary in the majority of Public Relations job positions.
Writing these blogs has also helped me as a professional in this
industry. Having published writing is an advantage regarding
experience, resumes, interviews, etc. After publishing the blogs, I was
able to share them on my social media such as Instagram and LinkedIn.
By sharing that information, I was able to expand my network outside
of Iowa. A professor at the University of Southern California and
Founder of Integrity Public Relations Inc. had noticed my LinkedIn post
and commented in regards to my blog post and wanted to connect with
me.
Overall having the opportunity to write blogs for PRSSA is a big
accomplishment and an amazing chance to broaden skills and
networks. Blogs also make for a great portfolio section, which helps a
lot when finding a job!
Written by
Kylie Ryder
This semester we were grateful
to have two of our UNI PRSSA
alumni speak to our chapter
about their life after graduation.
Alisanne Struck and Sydney
Paine were gracious enough to
tell us about their journeys to
landing public relations jobs.
Thankful for their time and
education from UNI, they
offered us valuable advice.
Alisanne had spent quite some time looking for a job post-grad, and
even ended up turning down job offers that she did not feel suited her.
She then landed a job at Red Branch Media, specializing in press
releases, podcasts, monthly emails, and PR research. Sydney
graduated from UNI in the spring of 2023 and quickly left to work a
summer internship in Paris, France. She worked on designing product
social media strategies, specifically for a skincare brand, and was even
offered to stay and work for their company in Paris. She turned down
the offer and moved to Arizona to be with her family. After applying to
100+ jobs, she landed a role with Kahala Brands and serves to work on
improving their clients' public relations.
Overall, our chapter learned about our alumni’s lives after post-grad,
and how the job search process truly goes. Although the process can
be long and hard, the education and experience these two have
received through UNI and PRSSA helped them tremendously.
Nicole Waters
Luke Goedken
Elisa Macek
Zoey Hutton
Nia Litterer
Wesley Johnson
Paige Beck
Kylie Ryder
Hannah Bailey
Marquette Millam
Written by Paige Beck
As the Vice President of External
Communications, I have gotten the
opportunity to incorporate new and
exciting trends on our Instagram. One
aspect of content creation that has
always interested me is creating videos.
Throughout this semester, I have gotten
the opportunity to produce Instagram
Reels.
The first series of Reels that was posted was a Day in the Life of the
executive board members. This allowed our followers to see how busy
our members were. Our executive members work extremely hard not
only for PRSSA but also for their other obligations. This was a way that
we could showcase those other commitments.
Another series that I have
incorporated into our Instagram is
campus interviews. For the holidays, I
wanted to get other students on
campus involved and informed of our
organization. I asked various
questions relating to each holiday. An
example of Thanksgiving would be,
“What are you thankful for?” This is
something that I have enjoyed because
it expands beyond just our members.
When I am creating content for our social media, I try to stay on top of
the latest trends, and what people are interested in viewing. I look at
other PRSSA’s Instagram accounts for inspiration. I also look at other
accounts from the UNI to see what students on our campus are
interacting with as well. This has allowed me to gain more followers
and have people interact with our social media.
One part of the graphics that I have
enjoyed creating this semester is
having member spotlights. This
gives our Chapter a chance to
express our gratitude towards our
dues-paying members. It also allows
our followers to get to know our
members the way that the rest of
our Chapter does! This has been one
of my favorite graphics to design.
As our semester ends, I am excited to continue to research and gain
more knowledge about what to incorporate into our socials. This
semester has been full of fun and creativity, and I am very proud of
the content that I have been able to produce. As the VP of External
Communications, I only think it is fitting to end this story with a
shameless plug to follow our Instagram!
uni_prssa
Faculty Advisor
Faculty Advisor
Written by Zoey Hutton
In October 2023, I was fortunate
enough to have the opportunity
to attend ICON 2023 in Music
City, Nashville, TN. This trip was
incredibly educational, leaving
me inspired in many new ways.
As president of UNI PRSSA, I had
a few unique leadership
opportunities. One of the coolest
parts about being an
organization leader was
attending a leadership luncheon
where I got the chance to hear from PR professionals and what it
takes to be a leader while enjoying an excellent lunch with fellow
PRSSA presidents. This was an enriching experience and gave me
such great insight into how to be a good leader.
Additionally, I was able to take a fellow UNI PRSSA member,
Wesley Johnson, with me and guided him through the intricacies
of the conference as this was his first ICON experience. During
our time at ICON, we both grew our networks tremendously by
speaking and being in the same rooms as PR professionals. The
advice and knowledge that was shared during breakout sessions
proved to be invaluable, leaving Wesley and me with fresh
perspectives and new strategies.
As mentioned before, ICON was
the perfect place for me to expand
my professional network. Through
ICON, I was able to establish
meaningful connections with not
only professionals but also my
peers. I truly believe this will be
beneficial in my personal and
professional endeavors.
Overall, my time at ICON 2023 was nothing short of being iconic. This
was an experience that only solidified my love for PR. As I continue to
lead UNI PRSSA, I will take this experience with me and everything
learned to new heights.
Written by
Marquette Millam
One of our meetings consisted of a
game night. This game night
meeting consisted of members
playing the card game UNO and the
board game Chameleon. I loved the
idea of one of our meetings being a
game night because we get the
opportunity to know each other in a
more personal way, and not just as
students. This allows members to
make personal friendships and feel
comfortable in our meetings. I also
see it as a relaxing way for
everyone to enjoy playing games
with their fellow peers.
I learned that having a game night can
allow you to know the members of
your Chapter on a more personal
level. I also learned that a game night
can be a great way to de-stress and
relax. By having this game night, I
learned more about the members of
my Chapter and I got to show off my
semi-great poker face. This game
night also allowed me to de-stress
and have fun alongside my peers.
Thank you for taking the time to read our Fall 2023 edition of The
PRogressor. PRSSA would like to thank everyone who contributed to
make this newsletter possible.
We also want to express an appreciation to our instructors and
advisors for always supporting us. As we begin our professional
careers, we know that we can always count on your guidance to help
us grow in our professions.
We wouldn’t be a Chapter if it weren’t for our members and students
who have participated in PRSSA this semester. We have loved getting
to know all of you, and are excited for what Spring 2024 brings!
Lastly, PRSSA would like to thank all of our sponsors for making our
Chapter possible. Your generous donations have helped us learn and
grow as a Chapter.
