PERSONAL STATEMENT: MARIAM IFEDOLAPO SUBAIR

Some say that it is the media that shapes the world around us. Others argue that the media
merely reflects our society as we make it. Either way, Public Relations (PR) is involved in
shaping the opinions that we have on the personalities that the media presents us through
reputation. I am Mariam Ifedolapo Subair, a graduate of Mass Communication, Al-Hikmah
University, Nigeria is hereby aspiring to secure a place in your institution to study MA Public
Relations.

My keen interest in Public Relations arose out of my early discovery of the power of words
and wits and the way they can affects people’s thoughts and feelings. As a child, I wrote
poetry and soon discovered the emotional and persuasive force of inventive language. This
developed into experiments with journalism during my teens and a course at the Al-Hikmah
University, the course included a module on Public Relation which introduced me to the
subject and fired my imagination. My love of writing developed quite naturally into a
passionate interest in the creation of the public image. My working career has all been in this
field and I have gained considerable experience of presentation and communication. I should
like to study in an American University because of the very high reputation of US academic
institutions and I know that a degree from a US school would open the doors to many career
pathways.

This is a particularly interesting time in the world of PR and Corporate communication

requiring the adjustment of current techniques and thinking to new situations and to
researching, designing and applying methods of getting a message over. I very much want to
be involved in this process. I can think of no better way of acquiring the education I seek than
by joining this particular program. I am drawn by the teaching methods involving as they do
actual corporate projects and I am aware of the prestigious reputation of the faculty members
and the quality of the program amongst professionals. My experiences such as working as a
content curator in a personal blog website, public communicator at Ministry of Information
during my National Youth Service year, Internship training at Encomium magazine,
Internship training at Osun State Broadcasting Corporation has inculcated in me that studying
the PR will help in fulfilment of my career aspirations.

However, it is worthy to also note that people are becoming more sophisticated and what
passed as a strong PR strategy a decade ago may be no longer effective in the age of internet
networking. It is also fascinating to see that, for all the training and knowledge accumulated
by PR professionals, ill-considered remarks by a senior executive or a CEO of large
companies continue to be a regular feature of corporate news with often disastrous but largely
avoidable outcomes. PR disasters have particularly fascinated me even before I began my
bachelor degree in Mass Communication and I believe that a careful study of them has the
potential to teach much to PR professionals and senior executives of all specialties.

Long-term career objectives: my main goal is to acquire the very highest available level of
skills and knowledge in my chosen field and initially to apply these for the benefits of an
international non-profit organization and ultimately in founding my own firm. I have a dream
to become an honest and highly effective communicator assisting organizations in Nigeria in
identifying and resolving internal and external communication problems and in providing
them with a positive and widely heard voice. I hope to become a philanthropist thereby
giving back to the society after my dreams has been achieved by establishing scholarship
schemes for academically talented indigent Nigerians that wish to pursue their dreams in my
line of profession.

I know that this highly prestigious program will attract many well qualified applicants.
However, I believed that I am an outstanding applicant. I have a bachelor degree in a closely
related discipline; I have practical volunteer experience in Media, e-Commerce Business,
Public Relation projects and Customer Relationship Management which will enable me to
bring useful insights and add value to my class. I am a sociable person who gets on well with
others. I realize that a likeable messenger adds much to the positive perception of the
message itself and believe that I have the characteristics to do so. I enjoy working as a
member of a team working towards a common and useful goal. Evidently, my experiences
can help me to adjust to the new environment at Emerson College in order to cope with the
demands of this subject and complete the study of this subject successfully. The Emerson
College is a Historic place to study as I am interested to be tutored under the renowned
facilitators, serene environment, outstanding faculties and the boundless opportunities that
comes with a World Class University. Thank you for your time and consideration.