Many college students graduate with a sense of fear as they enter the workforce with four years of higher education under their belt but a lack of knowledge and professional experience in their area of study. This isn’t the case at Indiana Wesleyan University. At IWU, students who participate in the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) receive a well-rounded understanding of the strategic communication field and have fun while doing it!
PRSSA is a pre-professional organization that equips students with hands-on professional experience, internship opportunities and a chance to network with public relations professionals. Its parent organization is the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the nation’s premier professional organization serving the communications community.
One of IWU’s PRSSA main goals is to provide students with fun experiences that show the different aspects of the strategic communication field. Members of IWU’s PRSSA pay an annual membership fee of $35, allowing them to attend field trips and access the MyPRSA portal. According to PRSSA’s website, MyPRSA is a place where students can “access the Internship Center, register for PRSA webinars and national events, access PRSA case studies and much more!”
Every year, IWU’s PRSSA members participate in an event called Half Day with a Pro, an event sponsored by PRSA. During this event, PRSSA members visit a corporate, not-for-profit or agency office where they receive first-hand knowledge on how public relations functions in an organization.
“(During Half Day with a Pro) we get to spend the day with a professional, and we get to see their workplace. We get to see kind of what they do, how they do their job and just kind of meet them and build those connections with people from all over the place,” said Savannah Buckley, vice-president of IWU’s PRSSA.
In addition to providing fun and professional experiences for its members, IWU’s PRSSA works to build students’ confidence surrounding their professional skills.
“It’s neat to develop who you are and who you want to be as a professional. I think that’s how PRSSA has helped me,” said Katey Doreff, president of IWU’s PRSSA.
PRSSA also offers students an opportunity to take the tools they’re learning in the classroom and apply them to real-life, professional situations.
“PRSSA provides incredible professional development opportunities designed specifically for students,” said Professor Susan Sigworth, faculty advisor to IWU’s PRSSA. “This includes many programs to enhance their education, build contacts with professionals and peers, and launch a career in the industry.”
Through the professional experiences IWU’s PRSSA provides for its members, the student-led organization helps communication majors develop their personal brand and an understanding of the type of organization they want to work for after graduation.
“The field trips have helped me the most, because it’s real hands-on experience, and you get to go into a place and you get to say ‘Hmm… Is this something I’m really interested in?’ or ‘I definitely don’t want to be here,’” Buckley said.
When building a resume, it’s important to have activities and extracurriculars that’ll stand out to future employers. PRSSA offers students a unique entry to put on their resumes as they graduate from college and look for work in the strategic communication field.
“To me, involvement in PRSSA shows that a student was thinking about their career and growing professionally while in college, and that’s always impressive,” Sigworth said.
If you want a fun and useful way to learn more about the world of public relations and professionalism, IWU’s PRSSA is a great community to join! It’s never too early to start thinking about life after college. PRSSA helps you think ahead and provides you with tools that build confidence and strengthen connections with the professional world.
“We have one of the best outlets that’s going to prepare you for the PR professional world,” said Buckley. “And we have fun – a lot of fun!”
To learn more about IWU’s PRSSA, contact Professor Sigworth at susan.sigworth@indwes.edu or visit prssa.prsa.org to find out more about PRSSA.
