ADVANCING THE PROFESSION AND THE FUTURE PROFESSIONAL
WINTER 2016
VOL. 48, ISSUE 2
www.prssa.prsa.org/FORUM
PRSA ICON, A Place to Strengthen My Career
BY ANGEL MARTÍN RODRÍGUEZ DEL CASTILLO
PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ANALYST, ALICORP
Daniel Lubetzkey, founder and CEO of KIND Snacks, speaking at a
PRSA ICON general session. Photo courtesy of the PRSA Flickr account.
I first heard about PRSSA
when my university received the
Certification in Education for
Public Relations in 2013. I realized at this time that a whole
world of public relations opportunities existed through PRSSA. In
2014, I got involved in the process
to start a PRSSA Chapter at the
Universidad de San Martín de
Porres because I saw this as an opportunity where public relations
students can develop new skills in
the public relations industry.
This year, I decided to apply
for the PRSA 2015 International
Conference (PRSA ICON) grant.
It was a very special gift for me
because the winners were announced the same day as the Peruvian independence day, July 28.
PRSA ICON is a detailed Conference where professionals attend to enhance their careers. It
doesn’t matter if you are a new or
senior professional, you will find
the suitable sessions and networking spaces for you.
All the sessions were led by specialized professionals from major
companies and agencies. The
sessions were divided into five
categories: integration, tools and
techniques, specialization, strategic planning and implementation,
and leadership and management.
These categories help attendees
choose which session best fits their
experience level. Personally, my
“You will have all the tools to
create powerful connections
at PRSA ICON.”
favorite session was “Redefining
Engagement With Data Analytics,” lead by Priya Ramesh from
IBM. Not only was the topic well
developed according to the specialization track, but the speaker
also gave me support and important tools. After the conclusion of
the Conference, I made a great
connection with the speaker.
In addition, PRSA hosted
lunches, dinners and many other
events to get attendees involved
with each other. This year, the
FROM THE
PRESIDENT’S
DESK
help — or at least they should.
My aim is to be the mentor I
wish I had as a freshman. If you
think back to freshman year, what
do you wish someone would have
told you when it comes to public
relations? Instead of taking that
information with you across the
stage at graduation, share it now.
You show me one person who
became successful on their own,
and I’ll show you 100 that had
help.
The truth is, a good mentor is
a treasure. Mentors can steer you
in the right direction, help you
learn industry lingo and give you
an insider’s peek into the business.
But if you have a good mentor —
or even if you don’t — eventually you must learn to be a good
mentor.
How can I be
a mentor?
Why mentor
underclassmen?
The profession won’t flourish
without your help. By the time
you’re a junior or senior, you
should know more about the profession and classes than the transfer students or freshmen. They
need your help. They want your
OPEN
FORUM
2
Reach out to underclassmen
that you meet at PRSSA meetings, or ask your Faculty or Professional Adviser if they have any
suggestions of students who may
need a little extra help getting adjusted to college life or the pace of
your major. Then set aside time to
meet with them. Whether it’s for
a 30 minute coffee session or dinner on campus, that tiny blip of
time can make a tremendous difference to someone who’s looking
for their place to fit in on campus.
I just met with a freshman public relations major from Albania
at my school last week. You can
GRAD SCHOOL
Interested in graduate school? Read
what professionals and educators
have to say on when you should go
back to school.
bet I walked away from that conversation feeling just as inspired as
she did. My mentoring style is less
about having loads of life-changing advice to impart and more
about providing a listening ear
and some “tough love” as needed.
Um, but what if I
don’t have time?
You do. I’m not going to argue on this one, because I know
you’ve got at least a half hour to
spare tucked in your week somewhere. Maybe it means giving up
your weekly Netflix fix or waking
up 30 minutes earlier than you’d
like, but I’m sure it’s possible.
Think about how quickly you’d
clear your schedule if you heard
that Taylor Swift was coming to
campus and then give some of
that extra time to a mentee.
When it comes to mentorship,
remember that you reap what
you sow. And when you invest in
others, it’s a win-win, so go ahead
and seek out your next protege
today.
6
As a new professional, you may
be worried about how to take advantage of the Conference in the
future. There are two important
sessions you should attend — the
newcomers session and the new
professionals session. In the first
one, you will learn the methodology and tips about PRSA
ICON and meet other new
Conference attendees. The new
professionals session is where you
SEE ICON, PAGE 3
Watching the Clock:
How to Be the Mentor You Wish You Had
BY LAURA DARONATSY PRSSA NATIONAL PRESIDENT
PRSA ICON smartphone application allowed professionals to
continue the conversation and
share information, notes and photos. So don’t worry if you are a
shy person, you will have all the
tools to create powerful connections at PRSA ICON.
When to Take Advantage of
PRSSA Member Benefits
BY ADAM PICCIN
OTTERBEIN UNIVERSITY
Whether it is happening in
December or in May, many of
us will soon be completing the
seemingly impossible: graduating from college. As a senior
public relations student, I’ve
had the privilege and honor
of being a member of PRSSA
for several years now. I hav