 Cassidy Grentz VP of Fundraising and Community Outreach. Q: How long have you been a member of PRSSA? A: “I have been a member of PRSSA Kent since my freshman year. I joined the executive board last year as the Fundraising and Community Outreach Chair.” Q: What is your favorite part about being on the exec board? A: “My favorite part about being on the executive board is the endless networking opportunities and the friendships.” Q: What has been your favorite class so far? A: “My favorite PR class I’ve taken so far is media relations. I loved working one on one with a client and providing them with my ideas to meet their business goals.” Q: If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? A: “If I could only eat one meal for the rest of my life, I would easily pick pizza because it's customizable and delicious.” Q: Who would you want to be stranded on a deserted island with? A: “If I was stranded on a deserted island I would want to be with my best friend Mekka. She’s funny and can be resourceful when she wants to be.” Q: What is a fun fact about yourself? A: “My fun fact is that I was on a crew (rowing) team for 3 years.” 
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 A girl used to take workbook photocopies out of the scrap paper bins at school and play school in her backyard. She would set up folding chairs, picnic table benches and invite the neighborhood children over. The children would be the students, and her the teacher. Professor Campbell wanted to teach since childhood. She had a natural curiosity that fueled her passion for learning. So, how did she end up in public relations? Campbell said it’s due to her sideways approach to her career. She decided to pursue a degree in communications after being told not to go into teaching. After her bachelor's, she earned a master's in advertising. Finally, at age 21, it was time to find a job. Campbell started as a scriptwriter for a company that manufactured tanks and other military-grade equipment. She still remembers her friend's mother's comment about her first job. “Here I was, this young 21-year-old excited about her new job, and my friend’s mom looks at me and goes, ‘You work for a company that sells death.’ I mean, what do you say to that?” It wasn’t teaching, but it was something. Something that provided Campbell an outlet to learn, and that’s what she did. Learning to advocate for herself She worked in the photo lab, processed film and worked with technology right as it was emerging. Not only did Campbell pick up skills to add to her PR toolbox, but she also learned how to face conflict in a male-dominated workspace. There were times Campbell had to stand up being a young woman fresh out of college, a natural-born introvert and working at a mostly male business. She surprised herself in those moments when she decided to fight instead of fly, Campbell said. She was brought up with a strict code of ethics where knowing right from wrong was the gold standard. However, Campbell said there was a point in time at the company where she had enough. “A few times somebody pushed on me and took advantage of me at work, and I finally stood up for myself and it stopped. Sometimes you got to push back,” she said. “Sometimes, you have to punch a bully, figuratively speaking.” Enjoying her work Her favorite job, besides teaching, of course, was when she worked for the American Red Cross as the communications director. “I really liked the Red Cross because we made a difference. At the end of the day, I wasn’t pushing papers or trying to sell people concepts. I worked for a place that was out there feeding and clothing people who needed help.” Her ethics from childhood and a willingness to expand her understanding of communities left her with an appreciation for nonprofits, Campbell said. She explained what nonprofits did through a parable about a boy saving a starfish. As the boy threw them back into the sea one by one, a man came up and told him he couldn’t save them all, that there were thousands of them. The boy replied, “It made a difference to this one.” “That’s what a nonprofit does,” Campbell said. “You can’t save them all, but you can save some.” Connecting with a mentor She was able to make a difference in people’s lives by working for a nonprofit, Campbell said. The person who made a difference in her life was Betty Pritchard. They met at Grand Valley State University when Campbell was hired as a teaching affiliate. Pritchard was a prim, proper, doctorate and sat on the PRSA National board in the late 90s and early 2000s where she rewrote a few of its rules. She was respected by everyone, Campbell said. “Over the years, she would give me advice, like ‘step up’ and ‘don’t be afraid.’ It was just that woman-to-woman comradery,” she said. “She was an accomplished woman with published work, had her doctorate before I even dreamed of getting mine…I don’t think she sweated. I don’t think she had the capability.” Now, Campbell has her doctorate in education and works as an adjunct professor at Kent State teaching sports and media, sports and society, sports in film and public relations publications. With new technology and keeping up with students in her classes, she said that teaching is exciting and “electric.” “People would say if you love what you do it’s not a job, and I thought that was corny,” Campbell said. “But no, no, no. It’s absolutely true.”  Even if you haven’t had the beloved Professor Roberts in class, you’ve likely run into him between classes. Despite rumors circulating that he spends his days roaming the halls, Roberts just doesn’t like to sit still.
“I teach four classes a semester. However, I am kind of hyper and I do like to take a walk sometimes. Sometimes I do tend to run into students and that's great,” Roberts said. When asked what courses he enjoys teaching most, Roberts began to list things he loved about all of them. “Ethics is always fun, and I have a really good Media Relations class this semester,” Roberts contemplated. “You can see progress students make in WRAP so that’s cool. I would say Law is my favorite. I think a lot of students don’t know a lot about the law so they can learn a lot.” If you’ve ever had a class with Roberts, you know they can be quite interesting. He takes an alternative approach to keep students engaged. “Teaching is a performance art sometimes,” Roberts said. “I know students have so much on their plate. You've got classes. You've got work. Some of you have internships. A lot of you do extracurriculars. That's a lot. So if class time can be a little bit light-hearted, that helps. That way you don't dread coming to class. Come, have a laugh or two and hopefully take away something.” Outside of class, Roberts enjoys watching Dolores Catania on The Real Housewives of New Jersey and Jim Donovan on the Cleveland Browns Red Zone. If he ever got the chance to meet Donovan, Roberts said he’d like to discuss football over steak and potatoes. Roberts likes to dream big and we talked a lot about his plans to travel in the future. “I’d like to go to Italy and Spain one day,” Roberts said. “I would definitely see Rome and Barcelona because those are the two cities I've heard the most about. My family on my mother's side is from southern Italy so I'd like to explore there a little bit. Everybody I've talked to who's been to Spain falls in love with it.” He also dreams of being a recreational runner. Roberts explained although he never really enjoyed it, he ran track in high school and is now considering starting the hobby again. “I enjoyed the camaraderie and being on a team. I never really experienced any kind of runner's high. I couldn't do sprints because I wasn't fast enough. I couldn’t do long distances because I didn't have the stamina. I just could run middle distances pretty well,” Roberts recalled. “But I saw somebody yesterday jogging and said ‘You know what, I'd love to take that up again.’ We have a bike trail by my house and that would be kind of nice.” On the topic of dreams, I decided to ask Roberts what his alter ego would look like. I assumed he would have his answer all planned out, but he could only think of one trait…hair. “Whoever he was, he would have a lot of hair. I mean, nice, wavy hair,” Roberts said. “And not overly styled…just good hair.” As our interview came to a close, I asked Roberts to leave the senior class with some advice. “You want to be the best employee you can be, the best practitioner you can be, but you also want to be the best partner you can be, the best parent you can be, the best friend that you can be and the best neighbor that you can be,” Roberts said with a knowing smile. “In the end, when you get old and wrinkled like me, that stuff really counts. That's important. You just don't want to be defined by what you do for a living. Be defined by who you are as a person and how you are with your family and your friends. That's gonna give you a lot more support than a job." Evelyn Willett It’s that time of year when LinkedIn and Handshake become your best friends and when all the networking you’ve done at PRSSA events pays off. Internship season is upon us, and that brings interviews, are you ready?
You haven’t had an interview since high school, last year, month, or maybe had a bad experience at one? No worries! We’re going to give you tips & tricks on how to be you and ace that interview. Interviews are like media pitches and research proposals, it’s all about knowing your client (future employer) and the presentation (the interview). Step one: the first thing to do after receiving an invitation to interview is to research the organization you’d be meeting with. Find the history, dress style, employees, mission statement and projects underway. If you’ve researched before the interview, the organization will see you’re serious about their company. Show genuine interest and knowledge of the rich history the company has. Be the potential employee that admires where they work and wants to be part of the team. Step two: search for “common interview questions” and practice in front of a mirror. I’ve had five interviews so far, and four out of five had the same questions from Google. You’ll be nervous and anxious during the interview, but it's only natural! That’s why looking up questions and practicing responses helps. Rehearsed memory will take over instead of nerves, and you’ll be able to shoot a quick answer without drawing a blank or stuttering something on the spot. Step three: pick an outfit carefully. The way you present yourself has the power to end the interview for better or for worse. Wear something professional but try to ditch all black or grey. Whether bright pink pumps, sparkling stud earrings or a casual, bright tie, the goal is to stand out. Color will help the interviewer's memory, remember John with the green tie or Sue with the pink dress. Also, don’t forget to clean your shoes. If you take the time to put yourself together and look great, then make sure your shoes are clean as well. If you don’t have the right wardrobe, shop for a free outfit at KSU’s Career Closet located at the Women's Center, Business Building and Career Exploration & Development Office. Open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., there's a wide variety of professional clothing waiting to help you dress to impress. The final tip to help you ace interviews is to be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. Think of it this way. Do you want the internship because you’d like to gain experiences and newfound knowledge, or do you want it just to check a box off your list of credits for college? Be honest about the good and the bad. Internships aim to help inexperienced students develop skills and learn organically in the field. Be upfront about what you don’t know! They will see the trust you have in the position to help your skills grow. The worst-case scenario is you don’t get the position. Then, you intern somewhere else that’s a better fit for you. The bottom line when it comes to interviews is to be prepared and trust yourself, so go and conquer the interview! Apply for any opportunity that wiggles its way into your LinkedIn or Handshake feed this internship season. Best of luck to you! Evelyn Willett I took a road trip to Columbus for my first-ever PRSSA conference Feb. 17, and where better to have it than at The Ohio State University’s Fawcett Center? Public relations professionals discussed Wendy’s entrance to the U.K. market, Buckeye’s brand voice and using simple, fun national holidays to help get clients on TV.
However, my goal for the event was not to be entertained and fed incredibly delicious cookies. I wanted to learn valuable tips I could take home to Kent and save for my future career and form meaningful connections with professionals. Although I achieved them, there were things I liked and things I could have done better to achieve them. I suggest these dos and don'ts to any first-timer when attending a PRSSA conference. Do: wear something bright and different. It can be white, orange or multi-colored. By doing this, you’ll stick out and immediately get noticed by speakers without even trying. When I walked into the venue it was a sea of black. Make sure you don’t drown in it and wear color. Don’t: forget a notebook. Like I said I wanted to learn things I could take home to Kent. That’s why it was nerve-racking when I’d be learning so much valuable information during presentations only to have nowhere to write it down for later use. Bring a notebook even if you think you’ll remember what they say after the presentation. Do: think of questions to ask professionals before the conference. I asked questions that helped me form connections with professionals and got me a Wendy’s frosty magnet, but I found my mind drifting because focused too hard on what questions to ask. Think of a couple of questions before the presentation so you can enjoy it and have something ready to say on deck when the time comes. Don’t: forget to network with other schools’ PRSSA members. A kind girl from OSU’s PRSSA group came over to chat with us and we had a nice conversation introducing ourselves. Later that day she introduced our next speaker who was the girl’s mom. Don’t be afraid to talk to others. During lunch, a man came over and talked with us about school projects and other PR topics After being honest with him about what I plan to do with my future career, he said he works for OSU’s social media department, and we talked about how we both are interested in corporate social responsibility. They can be just as influential in careers as professional speakers. Keep these dos and don’ts in mind the next time or the first time you take part in a PRSSA event. By following this recipe you’ll put your name out there and successfully gain and retain the knowledge these opportunities are made for. |
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