Saying goodbye to PRSSA Kent

So this is it.

This is what it feels like to leave something you love behind and start a new chapter. Joining PRSSA Kent, in November 2011, was my first love here at Kent State University, and I hope it has been or will be soon for you too.

I volunteered for tons of activities my freshman year. At the time, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my involvement. I just wanted to help, make friends and find out if the practice of public relations was something I could really love. A former PRSSA Kent officer reached out to me and promised that the more I stayed involved, the more I'll grow to love it. Turns out, she was right.

I had to learn about PRSSA very quickly, but getting involved early truly helped me understand its purpose and influence on a local and national scale. Our Chapter is not a club, it's a pre-professional organization designed to help you achieve success in your career and to be your close network of major-related peers. Without this group of resources and close-knit friends, I would have never had this sense of appreciation, love and pride for PRSSA Kent.

Witnessing our Chapter earn the Dr. F.H. Teahan Award for Outstanding Chapter, the highest honor that can be received on a national level, at the 2014 PRSSA National Conference was the perfect ending to my college career. It validated the sweat and tears that went into our Chapter's efforts in the last three and a half years paid off. It's truly been amazing.

And so, I leave you here with this. With Thanksgiving coming around the corner, I hope that you are thankful for being a member with PRSSA Kent. I know I am. PRSSA Kent made me confident, experienced, loved, and appreciated, as well as shaped me into a strong leader. But most of all, it introduced me to my "bffs" for life. Cherish those three to four years with us because it's going to go by fast.

With love and best of luck,
Cindy Deng

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