Akron PRSA honors PRSSA Kent officers

The Akron Area Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) awarded Meghan Caprez, a junior public relations major, its David A. Meeker Scholarship.
 
The scholarship is given in the name of Meeker, a five-time recipient of PRSA’s most prestigious award, theSilver Anvil. Meeker is a long-time PRSA member and founding partner of Meeker-Young LLC. He is a Kent State alumnus and a longstanding member of the Professional Advisory Board of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State.
 
From the scholarship, Caprez received $1,000 toward her education and one free year of membership to PRSA upon her graduation. Cindy Deng, also a junior public relations major, was the first runner-up for the scholarship and will also be awarded a one-year membership to PRSA.

"The top candidates were outstanding, and it was a tough decision, but the judges were ultimately impressed with Meghan's real-world experience in her future profession as evidenced by her multiple internships, her excellent writing ability and her PRSSA Chapter involvement at both the local and national level,” said Wendy Turrell, co-chairperson of the scholarship committee.
 
Caprez is minoring in both business and marketing. She serves as Web and content producer for the Kent State PRSSA chapter, managing the group’s website and blog. She works as a marketing assistant for Kent State’s College of Communication and Information where she manages several social media accounts and writes for newsletters, blogs and magazines. She was recently published in the September issue of Ohio, Cleveland and Kent State magazines.
 
“Meghan is a young woman who will be one to watch,” said Jennifer Kramer, APR, co-chairperson of the scholarship committee and director of public relations and marketing communications for the College of Communication and Information at Kent State. “She will take the public relations industry by storm with her creativity and strategic thinking. Meghan brings a great deal of knowledge and expertise to the work she does and sets a very high standard for that work. She is professional, determined and focused, and these qualities are reflected in the exceptional work she puts forth.”   
 
Throughout her college career, Caprez has interned at the Akron Civic Theatre, Communications Factory and Walt Disney World Resorts. Her experiences are leading her to pursue a career in performing arts or Disney public relations.
 
Deng currently serves as president of the Kent State PRSSA chapter in her third year of PRSSA membership. She interned in marketing at Felber PR & Marketing and worked as a communications assistant for Kent State’s University Libraries.
 
The Public Relations Society of America is the world’s largest organization of public relations professionals helping to advance the profession and the professional. The Akron Area Chapter has more than 100 members throughout a 13-county region. Members and students involved in PRSSA find value in the Chapter through a variety of monthly luncheons, networking opportunities, industry conferences, monthly newsletters and the APR Accreditation program.

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