Four PRSSA Students Kickstart the Kent State Chapter of the National Millennial Community

 By Natalie Meek

This semester four students in the school of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) joined the National Millennial Community (NMC), a group that works to change the conversation about the millennial generation and engage in meaningful dialogue with corporate, foundation, governmental and nonprofit leaders across the country.
 
Founded in January 2016 by Bill Imada, NMC has 36 member campuses in 35 states, ranging from Alaska to Florida and from Massachusetts to Hawaii, plus the District of Columbia.
 
Kent State’s chapter, a subcommittee of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), includes Bella Grossi, Natalie Meek, Ava Moss and Molly Spillman as the inaugural chapter members. Students actively participate in discussions and Think Tank conversations with key influencers in government, business and local communities.
 
“To me, being in the National Millennial Community is an opportunity to make my voice heard and know for a fact my opinions matter,” public relations senior Ava Moss, said.
 
NMC has met with more than 120 executives and more than 60 directors and managers from companies such as AT&T, eBay, Coca-Cola, Ernst & Young, Google, IBM, Lockheed Martin, McDonald's, Verizon, Walt Disney and Warner Bros.
 
Kent State is the only university in Ohio part of the NMC, so the students represent Ohio millennials during the nationwide discussions.
 
Public relations senior, Bella Grossi, said she has enjoyed the conversations with professionals and spoke to Susan Jin Davis, Chief Sustainability Officer at Comcast, last month.
 
“I answered a question about what millennials look for in the workplace and what values are important to us,” Grossi said.
 
Public relations junior, Natalie Meek, said she is excited to be a part of the National Millennial Community because of the amazing networking opportunities.
 
“Having a platform that encourages positive conversation about millennials is so important,” Meek said. “Speaking with professionals and students from across the country has been an amazing experience.”
 
The group operates as a faculty-appointed sub-committee of the school’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and is advised by JMC faculty members  Associate Professor Stefanie Moore and Assistant Professor Luke Armour. Public relations alumnus, Chris Baldwin, founder and principal of True Digital Communications, also serves as a professional advisor for the group.
 
“I’m excited about the future of this community and how this group will evolve as our millennial students graduate and we usher in a new generation,” Moore said.
 
​