This fall, I started my new position as Vice President of LMU’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). As VP of this chapter, I work with the other e-board members to plan professional workshops, networking mixers, and chapter meetings. All of these events aim to ready our members for the workforce post-graduation, and I am proud of my organization for meeting this goal with all of our programming.
PRSSA attained a lot of success this year, which was heavily reflected in the two networking mixers we executed. Our fall event was called “PR Unplugged: LMU PRSSA’s 3rd Annual Fall Networking Mixer with L.A. PR Professionals,” and our spring event was entitled “Talk Entertainment To Me! Pt. 2: A Panel Discussion with Entertainment Industry Professionals.”
At the fall mixer, our panel included representatives from Weber Shandwick, Nike, MML PR, and American Golf Corporation. In addition, the former Oakland Athletics PR Assistant and an independent sports management consultant completed the lineup. This networking event included a vast array of sports, fashion, and corporate PR/communications professionals, which was great for our members and the broader LMU community. Since PRSSA mixers are open to everyone, we saw a large turnout from the student body and faculty. In addition, this event was an important place to network and find professional opportunities. Some students landed internships from the connections they made at our mixer, which was incredibly rewarding for PRSSA’s e-board. Seeing that our efforts had a positive impact absolutely made all of our work worth it.
“Talk Entertainment To Me!” was the theme of LMU PRSSA’s mixer from 2014, and we decided to keep this title when planning our spring event. Since the first installment of “Talk Entertainment To Me!” was highly successful, it seemed like the perfect name for our entertainment PR-centric panel discussion. The lineup included professionals from PMK*BNC, Time Inc., The Celebrity Source, and ROBERTS&Company, Marketing, Inc. Since LMU is located in Los Angeles, the heart of the entertainment industry, we wanted to give the university community exposure to this field. Similar to the fall mixer, this event had a fantastic turnout, and I am grateful for the support we saw from all attendees.
Overall, I feel very proud of LMU’s PRSSA chapter. Our e-board came together to ensure the success of these events, and everyone’s efforts definitely paid off. In my upcoming years at LMU, I look forward to more PRSSA networking mixers, and I am eager to see which professionals we bring to campus.
As I move into my junior year and closer to entering the ‘real world,’ I am grateful for my experiences in PRSSA thus far. I am thankful for the camaraderie I have gained, the connections I have made, and professional skills I have learned. Here’s to two more years in this great organization!