My journey to public relations began back in 2010. At the time, I was a pre-business

management major and didn’t even have the slightest clue as to what PR was. I was taking all of

the prerequisite classes and was planning on having my concentration be in marketing. As the

semester came to an end and it came time for me to apply, something didn't feel quite right.

I sat down with a marketing advisor and told her about myself, my goals, my strengths

and my weaknesses. I told her about the dilemma with which I currently found myself in. I liked

marketing, but it didn't "complete" me. As I finished talking, her response actually surprised me.

She told me that although I would make a great marketer, she encouraged me to check out the

communications department. Then, as they always say, the rest was history.

I feel blessed to be graduating from one of the top 5 PR programs in the nation. I know

that all of my professors were invested in my education and did everything that they could to

help me succeed. I am grateful for all of the support that I have received over the years and

countless advice. If I had to summarize two years of learning, I would say that the PR program

taught me how to: 1) think strategically, 2) think creatively and 3) be true to our university’s

nature, “enter to learn, go forth to serve.”

The public relations program has taught me how to think strategically. In COMMS 235:

Introduction to Public Relations, and in every class since then, I was taught the matrix. An

essential part of the PR program’s curriculum, the 8-Step Strategic Communication Planning

Matrix “was designed to direct problem solving analytically, using research to make decisions in

each step of communication planning and implementation.”1 Although I have yet to use the

1 Wilson, L., & Ogden, J. (2014). Strategic communications planning for effective public

relations and marketing. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall Hunt.

matrix in its entirety in the real world, I have used various parts of it in my day to day work. As a

Social Media Associate Producer for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I took an

in-depth look at who it was we were trying to target with our messages on our Facebook pages. I

took our target audience of “youth” and went a step further. I identified their motivating self-

interests, demographics and psychographics, relationship with the Church, opinion leaders and

what objectives they would help us accomplish. As I graduate, I feel confident in being able to

solve any problem that I come across in my career, because of the strategic mindset that I

developed while at BYU.

The public relations program in the School of Communications also taught me how to

think creatively. Recently, PR has gotten a bad rap for not being creative.2 I beg to differ. My

COMMS421: PR Writing and Production and COMMS388: Publication Graphics and

Production classes rewarded my efforts for thinking outside of the box. A specific example of

when I implemented the creativity that I learned while in the program was when I served as

Director of Public Relations for The Internet Keep Safe Coalition (iKeepSafe). iKeepSafe

partnered with the California School Library Association to create award-winning workshops

centered on the six BEaPRO™ pillars of success for online digital citizenship: Balance, Ethics,

Privacy, Relationships, Reputation and Online security. Before contacting school districts, we

needed to come up with a big idea, “a creative, overarching strategy and message that appeals to

all publics.”3 The big idea that we came up with, and that was integrated into our strategies and

2 Creativity In PR 2014: Is The Industry Investing Enough? (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2015. 3 Wilson, L., & Ogden, J. (2014). Strategic communications planning for effective public

relations and marketing. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall Hunt.

messages for the entire workshop program, was “Connect with Confidence.” As I enter the real

world, I feel I am prepared to bring creative ideas to the table.

Lastly, the program has taught me what it means to “enter to learn, go forth to serve.”

One of the main reasons why I believe I chose public relations as my major was that public

relations professionals need to be lifelong learners. I love learning new things. In my opinion,

education shouldn’t end at graduation, but rather, should last your entire life. I am now at the

point of my life where I have entered to learn, and now, it is time for me to go forth and serve.

True happiness and a sense of fulfillment isn’t going to come from a paycheck. If I were to base

my success on that measure alone, I would have become an accountant, a doctor, or a lawyer. In

my opinion, the opportunities that we have to serve our fellowmen are the most gratifying,

rewarding experiences that we can have in our lives.

Four years ago, I had no idea what was involved in public relations. Now, I do. What

would I change about the program? The only thing that I think could be emphasized more is to

have members join the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) even before they

get accepted into the program. My classroom experience, combined with my PRSSA experience,

has opened more doors than I would have ever imagined. Words cannot express how grateful I

am to all of my professors who challenged me, pushed me, encouraged me, taught me, and most

of all, believed in me.