Cassie Kaawaloa
This year I made my way to the Midwest for the first time with my fresh new business cards, comfiest slacks and two of my fellow executive board members for the 2016 PRSSA National Conference in Indianapolis, IN. This year’s national conference offered four days of networking, learning opportunities, free swag and Indy’s crisp fall weather.
This wasn’t my first time at the tracks, though, as I attended the 2015 National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia with our chapter’s former president. While I had such a great time at both conferences, this year was a way better experience for me than last year’s in a few ways.
It’s not you, Atlanta; it’s me.
This year I was definitely more prepared. Last year I had never been to any kind of conference or professional event before and had no idea what to expect. Padfolios? Business cards? Not this girl. I just wanted to take advantage of what sounded like the best opportunity to learn about public relations outside of the classroom since I didn’t have any experience yet, and granted that’s what I got; quality words of advice from thought leaders from all over the industry. I just wasn’t ready to capitalize on that opportunity.
Which brings me to experience, now I have some! I’ve since completed an internship and started learning and practicing public relations work. I now bring that experience to the table and I’m able to interpret the speakers’ advice and reflect on my own work. Now as I’ve started to realize where my strengths and interests lie, I can use the tools learned at conference to expand those; and on the other side, reflect on my weaknesses.
Confidence is key. In a room full of students looking for opportunity just like you, why would anyone look at you twice?
Here’s why: because you are you! Dr. Seuss had it right. Everyone brings something different to the table, and it took me a while to realize that every single thing about myself made me different, and could make me stand out. It’s about recognizing those traits and using them to your advantage and bringing those advantages to the table. Last spring, our amazing career adviser Nicole Vargas spoke to one of my classes and asked, “What’s your brand?”, to which I responded with a hearty “IDK”. Now, though I’m still figuring it out, I’ve got an idea.
To be honest, it’s impossible to compare this year to last year’s conference. In Atlanta, we were surrounded by huge industries like Coca-Cola! In Indianapolis, one of our keynote speakers was an astronaut from NASA and Vera Bradley’s PR rep taught me more about rebranding than I’ve ever considered! #PRSSANC16 was just a little easier to digest, and I can chalk that up to my personal growth and professional development gained at PRSSA. I can also thank PRSSA for introducing me to one of the most beautiful, clean and relaxing cities I’ve ever visited.
#LoveIndy
This year I made my way to the Midwest for the first time with my fresh new business cards, comfiest slacks and two of my fellow executive board members for the 2016 PRSSA National Conference in Indianapolis, IN. This year’s national conference offered four days of networking, learning opportunities, free swag and Indy’s crisp fall weather.
This wasn’t my first time at the tracks, though, as I attended the 2015 National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia with our chapter’s former president. While I had such a great time at both conferences, this year was a way better experience for me than last year’s in a few ways.
It’s not you, Atlanta; it’s me.
This year I was definitely more prepared. Last year I had never been to any kind of conference or professional event before and had no idea what to expect. Padfolios? Business cards? Not this girl. I just wanted to take advantage of what sounded like the best opportunity to learn about public relations outside of the classroom since I didn’t have any experience yet, and granted that’s what I got; quality words of advice from thought leaders from all over the industry. I just wasn’t ready to capitalize on that opportunity.
Which brings me to experience, now I have some! I’ve since completed an internship and started learning and practicing public relations work. I now bring that experience to the table and I’m able to interpret the speakers’ advice and reflect on my own work. Now as I’ve started to realize where my strengths and interests lie, I can use the tools learned at conference to expand those; and on the other side, reflect on my weaknesses.
Confidence is key. In a room full of students looking for opportunity just like you, why would anyone look at you twice?
Here’s why: because you are you! Dr. Seuss had it right. Everyone brings something different to the table, and it took me a while to realize that every single thing about myself made me different, and could make me stand out. It’s about recognizing those traits and using them to your advantage and bringing those advantages to the table. Last spring, our amazing career adviser Nicole Vargas spoke to one of my classes and asked, “What’s your brand?”, to which I responded with a hearty “IDK”. Now, though I’m still figuring it out, I’ve got an idea.
To be honest, it’s impossible to compare this year to last year’s conference. In Atlanta, we were surrounded by huge industries like Coca-Cola! In Indianapolis, one of our keynote speakers was an astronaut from NASA and Vera Bradley’s PR rep taught me more about rebranding than I’ve ever considered! #PRSSANC16 was just a little easier to digest, and I can chalk that up to my personal growth and professional development gained at PRSSA. I can also thank PRSSA for introducing me to one of the most beautiful, clean and relaxing cities I’ve ever visited.
#LoveIndy
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