Written by: Tatiana Ilunga
Danielle achieved her APR designation in 2010 and has since been a visible proponent of the program. She has been a great advocate for the APR designation, often vouching for qualified applicants to cull them into the family of APR designates. As CPRS Toronto’s Accreditation Chair, Danielle demonstrated an authentic belief that accreditation was an important step toward enhancing the profession of public relations as a whole and she imparted this upon her 2018-2019 cohort.
The job of Accreditation Chair goes beyond organizing meetings and providing resources. It also includes hours of marking numerous test exams, reviewing work samples and crafting questions to guide study sessions on topics such as ethics, media relations, social media and stakeholder relations, to name a few.
Danielle is an advocate for volunteering in a field of interest to learn the ropes on that industry. Her journey began with a short conversation with a CPRS member who encouraged and invited her to her first board meeting where she appreciated the energy of the people and how inclusive the team was. She acknowledges that volunteering gave her experience that wasn’t always available in her other positions and it opened up a network that allowed her to get referrals for certain jobs.
Danielle mentions that volunteering should not interfere with your fulltime job. It is important to inform your organization about your personal involvement and how you propose to be most efficient at work in order to keep your employer pleased too. CPRS has a number of individuals connected in any formal discipline you might be interested in from government to non-profits that can point you in the right direction.
Advice to students and recent graduates:
“You are a novice to the field of public relations, for which volunteering brings an opportunity to show potential employers that you have dedication and perspective on the industry you are interested in. Even though you are not earning from it, you are learning the real-time issues and how to handle them alongside building relationships that will give you benefit in the future.”
In closing, Danielle states you get what you put in and also the opportunity to make friends who can guide you on your career path too. Choose organizations and industries that interest you and start building from there.
Learn more about the annual ACE Awards program and submission requirements.