Written by: Laik Sweeny, Internal Vice President, Student Steering Committee
Arefeh Ghane, the 2020 Student Steering Committee President and fourth-year student in Humber College’s Bachelor of Public Relations program is a leader in every capacity. Her work ethic allows her to lead this year’s Student Steering Committee through the new virtual event space, engaging students in her passion for PR.
*Responses have been edited for clarity
Tell me a little about yourself and your journey to choosing PR.
I graduated from Fitness and Health Promotion at Fanshawe College in 2016. From there, I worked at
Goodlife in their head office for their membership call center. If members had any type of issues, I would
be on the other line answering those questions. One of my favourite things was to look at [customers’]
social media, and solve member issues from there. I brought up the idea of moving to the social media
team, but in order to move there, you needed at least a certificate in public relations.
So, I had applied to the one-year Fanshawe program and then had the ability to apply for others. I had a friend who said that Humber had the best program, so I also applied to the Humber bachelor and two-year diploma. I honestly wasn’t even thinking I was going to accept the bachelor’s program because English was not my greatest strength in high school, so when I was accepted I said, at least it’s a degree and if I’m not a fan I’ll just drop down to the diploma. But, I’m so glad I chose to stay in the bachelor’s program because I’m really enjoying everything I’ve been learning and the opportunities it’s brought me. But, it’s such a drastic difference between what I went to school for and what I’m doing now.
How have your past experiences helped you with your internship now and your role as the SSC president?
I would say that many of my past experiences, even going back to high school experiences, have always
been in leadership positions. I had a high school class called Leadership where we planned all the events
like semi-formals or the Christmas assembly every year. Every year we would have a Black History month
event that I helped plan with the school board and our students and teachers against racism group, so we
would plan out how to teach elementary school students about diversity, inclusion and equity.
So, what I do now has always been ingrained in what I’ve been doing throughout my life. Being a president in a leadership role has always been something that I’ve been used to, but it’s definitely allowed me to
continue to be able to take on new things that I’m “scared” of. So, being the president of the SSC is just
another thing where I don’t know if I can do this, but I’m going to have a grand old time doing it anyway.
What has been the most valuable part of your role as president so far?
I would say the most valuable part would be actually building the committee team and being able to meet
with so many different students across the GTA. It was really great to be able to learn about what they do,
why they got into PR, and what it is they love so much about the industry. Being on the committee has also allowed me to see how all the other committee members do things and learn from them as well. So, I always take everything as a learning opportunity.
How do you see being president of the SSC helping you in the future?
I would say that it’s definitely helping me hone my leadership skills because this is an actual industry
role. I would also say that because it’s with CPRS, and it’s such a respected organization within the PR
industry, seeing that on a resume is definitely something that’s going to help in everyone’s career. Even if
you’re just a part of CPRS as a volunteer and not in a leadership position, it’s definitely something that
will allow us to continue to build our network, promote the industry, but then also execute change that is
important to the growth of the PR industry.
Where do you see your PR career heading?
In my dreams, I see it heading to a very executive, high-up level. I’m speaking it into existence now
because the title CEO sounds fantastic, and you always just aim for the top. I kind of just see myself being
a thought-leader of the industry, hopefully, and just being someone that people can look to and come to
for advice. Someone that is able to give things back to the industry. I’ve always wanted to be that kind of
person, where yes, I’m getting something out of this, but what is it that I can do in return. It’s kind of hard
to tell the future, but CEO sounds great.
What’s your biggest piece of advice for students hoping to enter the industry?
If you’re thinking about coming into PR, definitely do it. There are so many sectors, it’s not just social
media, it’s not just influencers, and there are so many industries that require it that it will never get boring.
It’s always changing, there are always new things. It’s funny because yesterday my boyfriend said if social
media were to ever end, what happens to your job? I said, nothing. My job keeps going because social
media was just something that was added on, and PR has been around for ages. It’s just so interesting and
exciting to see how it continuously evolves, and what there is for everyone to be able to do. You
continuously learn, and there are so many amazing people in the industry. So, if you’re thinking about it, I
highly recommend it.