NEW PERSPECTIVES

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Student Steering Committee Profile: Matthew Palmer
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Meet your 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee!

Over the next few months, we will be posting profiles of CPRS Toronto’s 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee Student Representatives. Stay tuned for more!

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Matthew Palmer, Student Rep
Humber College, Public Relations Diploma

This is my first year being a part of CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee representing Humber College. I am incredibly excited to work with the many driven Public Relations students and professionals that are a part of CPRS.

Where are you from?
I am born and raised in Burlington, Ontario!

What are you most excited for this year?
I am actually really excited about everything to do with CPRS this year. Networking with my peers and professional in the industry is an amazing opportunity that I hope to extend to my classmates as well!

Have you interned anywhere?
I volunteered with the communications and public relations teams with Fan Expo HQ Canada. Learning about what goes on behind the scenes at Toronto Comicon and Fan Expo Toronto was an eye opener and I gained a lot from the experience.

What is your dream job?
I am really into sports, so working for an organization like the MLSE would be a perfect balance between my interest and my job.

What do you do outside of school?
I balance a part time job with school and being a part of the CPRS Student Steering Committee. Outside of that I loving playing pool with my friends.

Tell us something random about yourself
I have a healthy obsession with loose leaf tea, especially from DavidsTea. I have about 30 different kinds of tea at home and try to find interesting flavour combinations with them.

Find Matthew on:

Twitter: @Matt_Palms
LinkedIn

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ACE Awards recognition enhancing the public relations industry
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This blog post was written by Charzie Abendanio, a third-year student at the Humber College bachelor of public relations program and Vice President of CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee. 

 

With the 2015 ACE Awards around the corner, many people are looking back on the past year and evaluating their work. A campaign’s success is measured by its objectives, a client’s overall satisfaction with the execution and how it affects the bottom line. The time that public relations practitioners dedicate to their work and the effort they put in off the clock can be lengthy and demanding. However, the recognition from our peers for creating a program that is truly in line with public sentiment justifies all of that stress and sweat. Awards programs like CPRS Toronto’s ACE Awards complement client satisfaction with acknowledgement from our peers for all of the behind-the-scenes work which doesn’t show on the bottom line.

In many ways, it is imperative to have award programs that recognize excellence in the practice of public relations as a profession.

Advancing the practice of public relations
Professional associations all over the world reward their members and colleagues for their contributions to their field. Why not public relations as well? Public relations professionals who do the same show the public that PR efforts are something to be recognized and awarded. If we as PR practitioners do not show appreciation for our fellow communicators’ work it threatens to stunt the growth and innovation that recognition encourages.  An awards program encourages clients’ trust in us as practitioners and underlines our necessity in a marketplace that is crowded with multidisciplinary approaches to marketing communications.

Measurement and the bottom line
Running parallel to the qualitative evaluation of tactical and strategic knowledge, CPRS Toronto’s ACE Awards place equal value on the quantitative measurement of a campaign. Measurable goals show how well a campaign tracks back to the bottom line. SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goals should be incorporated into all campaigns. Without measurement, public relations practitioners cannot show the correlation between their work and bottom line success. To identify PR as a vital component to an organization’s business plan, sometimes you have to get down to the numbers.

Encouraging the next generation
Awareness of the public relations industry has spread and some post-graduate programs receive applications in the thousands. When students have proved that they have the foundation of budding professionalism, they need to be encouraged. Recognition from the professionals that they aspire to be is the motivation that many students need. Acknowledging budding talent justifies the unpaid volunteer work and long class hours that dedicated students commit to in an effort to separate themselves from the pack. An early introduction to the importance of evaluating one’s work is important to foster the growth of the next generation of young professionals.

 

Look back on 2014 and ask yourself what work you are most proud of. Can your work teach someone a new skill or would you like to improve your public relations tool kit? The CPRS Toronto ACE Awards are a vehicle for professional advancement to make you a better practitioner and a more well-rounded professional.

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ACE Awards recognition enhancing the public relations industry
1920 1281 Admin

This blog post was written by Charzie Abendanio, a third-year student at the Humber College bachelor of public relations program and Vice President of CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee. 

 

With the 2015 ACE Awards around the corner, many people are looking back on the past year and evaluating their work. A campaign’s success is measured by its objectives, a client’s overall satisfaction with the execution and how it affects the bottom line. The time that public relations practitioners dedicate to their work and the effort they put in off the clock can be lengthy and demanding. However, the recognition from our peers for creating a program that is truly in line with public sentiment justifies all of that stress and sweat. Awards programs like CPRS Toronto’s ACE Awards complement client satisfaction with acknowledgement from our peers for all of the behind-the-scenes work which doesn’t show on the bottom line.

In many ways, it is imperative to have award programs that recognize excellence in the practice of public relations as a profession.

Advancing the practice of public relations
Professional associations all over the world reward their members and colleagues for their contributions to their field. Why not public relations as well? Public relations professionals who do the same show the public that PR efforts are something to be recognized and awarded. If we as PR practitioners do not show appreciation for our fellow communicators’ work it threatens to stunt the growth and innovation that recognition encourages.  An awards program encourages clients’ trust in us as practitioners and underlines our necessity in a marketplace that is crowded with multidisciplinary approaches to marketing communications.

Measurement and the bottom line
Running parallel to the qualitative evaluation of tactical and strategic knowledge, CPRS Toronto’s ACE Awards place equal value on the quantitative measurement of a campaign. Measurable goals show how well a campaign tracks back to the bottom line. SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goals should be incorporated into all campaigns. Without measurement, public relations practitioners cannot show the correlation between their work and bottom line success. To identify PR as a vital component to an organization’s business plan, sometimes you have to get down to the numbers.

Encouraging the next generation
Awareness of the public relations industry has spread and some post-graduate programs receive applications in the thousands. When students have proved that they have the foundation of budding professionalism, they need to be encouraged. Recognition from the professionals that they aspire to be is the motivation that many students need. Acknowledging budding talent justifies the unpaid volunteer work and long class hours that dedicated students commit to in an effort to separate themselves from the pack. An early introduction to the importance of evaluating one’s work is important to foster the growth of the next generation of young professionals.

 

Look back on 2014 and ask yourself what work you are most proud of. Can your work teach someone a new skill or would you like to improve your public relations tool kit? The CPRS Toronto ACE Awards are a vehicle for professional advancement to make you a better practitioner and a more well-rounded professional.

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Focus on Royal LePage president and CEO Phil Soper: An Effective Leader with Words and Actions
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CEO award of excellence in public relations_edited-1The old adage, “actions speak louder than words” may be true in certain circumstances, but words are required in today’s society to create connection and understanding. The spoken word can be used to lead and influence action.

Communication through active listening, authenticity, humble confidence and connection is one of the most effective leadership tools. Without a clear message, even the best cause or idea would go unnoticed, or worse; obtain a negative or incorrect connotation.

As we near the luncheon to honour this year’s recipient of the CPRS Toronto CEO of the Year Award in Public Relations, it is interesting to see how effective communications has helped create positive results throughout history.

Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafazi, Eric “Astro” Teller, and Jack Welch. These names represent people who have caused incredible positive changes throughout the world. Change is a process that can be long and arduous; it takes consistency, passion and effective communication. We must never underestimate the importance of effective communication; it is the common platform where influence, inspiration and unity are built.

Nelson Mandela is known as one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen. He is famous for promoting a message of forgiveness and equality. Mandela actively listened to what was going on around him, which led to his passionate fight against apartheid. Although he was sentenced to life in prison, Mandela continued to put respect and forgiveness above all else. He insisted on having a respectful relationship with prison guards and other prisoners. This practice gave him influence to have them understand his perspective. Ending apartheid was a long and difficult battle, but Mandela never strayed from his key message. He was authentic and humbly confident in his message of forgiveness and equality; his actions spoke as loud as his words.

Malala Yousafazi is a modern symbol of influence. She survived a Taliban assassination attempt, which only fuelled her passion for female education activism. Malala actively speaks out with great energy, authenticity and confidence. Malala has a clear point of view for the cause of freedom and education for all; she is inspirational, focused and articulate. Malala is the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner. At the ceremony, her speech included her powerful statement, “I tell my story, not because it is unique, but because it is not.” Malala is an active listener and builds connection with her audience whether they are survivors in the same fight or not. Building connection is an integral part of effective communication because it helps to create awareness, understanding and further action.

Eric “Astro” Teller is Google’s “Chief of Moonshots” in their Google X division. The Google X division is a team of people who take on the impossible (i.e. moon shots). The inspirational quote, “shoot for the moon because even if you miss you’ll land among the stars” sums up the work performed at Google X. However, when you’re striving to reach the impossible, it can be difficult to stay motivated. Even if you land among the stars from time to time, constantly failing a moon shot will take a toll on motivation. This is where Astro shines as an effective communicator, both internally and externally. As a scientist and entrepreneur, Astro understands the technical aspects of his job, but also has the ability to engage with the general public and be easy to understand. He is able to communicate by telling stories and really connecting with his audience. Astro is authentic as a scientist who believes in his work, and is humbly confident in every shot he takes at the moon.

Jack Welch is known for his track record of success and the way he transformed General Electric (GE) from a $13 billion company into a $525 billion giant. When working to create change in a business or in other areas of life, effective communication is needed to develop understanding and acceptance. Change is a process and it requires everyone involved to believe the change is necessary or relevant. Welch developed new procedures for GE, but he would have experienced resistance before their implementation. Through active listening, Welch understood areas of GE that were under-performing. This process built trust in his humble confidence and enabled GE employees to see Welch as an ally and not someone to resist. Through effective communication, Welch was able to provide an understanding of the direction GE needed to go and acceptance of the new procedures. Without employees to champion and use new procedures or ideas, GE would not have been able to grow.

Communication through active listening, authenticity, humble confidence and connection is one of the most effective leadership tools. Whether you are communicating with one person, a room full of people, or millions in a crowd, the process of effective communication remains the same.

Phil Soper is the recipient of the 2014 CEO Award of Excellence in Public Relations because of his work in defining Royal LePage’s vision and communicating it with impact across Canada. Phil believes in the act of engaging people, active listening, leadership through voluntary engagement, and sharing his insight. If you’re following Phil on Twitter, you already know he has insightful knowledge to share and excellent communication skills. He was an early adopter of social media as a tool to enhance his firm’s effectiveness and communications reach.

Phil believes in his work; home ownership is an incredibly personal and substantial part of many Canadians’ lives. Realtors are helping hundreds of thousands of Canadians to chase their dreams, and Phil knows that improving communications and procedures for realtors will positively impact their clients. Since assuming his current role at the helm of Royal LePage in 2002, the business has more than tripled revenue and doubled agent count. Communications can be a game changer when it’s effective, and Phil has given us another example of authentic, humble confidence being a base for creating connection, understanding and positive change.

Join the Canadian Public Relations Society (Toronto) on Wednesday, January 28, 2015 at noon at the Eaton Chelsea Hotel, 33 Gerrard Street West as the Society honours Phil Soper from Royal LePage as the winner of the 2014 CEO of the Year Award in Public Relations.
For tickets information please click HERE.

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Guest blog: Become a better writer overnight
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Become a better writer overnight: A guide to perfecting media writing

Author: Richard Rotman

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I am almost finished with a book about writing. It’s called “Of, Is and By, a guide to perfecting media writing.” It will help readers become better communicators overnight. Based on my encounters with Humber College students and a lifetime editing copy, it should be finished soon and will be free to Humber students. Here is what it’s about.

Communications writing is different. Learning it is similar to mastering a foreign language but much simpler. Its basic tenets are simplicity, compression, plain language and reading speed. It was developed to save space or time in publications or broadcasts with limited amounts of it. Today, with short attention spans in the video and Twitter age, it’s even more important. It communicates the greatest amount of information in the shortest time.

No one wants to read extensive websites or blogs; Twitter proved this with its wildly successful 140-character limit. Online writing and journalism are primarily information vehicles although there are wonderful practicing writers in the field. Novels are for literature classes and bedtime reading’s sheer pleasure. Academic papers are written for professors who generally know nothing of smooth, lean prose, with few space limitations. Students must write numerous university papers to graduate and believe this confers a degree and an ability to write, which it might for those never intending to work in media’s many branches. On arrival at Humber they are often shocked that much of what was learned about writing at Western, Guelph, Queens and U of T must now be erased.

Become a Better Writer

In a few easy lessons, students of journalism, public relations, marketing and advertising can become better media writers. In fact, if they just master the book’s three watchwords — of, is and by — their writing can improve overnight. Yes, overnight. I mean it. Writing with flair and style can then become your key to career success. It attracts positive attention from supervisors and managers who recommend promotions and salary increases.

You only receive the audience’s attention momentarily; take advantage of that. Shorten, prune, edit, always eliminate unnecessary words: these are time-honoured lessons that the great E.B. White pioneered in the still worthwhile Elements of Style.

How to become a better writer
Improving writing is like the old New York joke, where the tourist asks, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” and the street-smart Brooklynite says, “Practice!” There is no substitute for writing whatever you can, whenever you can. Treat every writing occasion as practice: don’t let emails be less than excellent. They represent you as a brand. Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours rule, as explained in his excellent Outliers, applies. Those who master their craft, from the Beatles playing nine hours a day in Hamburg dives to Bill Gates taking over his prep school’s computer, must do so for at least 10,000 hours. Improving writing is less about mastering forms like the news release, pitch letter or memo and more about specific words and constructions used every day. Good luck. I look forward to your comments about the book even if you are not a #humberpr grad.

 

About the author:

Currently an instructor at Humber College, Richard has worked in journalism and PR in Canada and the U.S. His widely published PR writing includes content in the Globe and Mail, Chicago Tribune, National Post, PR News. Follow his musings on PR and writing here.

You can find him on:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Website

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From start to finish: Centennial College post-grads plan charity events
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Authors: Jessica Chong & Katryna Fernandes

 

Student highlight: Centennial CCPR event class

 

Every year, Centennial post-graduate students must plan a charity event. Groups of four to six students and are given just under two months to plan a charity event with no budget. Add a final grade to the event and the stakes are even higher.

At the Pickering campus the events management course requires students to plan, promote and execute an event. In the Durham region with a smaller population to work with and few local business and facilities, the challenge was fierce. Groups were tasked with raising at least $1,000 for a charity of choice.

 

Centennial event blog

 

Group 1: Pushing for Power

Untitled At one Centennial campus, students were working on the “It’s Time” campaign to raise awareness  for the International Day of People with Disabilities recognizing the power of disabilities. “Pushing  for Power” sought to raise funds and awareness for CAF‘s It’s Time campaign!

Promoted entirely over social media using the Facebook page, Twitter account, and Instagram  (@PushingForPower) the event generated coverage from the Ajax-Pickering Advertiser and Snap’d  Newspaper.

MUMBA, the Markham-Unionville Minor Basketball Association, sponsored the venue and also  provided the trophy, medals for the top three teams and reversible jerseys for players. Starbucks  and Kerry’s Pizza provided refreshments and the wonderful referees, scorekeepers and volunteers  kept the tournament running smoothly.

A total of 14 prizes were raffled, including $350 in gift cards, signed Adam Folker basketball gear,  signed Raptors merchandise donated by MLSE and tickets to the February 2 Raptors game vs. the  Milwaukee Bucks.

Every aspect of the event was sponsored or donated and all funds generated went directly to the

charity. In total $1,779.68 was raised for CAF.

 

Group 2: More than just a Brew

fAt the other Centennial campus, another team organized a coffee and tea tasting event at Aroma Espresso Bar at Bay and Dundas, featuring a guest speaker, live entertainment and sustainable activities centered on coffee culture. The eco-themed event showcased organic Pluck Teas with locally sourced ingredients from Niagara, Muskoka and Prince Edward County.

During the two-hour event, $1,500 was raised. These funds will directly benefit underprivileged children in local neighbourhoods through Evergreen’s children education programs.

 

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Tips for planning your event

1. Sponsorship

 Pound the pavement early

Sponsorship takes time and a personal touch. It was a challenge finding time to visit businesses during the day with class, part-time jobs and group work. Prioritize the time because raffle and auction items can be a big incentive for some guests.

Leverage your personal network

Don’t underestimate your personal connections. One instructor, Chrissy Newton, encouraged students to reach out to contacts in their personal networks. Through a previous internship, we reached out to The Body Shop’s head office which led to an armful of products for a raffle gift basket.

2. Promotions and media relations

Aim for a mix of pre and post-event coverage

Send tailored pitches to key media. I contacted Karen Bliss, the founder of Samaritan Magazine.. While she was unable to attend our event, she offered pre-event coverage. We also reached out to media featuring community events including City Nights, BlogTO and Snapd.

Be optimistic and don’t get discouraged

Reach out to media and influencers, but don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear back. You never know when your cause might resonate with someone. At the very least, they might give you pre-event coverage or a social media mention.

3. On-site at the event

Don’t fret over minor issues

Try to envision your event down to the nitty-gritty details leading up to your event, including raffle signage and assigning someone to take care of the band. Remain cool, calm and collected. The unexpected will happen. At our event, coat racks overflowed, signage didn’t stick well to textured walls. You can’t let the small stuff exacerbate your stress during the event.

Recruit reliable volunteers

I asked a few Centennial peers and my close university friends to help at the event. Find volunteers to help with minor setup and teardown tasks so you can focus on bigger tasks.

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In total, Centennial College teams at the Story Arts Centre and Pickering Campus planned events in support of 16 organizations listed below. What other advice would you give to students planning events through school?

  • Jumpstart
  • Evergreen
  • The Children’s Breakfast Club
  • Interval House
  • Sketch
  • Red Door Family Shelter
  • Variety Village
  • Kids Now
  • Look Good Feel Better
  • Toronto Mental Health Association
  • Greenhope for Children
  • Leave Out Violence (LOVE)
  • Wilkinson Jr. P.S.
  • Canada Cares
  • Feed the Need in Durham
  • The Canadian Abilities Foundation

 

Jessica

Photo 2014-10-15, 5 01 47 PM

Jessica and Katryna are both students in Centennial College’s CCPR program and are student representatives on CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee.

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Event post: Work Hard, Play Hard student pub night social
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On Wednesday, November 19, CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee held its first-ever pub night social. Work Hard, Play Hard invited students and young professionals from around the GTA to join in on a casual night of networking. Students from Centennial, Humber and Seneca were present, as were some young professionals fresh in their careers.

Everyone had a great time and we look forward to hosting another pub night social in the new year!

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A few choice tweets from the night:

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Why I joined CPRS
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Read our first winning submission from the new CPRS Toronto Student Blog Contest!

New topics are posted every two weeks, so be sure to submit your content for your chance to win. The next topic will be announced Saturday, November 22.

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The Best Career Move I’ve Made and Why You Should Do the Same

My fellow soon-to-be industry professionals, I’m about to let you in on a not-so-secret secret of mine: the top 4 reasons I joined CPRS (also known as ‘The Top 4 Reasons Why You Should If You Haven’t Already’ list). So without further ado, here’s why becoming a member was the best career move I’ve made so far:

1.NETWORKING

Let’s get the obvious one on the table first: PR is All. About. Networking. This is rule #1 in the handbook, and for good reason. As individuals not yet employed in the field, being a member is a great way to mingle with those who are. As a student member, you’re given access to the Membership Directory in which hundreds of new contacts are at your fingertips. You are immediately connected with like-minded individuals who share your passion and drive. Basically career gold.

2. VOLUNTEERING

In the very competitive world of PR, internships are the Holy Grail; highly coveted, hard to obtain. So how does one land an internship? It’s no secret that experience helps tremendously. And how does one gain experience? Enter volunteering. Nothing shows commitment to a goal more than offering your time and efforts without being paid. As a student member, you are given priority over non-members in terms of volunteering opportunities, including spending time at the ACE Awards, CEO Award, Annual General Meeting and other fun events. With volunteering, you are able to gain some seriously valuable knowledge, meet some hard-working and intelligent people and add some seriously good things to your resume. Win-win-win.

3. EVENTS

The CPRS Student Steering Committee doesn’t play around when it comes to the events they graciously plan. The exceptional Passport to PR event sold out within 3 hours of registration opening, and guess who got first dibs on their choice of PR agencies and offices to tour? As a student member, you’re always the first to be able to sign up for events like Passport, as well as others. Even before you’re given the first opportunity to register, all student members receive a very considerate reminder email regarding the coming event. Being a member ensures you never miss the signup date for events that may catch your eye.

4. GETTING TO PARTICIPATE IN AWESOME INITIATIVES LIKE THIS BLOG

(This one is arguably the most rewarding) Being able to write for CPRS and have my own personal post featured for my peers to see is definitely an accomplishment, but something I wouldn’t have been able to do before becoming a member. As a recognized student within CPRS, you are given opportunities to succeed in an environment filled with people you respect and look up to that non-members simply don’t have access to. When I first came across CPRS while researching public relations, I never would have guessed my blog post would be read by students just like me, but I’m grateful to say that it is, and there’s absolutely no reason why the next contributor couldn’t be you… or you… or you. Just remember folks: to observe is one thing, but to actively participate is quite another.

So there it is! Waste no more time missing out on the events, networking and opportunities awaiting you. And trust me… the grass is greener on the members’ side.

(Also, to make your life easier: https://www.cprstoronto.com/studentmembershipapplication/)

 

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Cheyenne Freitas is a fourth-year political science and media studies student at the University of Toronto. Find her on:

LinkedIn

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Student Steering Committee Profile: Molly Campbell
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Meet your 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee!

Over the next few months, we will be posting profiles of CPRS Toronto’s 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee Student Representatives. Stay tuned for more!

student blog image-mollycampbell

Molly Campbell, Student Rep
Humber College, Public Relations Postgraduate Certificate

I am thrilled to be a part of the CPRS Student Steering Committee this year as I begin my career in public relations. Having just moved to Toronto to start the Humber College PR Postgraduate Certificate, this committee is a great way to meet fellow PR students, contribute my skills and learn more.

Where are you from?

I am originally from Waterloo, Ontario, but Ottawa was my home for the past six years. I moved to Ottawa to complete my undergraduate degree in journalism at Carleton University. After that I worked for two years at a website development and marketing firm where I still work part-time.

What are you most excited for this year?

I am most excited about meeting people in the industry and learning more about all the amazing opportunities out there in the PR world. Through school, CPRS, internships and volunteering, there are so many ways I’m looking forward to meeting other PR professionals and students.

Have you interned anywhere?

After I completed my degree I got an internship with Carleton University’s Rwanda Initiative. I travelled to Kigali, Rwanda and worked as the assistant editor for an arts and culture magazine called Blink for two months. The experience taught me many lessons about Rwanda’s vibrant culture and helped me build my writing, organization skills and ability to adapt immensely.

What is your dream job?

Although I’m still deciding exactly where I want to go, my goal is to work for a large, international PR agency for clients in the consumer goods industry. I love the idea of working on a variety of projects in a fast-paced and dynamic environment where no two days are the same.

What do you do outside of school?

Outside of school I enjoy running and staying active. I love art, film, music and history and I look forward to travelling more in the future.

Tell us something random about yourself

My first job after my internship in Rwanda was as a Tour Manager at the Haunted Walk of Ottawa, a ghost tour company. Not only did I organize tours and manage guide schedules, I also donned the cape and gave some tours myself!

Find me on:

Twitter: @mollyelle
LinkedIn

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Program post: Loyalist College, post-graduate public relations
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Choose your own adventure: Getting to know the post-graduate public relations program at Loyalist College

Loyalist PR students at the United Way Fundraiser

Loyalist PR students at the United Way Fundraiser

Author: Ben Cowie

The post-graduate public relations program at Loyalist College is a one-year certificate program. Known among students as “Loyalist PR”, the program is designed for recent post-secondary graduates looking for a professional career path to complement their existing education.

“I appreciate that in this program all experiences are viewed as an asset,” says student Kevin Ashbridge. “I get to build on my University of Ottawa degree, pad my current resume, develop new skills and shape them towards a profession that’s both challenging and exciting to me.”

Practical learning

Loyalist PR is all about hands-on, practical learning paired with students’ own individual interests.
“It’s a bit of a ‘choose your own adventure,’” says University of Western Ontario graduate and Loyalist PR student Ben Cowie. “You’re given the autonomy to choose your own topics of research, areas in which to network, and people to meet. We have no tests or exams. All of our learning is applied into the projects we create.”

Students are taught public relations basics, are encouraged to add their individual styles to assignments and learn how to operate multimedia software like Adobe InDesign and Photoshop. They’re also taught the art of developing social media strategies, brand management programs, internal communications plans, non-profit communication campaigns, event coordination, traditional and online writing and much more. At the end of the program these skills are applied by students during a month-long field placement in Ontario, Canada – or anywhere in the world.

Loyalist 3

Making connections

“I approached the program determined to take every opportunity that came my way,” says University of Guelph alumna Katrina White and Loyalist PR graduate 2013/14. “I found the professional association memberships [automatic with registration in the program] particularly useful. IABC and CPRS both hold great events for students.”

“You’ll meet real professionals there to mentor you because they have been in your shoes,” says Queens University graduate and Loyalist PR student Katie Stewart. “The College has connections in so many different industries. Our writing professor worked for the OHL and our program coordinator worked for the RCMP. We have health care connections, graduates who work at places like TIFF, the Ottawa Senators and Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto. The list goes on and on.”

The Loyalist PR program uses industry connections to benefit students on a daily basis and has many networking events throughout the year. In October the class takes a trip to Toronto, while speed networking, professional panels and micro-networking sessions take place regularly.

“Our network of employers and industry partners is growing each year,” says Kerry Ramsay, Loyalist College Professor and post-graduate public relations Program Coordinator. “It is especially rewarding to see so many of our alumni who are now working in the field become brand ambassadors for the program, and mentors for our current students.”

“I never realized just how vast the PR industry is,” says Ben. “It’s encouraging to know there are so many opportunities out there.”

Loyalist PR's social media team is partnering with the Belleville Firefighters' annual Christmas toy drive

Loyalist PR’s social media team is partnering with the Belleville Firefighters’ annual Christmas toy drive

Affordable lifestyle

Loyalist College is located in Belleville, Ontario where students quickly learn benefits of studying in a smaller city setting.

“For me, feeling like a person and not just a number goes a long way towards making me feel valued,” says Ben. “Loyalist PR this year has a class size of 25. We learn what it’s like to work as a team, to support and learn from one another. We are living in a microcosm of the actual PR work environment.”

Belleville is a strategic location for students; its campus located less than an hour’s drive from Kingston and Oshawa. Toronto is only two hours away and is readily accessible by VIA Rail, the 401 and major bus lines.

“Loyalist is a huge part of the Belleville community, and it feels great going to a school so locally involved,” says Julia Vriend, Queens University graduate and student of the program. “Loyalist students are actively involved in partnering with local businesses and charities. It’s nice feeling like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself – like our involvement with the United Way of Quinte and the Belleville Firefighters Toy Drive. We get opportunities to work on real fundraisers for school credit and the community’s benefit.”

 

Ben_cowie
Ben Cowie is a student in Loyalist College’s post-graduate public relations program. Find him on:

Twitter: @B9ers
LinkedIn

Have questions about the post-graduate public relations program at Loyalist College? Interested in becoming a student for the day? Please contact Kerry Ramsay, Professor and Program Coordinator at kramsay@loyalistc.on.ca or visit www.loyalistpr.com.

 

**We are always looking for student submissions! If you would like to contribute to the new student blog, please email Arden at cprsstudents@gmail.com.

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