>> For incoming Freshmen, or students in general, who are looking to enter PR,
I would definitely say don't be afraid to get involved on campus.
You know, there's a lot of different organizations that can kind
of point you in the right direction.
Networking-- huge.
I don't know how much that's being pushed now as opposed to when I was in school,
but that was a relatively newer concepts for students to be networking, but it's just as much
who you kind of know as what you know.
And they're not, you know, mutually exclusive, it's not only if you know someone you're going
to get into the industry, but I certainly think that even
with professors, it's a very small world.
People know people everywhere, and we're living in a world of LinkedIn
where you can make connections literally with the click of a button.
So if you're at a networking event, or you're out somewhere and you meet someone
and you have someone's business card, make that like extra step connection.
Send that thank-you card when you go on interviews.
I also think it's very important, not only in school,
but even in your career to be super proactive.
We see that the interns that really make an impression at Peppercrom [assumed spelling]
and at the firm that I was at previously, Jeanine Gordon Associates,
are those who are super proactive, who can anticipate their manager's needs,
who are willing to volunteer for things, and veer a little bit outside their comfort zone.
The internships are a learning process, so use it for that.
You're going to make mistakes.
Don't not take on assignments because you're afraid that you're not going to be able
to do them 100 percent correct the first time around.
Find a mentor.
Find someone who can point you in the right direction, who you can go to for advice,
when you get that first internship offer or job offer.
You know, go to someone and talk about it.
What are the pros and cons?
Is this something I really want to do?
Is this going to bring me where I want to be in the future?
And then I would say never stop learning.
Don't just do things that are in the classroom.
Take it upon yourself to look at other sources, to just keep learning.
I mean, even for myself now, I've been out of school for a couple of years,
but because the industry for PR and communication and marketing
in general is changing so rapidly, you become outdated
if you don't take it upon yourself to kind of take the next step.
So that I'd definitely advise, to network, take it into your own hands.
I mean, if you want to make something happen do it, and just keep learning.