The Future is Near

Seal of the United States Department of State. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With graduation now almost exactly a year away it is time to think about what is to come after I graduate. So I figured my last post would be about what my future holds and the long and exciting road I have ahead of me next May.

As of right now I am a Public Relations major with a minor in criminal justice and mass communication. I am currently employed by the Department of Justice at the US Attorney’s Office. I truly do love my job and working for the federal government.

I have always been interested in government whether it is my political rants or just an interest in how everything works behind the scenes. I have always been very involved with politics and networking with people within the system.

With that being said I am so proud to announce that upon graduation next May I will be working for the Department of State for the United States. I will be specializing in Foreign Services for the United States Embassy and becoming a US Diplomat.

Words cannot describe how excited I am. This is truly my dream job. I will be traveling the world and working at different US Embassies all around the globe. This job already is my pride and joy and I haven’t even started yet.

However this opportunity did not come easy. It took a lot of hard work and networking to land this position. I had to prove that I was worth the time and wait. I do not like to brag but I simply cannot help it on this matter. I am so beyond excited to see where this job takes me and all the amazing things I will get to experience in my future. This next year of school could not go fast enough. I am so ready to take my oath, sign my name, and board that plane and start this journey.

Chapter 16: Annual Reports, Events & Exhibitions

Chain Link (Photo credit: small world)

This chapter expresses and shows the importance of planning and reports when it comes to executing a great event. Our discussion question dealt with what we thought of the seniors PR projects. I think experiencing it first hand was much more helpful than the book so I am going to write a little bit on why I feel this way.

I am a very hands on learner so simply reading something does not teach me as much as experiencing it first thing. I went to the Swap for a Cause event. I thought this event was great for many reasons. One of which I got to donate all my clothes that were just taking up space in my closet. The second was because it was raising awareness to a horrible event that happens daily just down the road in St. Louis. St. Louis is one of the top human trafficking states in the country. Most people don’t know that and are shocked when they find out. This really hits home with everyone who lives near St. Louis so this event did a great job raising awareness for this area and offering ways we as a society can help.

Swap for a Cause is through The Covering House which houses victims of human trafficking. I work with human trafficking victims a lot in my work with the US Attorney’s Office. It is a sad and horrible thing that needs to be brought to an end and these seniors did a great job in helping make sure that goal is reached.

A lot of planning and organizing went into making this event a success and I think their organizational skills really came into play in a positive way.

Chapter 6: Legal Influences on PR Writing

Seal of the United States Department of Justice (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It seems every time you turn your head there is a legal battle somewhere. Working in my field I deal with legal cases daily. I know first hand how important it is to be aware of legal policies and to know what and how to cite things correctly so you do not have to face legal actions.You have to make sure you always give correct credit to the person whom you got your information or content from. You have to constantly be aware of copyright laws otherwise you could make a horrible mistake that could cost you not only your credibility and your job but fines and possible jail time as well. It is not a joking matter when it comes to legal actions. You must always be aware of what you are writing and saying. Especially when you put it on the web where anyone can see.

Moving Time

Moving boxes (Photo credit: Andrea_R)

As the semester end is near, we have slowly began to pack up all of our stuff in our house and started the dreaded process of moving. It is a sad yet happy time in our lives. We have so many memories in the house that we are in now and my roommates and  I will miss each other. It will be weird not living together next year but I know we will  be okay. Packing up everything is the worst part of moving. Unpacking is so much easier because you are excited to be somewhere new and to decorate. However when you are moving home it is not as exciting. Now you have to store all your stuff until August when you move back, sort through and see what stuff is who’s. The whole process is a mess. We did an okay job of keeping everything separated but there are some things mainly kitchen supplies that got all bunched together now we have to sort them and decide who gets what. That is one of the things I am dreading the most is sorting through all of our kitchen items. Another dreaded thing is finding another house. It is not easy pleasing three college girls. We have to find a 3 bedroom  2 bath house with a nice kitchen and preferably decent size rooms. The kitchen and bathrooms are definitely the most important part considering how much time we spend at the table and let’s face it were girls so we spend a lot of time getting ready in the bathroom. We have looked at a few houses but none that have blown us away so the search continues!

Importance of Social Media

This chapter explained the importance of social media and PR professionals having a great knowledge of social media and how to use it professionally. I think in this day and age social media is growing faster than we can learn it. It seems everyday that something new is coming out or is the new trend and in our profession dealing with the public, learning how to communicate via social media is key. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare the options are endless. Knowing how to use all affectively and professionally is a huge skill all PR professionals should possess. With companies moving in the totally digital direction it is becoming undoubtably harder to ignore social media as much as we wish we could. I admit even though I am young and in college I absolutely hate social media. It does nothing but get people in trouble. Now of course it is different from a professional standpoint however I feel it can have the same negative effect.

Image via CrunchBase

It’s Almost Here…

Pool (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As the semester winds down to a close and we start wrapping up all those end of the semester projects no one has started yet, it is that time again. Yes it is almost summer time. Sweet, sweet summer. Although the view of summer has changed over the past few years, as a freshman we looked at summer as freedom, sleeping in late and going out all night. But as I am entering my senior year summer is filled with online classes and a full time job.

Don’t get me wrong I absolutely love my job, but I do miss sleeping in and laying by my pool every day. But as part of the growing up process I have accepted this change.

This summer will consist of many trips back down south so I can start setting my life up for when I graduate next May. I will be house hunting, applying for jobs, revamping my resume, working, taking a ridiculous online IS class, trips to the lake on the weekends and enjoying my  last summer before adulthood.

It is a happy yet scary thought. This is my last summer as a kid technically. Where has the time gone? In one year I will be getting ready to graduate and start my life. It is so scary and exciting.

 

Ch 12: Crisis Messages

Thumbs down icon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I think in today’s time it is almost impossible not offend someone at some point. America has gone from one of the greatest countries to one of the most sensitive. All anyone cares about is what they can say hurt their feelings and try getting a lawsuit out of it. I can honestly say I respect the companies that stay true to their beliefs and stands and maybe gets a little negative publicity more than i do the companies that just go with the trends and change their minds every other day. This country has become so shady especially in PR and advertising. When talking about the different scenarios of negative and positive PR, all I could think of was negative. Very rarely is there good PR these days and if it does exist it never gets into the limelight. Companies now are more afraid of what will be said about them on Twitter than they are about their products.

Snow Day Rant

I know I speak for everyone when I say I was ever so impatiently waiting for SIUE to make the decision to call off Monday’s classes  Sunday night.

SIUE is one of those schools that doesn’t cancel until about 5am of that day. I think this campus forgets it is not a “real school”. SIUE is just a large 4 year community college. Well at least that is how it is viewed in this area. SIUE is a largely based commuter school. No football team, or greek housing, it is hard to look at this school as a real university sometimes.

SIUE posted on their Facebook page that they did not know if they were going to cancel school and that it would later be announced. Well that did not go over with the general public. The post got slammed by over 50 different people in a matter of minutes. All but one person posted something negative. The one person that didn’t post something negative about the school is a student who is known for standing up for the school and playing devil’s advocate, so wasn’t much of a win.

Most of the comments voiced the true frustration of the students. Some were commuters, some were trapped in their driveways, some were parents who would have to find babysitters because their kid’s school was closed, and some were just students who didn’t want to go to class.

It was very entertaining watching all these comments pop up, and people slamming SIUE. Within an hour or so of the virtual beating of the SIUE posts, the school made the wise decision to cancel Monday classes.

I do think that the post had some influence over the school’s decision.

And they made a wise one at that, hope everyone enjoyed their snow day as much as I did.

English: An entry sign at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How do you get your news?

In this chapter one of the points was the different mediums to obtain news.

I think the way our world is going we breathe technology and are lost without it.

I think it is a real shame how dependent our nation is on technology and it shows in the way we consume news.

Most people my age get their news from Facebook or Twitter.. Neither of which are ACTUAL news sites. They are social media sites, used for socializing! It blows my mind how many people use Facebook and Twitter as actually sources for news.

I encourage people to do their own research and don’t just go off what your boyfriend posted as his status because I guarantee your boyfriend doesn’t know what he is talking about.

I think young people especially need to make up for our lack of knowledge due to our obsession with technology.

We need to take a step back and look at other ways to obtain news rather than through the little computer we hold in our hand.

Pick up a news paper, watch some actual news on TV and try to education yourself on current events. Give i

Image via CrunchBase

t a try!

Working World v. Student Life

Seal of the United States Department of Justice (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Only having one year left is not only exciting but terrifying. The thought of never having to go to class again might be one of the greatest thoughts ever.

I have had a “big girl” job for over a year so I know what the working world is like. Working for the US Federal Government has taught me many things about not only the working world but the government as well.

I work Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8-4:30 every week. Only going to school two days a week has its upsides. I would much rather work than go to class for many reasons.

1. I get paid. That is one of the best things about working is the money. I like knowing that I am getting money for doing something I love whether it is sitting in court, watching interviews, working with other agencies such as DEA, ATF, FBI, ICE, CIA, or just doing the discovery paper work for the major cases.

2. I love what I do. I honestly do love my job. It is so exciting and rewarding to work beside the US Attorney and all the agencies that protect this country and represent our government.

3. I like the working world much more than the school world. I don’t have to waste my time doing work that I will never actually use in the real world. Everything I do has a purpose.

4. The benefits. I get paid vacation days and sick days. Plus healthcare, dentistry, and other various benefits. These are something most 21 year olds have never even heard of.

I know I have the rest of my life to work but honestly if this is what I have to look forward to the rest of my life, bring it on!