Name: Carly Holland
Class: Senior
Major: Communications, Public Relations with a minor in Marketing
Hometown: Hendersonville, N.C.
Q: What is your position on PRSSA’s executive team and what are your duties?
A: I am the co-president with Alex Franzen. We oversee and direct the general club societal functions such as leading our bi-monthly meetings, coordinating speakers and planning chapter events. Next semester we will be working on rebranding our chapter and touring firms in North Carolina.
Q: How did you first get involved with PRSSA?
A: I came to a meeting as a freshman out of curiosity and I remember our adviser Dr. McCorkindale saying that if you are a PR major, you need to be a part of PRSSA. Looking back four years later, I completely agree with her. From there I became a member and served as secretary on last year’s executive board. I was responsible for organizing the management point system and sending out weekly meeting minutes.
Q: What is the best part about being involved with this organization?
A: My favorite part of being involved with PRSSA is that I get to network on both a professional and social level. Even at the risk of sounding too cheesy, I’ll say that being around people that just “get me” is something that I would not trade for the world. PRSSA is one of the largest pre-professional organizations, and the opportunities for professional development, like the PRSA Job Center and attending National Conference, are invaluable.
Q: After attending the PRSSA National Conference recently, what were some key takeaways from the event?
A: On a personal level, attending the PRSSA National Conference in Philadelphia completely restored my motivation for chasing my career dreams. One of my favorite quotes from a session was from Cassandra Bailey of Slice Communications who said, “Being different is better than being better.” Better is really hard to prove, and being your own person is still important.
Another piece of advice that stuck out to me was that sometimes the most important person in the room is not on stage. Reaching out and taking advantage of every opportunity you are given to put yourself out there can be rewarding.
Q: How does one go about getting involved with PRSSA?
A: We meet every second and fourth Tuesday in Walker Hall, room 102. We also have a Facebook page (facebook.com/AppStatePRSSA) and a Twitter (@AppStatePRSSA) that we use to connect with members. You can also email us at appstateprssa@gmail.com if you are interested in becoming a member to find out more about dues and our membership point system.
Q: What do you plan to do after graduation?
A: I hope to secure an internship with a PR agency. I have learned that while having a solid GPA is great, experience is key in the communication industry. My dream is to do event planning with beauty, fashion, and lifestyles PR.