This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Oregon chapter.
Year: Senior
Major: Public Relations and Environmental Studies
Hometown: San Francisco
HCO: What brought you to University of Oregon?
I knew I wanted to be in the journalism school, but I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. I knew that I wanted to represent people and I knew that I wanted to work in environmental, so I decided to double major in Pre-Journalism and Environmental Studies. I went into a guidance counselor my sophomore year and had her lay everything out for me and I soon discovered that Public Relations was where I needed to be.
HCO: What organizations at the UO have you been involve in?
Oh boy, where to start! I reported for DuckTV for three years, filmed for Envision magazine for a while, and even coded with UOHACK for a few terms. I also have been a part of UO PRSSA. The journalism school is such a great place to try new things, so I figured why not test the waters!
HCO: How did you get involved in UO PRSSA?
I went to my first meeting at the end of my sophomore year and then junior year started going every week and grew into a position there. I remember the first time I walked into PRSSA and it was the most welcoming environment I had ever been in. My very first week I was put on a team to write a press release for a real client. I think that hands-on experience I initially received really is what drove my passion for PR and has lead me to where I am today. Applying to be on the Executive Board for a VP position was one of the best decisions I have made. I have met so many wonderful people who have helped me grow and realize that there are other people out there who are in Allen Hall on a Friday night frantically applying for jobs because they are looking ahead. Overall my experience with PRSSA has been one that I have loved every second of.
HCO: What has been one of your biggest accomplishments throughout your 4 years at UO?
This past term I took Campaigns. My group kind of took a different approach and we worked for a grassroots movement that wasn’t really a movement, it was a landscape architect student who was trying to get his thesis approved by the city to try and improve on green re-designs in alleyways of Eugene. Starting from scratch, there is nothing more rewarding that I have done in those ten weeks. We started with 100 people who knew about the campaign when it first started and we soon got over 1000 likes on our Facebook page. We got 9 local businesses to pledge our support, I got to speak at City Council, all of the campus publications and some of the local new stations were interested in writing an article about our campaign. We ended up getting three separate articles in the Registrar Guard that was a 4 page spread, which is every PR person’s dream. You couldn’t ask for a better campaign for a great cause, it was so rewarding.
HCO: How have you grown to the place that you are today as a student and as a professional?
As a kid, I moved around a lot. I was never the smartest kid, or the fastest kid, or the prettiest kid, I was never the something-est kid. It took be a long time to realize that I could be the hardest-working kid though because that was something in my reach. Getting to where I am now and knowing that I wasn’t the best-est kid but that I am the hardest-working kid, is something that I am proud of. For a really long time I thought it was a flaw that I had to work hard, but now looking back I realized that it has made me such a stronger writer as a student and professional for instance. I am where I am today because of my passion, drive and dedication to work hard.
HCO: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I see myself in a big city like San Francisco or Washington D.C., having transitioned from agency work to doing in-house PR for a non-profit or environmental organization. I may even have my masters by then! Don’t get me wrong, I love social media, but I want to do more than just tweet for a career – I want to make a difference.
HCO: What will you miss most about Eugene?
So much! For awhile I wanted to get out of Eugene, but now that graduation is so close, I’m feeling nostalgic. I’m going to miss Allen Hall. I am going to miss the Startbucks baristas knowing my order. I am going to miss all the growler stations nearby. I’m going to miss the football. I am going to miss being able to walk or drive anywhere within minutes. But what I am going to miss most is the people. The friends and professors that all challenged me to grow these past four years. I am going to miss it all.
