PR Students New Year's Resolutions

Sabrina Anticliff

This New Years, I have resolved to take in PR with open arms! I am a Graphic Design Major and ended up taking Adrienne Wallace's CAP 220 class to fulfill my SWS requirements (knowing that, as a designer, I would likely be working with PR pros). I was curious about what seemed like another world, and found out I love it!

My PR resolution entails declaring Advertising and Public Relations as a minor and then working my bootie off to take all of the required credits (and keep on track with my Graphic Design program) so at the end of the semester in the fall of 2018 I can graduate! I want to keep pursuing and pushing myself to expand my horizons and this is definitely one way to do so.

Last year was my third year in college, and first at Grand Valley. I made the Dean’s List at GRCC and GVSU and am working on making that a reality this year as well... I guess another thing to resolve in the better part of 2017.

Sarah Pontbriand

As a college student, my past New Year’s resolutions seem to have always been along the same lines of self-betterment: to work out everyday, eat healthier, work harder in school, start a habit of waking up early, etc. This coming year, those still stand but they’ve become more important. I am currently in my third year of college, studying Ad & PR, with an emphasis in PR. There is a lot of competition in this field, and it is becoming more evident that if I don’t put myself in a position to succeed now, it will not be worth it. A huge desire that I think most people have is to build a life for themselves that they are happy in. My New Year’s resolution is to build that life. I am determined to network more, use the many resources on campus to create the best outcome of assignments, ensure that my work is at it’s best so that I can use it in my future, jump on opportunities, and put my utmost effort into everything that I do. Not only would doing more of these things help me set myself apart from the competition of my colleagues, but also the reward of going to bed knowing that you’ve worked hard is priceless. Sometimes it is really a struggle to remain focused on the end goal, but I think if I keep in mind that one day I will look back and be so proud of myself for staying on track and doing my best, I will get my dream job and build that life.  

Chantal Shaw

Call me basic, but the holidays are always my favorite time of the year. It’s a time where we get to reflect on what we are grateful for and what matters most in life. Or in this case, it’s a time where we get to look back on 2016, realize what we did wrong, and plan accordingly to do better for 2017. So with this in mind, my New Year's resolution this year is a simple one: to get my life together.

Okay, bear with me because that sounds extremely broad and dramatic. But with graduation right around in the corner that seems to be the phrase that is constantly circulating through my mind. So maybe this is an unrealistic resolution because who at this age really has it all together? But with the weight of my future currently resting on my shoulders, I’m ready to give it everything I got to make this an awesome year. Now’s the time to get it together because pretty soon I’ll be leaving the perfect college bubble and heading out into the real world as (hopefully) a public relations professional. So this coming year, I aim to be more organized, driven, and proactive. I aim to work hard in school while I still can, graduate, and land a job in the field that I love. As a new PR pro, I aim to be more creative, communicate more effectively, and work my butt off. Here I come 2017!

Kelly Carmien

As 2016 comes to an end and the New Year approaches, it is the perfect opportunity to start setting goals and making changes for the better. I personally, have made it a priority to write down my New Year’s resolutions in hopes that they will become a constant visual reminder to help me stick to my PR goals throughout the Winter Semester.

Become a better Writer

 As PR majors, we all know how crucial writing is in order to excel at our career. That is why I am making it a point to write more than just papers for class; I am going to start writing what I read in the news and voicing my opinion in blog form. I intend to make writing easier and easier task for me as I continue to do it more.

Network whenever possible

 I can’t tell you how many times I have heard from Professors, Speakers, PR professionals themselves, and other students:”Networking is KEY!” I really want to start meeting people, adding them on social media platforms, and keeping in contact with professionals that are in the area that could possibly help me out now or in the future. I always seem to be attending the speaker events, but hardly ever do I take the imitative to go up and introduce myself afterwards. I think networking plays an important role, especially in the PR world, you really have to know people to help you get where you want to go.

Nail an Internship for the Summer

As the Winter Semester is approaching, the more crucial it is becoming to search for internships for the Summer of 2017. I have made it a goal to apply for at least one internship a week in hopes that I land one, and one that I can actually learn and grow from. Students that are looking for a summer internship, these next few months is the time to start applying!

Become more Social Media savvy

As a PR professional, we all know the importance of being digital and social media savvy. No, I am not talking about knowing how to post a picture to Facebook or to tweet, but really understanding how much you can do with social media for a client. I want to aim to understand the analytics, what sort of content you should post on certain platforms, how to increase audience engagement and so on. Social Media for clients really is dependent on a PR professional, and that is why I want to start learning more about the aspects of social media for PR.

Stay ahead of the Game

Lastly, but most importantly, I want to do everything in my power to keep up with the fast pace of the PR world. If that means waking up and going straight to the PRDaily website or starting to read the local & national news, I will do it. I think the only way I will start seeing a successful future with PR is if I am aware of everything I can be.

If I write consistently, network, get an internship, and become more intelligent with social media, I truly believe I will start seeing the pieces of this puzzle come together for me. I hope some of my resolutions as a PR major will help and offer advice to you all as 2017 is right around the corner!  

Karina Ibarra

Every year, I, like many other people, set typical New Year’s resolutions that are aimed at making lifestyle changes. The sad part is that the majority of the time, I can never fully commit to my goals and end up only following through on them for the first few months of the year. Since those lifestyle resolutions are never actually resolved, I’ve decided to set a few *smart* resolutions that can be continued for all of 2017 in order to benefit me as an up and coming PR professional.

Secure an internship

Securing an internship would not only serve as a commendable resume builder, but would also help to build up professional work experience. There are some things that simply cannot be taught or learned inside a classroom, which helps to show the value of an internship’s real world lessons.

Become a better communicator

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills are necessary for anyone working in a communications field (crazy, right?), which is why we should never stop trying to better our talents. I usually doubt my communication skills and even believe that my work can be considered below average, though sometimes that isn’t the case. In order to overcome this self-doubt, I push myself to be a better communicator and I even let someone else read my written works. It really helps to get someone else’s opinion!

Make connections

How often have we heard the phrase, “it’s who you know”? Don’t just network, build relationships. You never know when you’ll end up needing someone or when someone will need you so you need to have a strong relationship to work from. That’s what PR is all about.