New Beginnings

I was driving home from school the other day when I heard one of my all time favorite songs, Liz Phair's "Why Can't I," on the radio. One of the best things about getting older is that you can relate to the lyrics of so many more songs. You've experienced more emotions, more people, more places, more "things," so you begin to know what your favorite artists are singing about. As the song played, I sang along and the meaning of one verse really hit me: "Isn't this the best part of breaking up, finding someone else you can't get enough of, someone who wants to be with you too?" Yeah, she's talking about a romantic relationship, but that verse really sums up what I'm feeling now, as a recent college graduate (as of last night).

When people ask me if I'll miss EMU, if I'm upset about leaving undergrad life behind, if I'm nervous about the future, I can somehow, amazingly say "No." The last three and a half years of life have been great - I've learned so much, not only in the academic sense, but also in the philosophical, life skills sense. I've had a wide breadth of experiences that make me who I am now, and I am thankful for each and every one. I'm not upset about these experiences coming to an end, though. Instead, I'm excited about having the opportunity to start all over again, as a college graduate. With every end, something begins. And that's what Liz Phair is saying in "Why Can't I."

On that note, I'd like to sum up for readers some of what my undergrad experiences (at school, on the job, and in the bar) have taught me about life.

1) Experience all you can (within the limits of the law and good health). Wether your idea of an adventure is going to the DIA, salsa dancing the night away at the Firefly Club, or parachuting down the side of a mountain in Patagonia (did you see that episode of Man Vs. Wild?!), don't let fear keep you from making the most of life.

2) Talk to people. They are AMAZING! Every person has a story to tell. But most won't share it unless you ask. You can't experience everything there is in this life yourself, so gather what you can from the people around you.

3) Love. That's right, as 1968ish as it might sound, love your family, love your friends, love your coworkers, love your classmates, love people on the other side of the earth, love animals, love the Earth. If you can do that, nothing will ever seem bad again.

And finally...

4) There are two correct answers to "Why?" They are "Why not?" and "Because." "Why not" symbolizes all that is creative, all that is new, all that is young. "Because" represents all that is wise, all that is time-tested, all that is proven true. If you can find a balance between these two answers to life's biggest question, I believe you can be happy.

What is PR?

Last night I attended a dinner organized by a fraternal organization I'm involved in, the PNA. (It's a national insurance benefit society for people with Polish ethnic ties that sponsors language schools, dance groups, parties and all kinds of other fun stuff.) Anyway, I was talking at this dinner to one of the young ladies I know through the Polish Centennial Dancers. She is a senior in high school and is thinking about a career in PR. I told her about my internship experiences at The Henry Ford and Eisbrenner PR, the volunteer work I've done for the Westland Historical Museum and the PNA, and PRSSA, an organization for PR students in college. I also gave her a briefing on what PR is and how it works in different capacities for different organizations.

It dawned on me, though, that many high school and college students considering a career in PR might not know what it consists of. (I didn't understand what PR actually was until I took a class in organizational communication at EMU in my sophomore year.) So, I thought I would look up an "official definition" of PR to share with readers.

According to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), "Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other." Easy enough. But how does PR accomplish this task? I decided to look around the Web for a site with more info about the tools of PR, what is achieves, why it's important, etc. And, miraculously, I found one site with everything I was looking for. It's the London School of PR and Branding. (Who knew there was a school entirely devoted to PR?!) It has an awesome section on what PR is, its tools, its functions, reputation management, and what PR accomplishes in the world. It also includes a list of books on the PR field. (I think I might look for Creativity in Public Relations at Borders the next time I run in.) This Web site is a great resource for anyone considering a career in PR - you have to check it out!

Trying to Hit the Big Time

As you may know from my previous posts, I will be graduating in a very short time (one week from Sunday) with my B.S. in Public Relations from good ole EMU. Because PR at EMU is part of the Communication and Theatre Arts Department, I've gotten to know quite a few theatre majors and had lunch with one of them earlier this week at my favorite campus area restaurant, The Tower Inn. (I highly recommend their pina coladas - best I've ever had).

My friend, Rob, told me how nervous he was about his prospects for finding work in the acting world after graduation. Like any other field, there's no gaurantee that a degree will get him the job. He faces an endless slew of auditions. I told him that I can relate.

With graduation right around the corner, I've been job hunting and interviewing like a madwoman. Knowing what employers are looking for in a full time employee is hard. Luckily, I found a great resource on The Detroit News Web site, Michigan Career Builder . It offers a host of tips and information to help you get through all the aspects of getting a job, from resumes, to interviews, to references. For instance, did you know that hiring managers will often ask double layered questions in an interview to test how carefully you pay attention to what they're saying?

This afternoon I am interviewing for a full time position here at Eisbrenner with our firm president, Tom. Hopefully I'll soon be hitting the big time.