Friday, November 16, 2012

‘Meet the Pros’ event offers career insight to students


By Megan Hafner
Cardinal Staff

Saint Mary’s University’s Public Relations/Business (PR/B) Club visited prominent professionals to gain insight at PDI Ninth House in Minneapolis, Minn., on Nov. 15.

About twenty students from SMU attended the “Meet the Pros” event hosted by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), according to Coordinator for Mass Communication Dean Beckman. Students also visited the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota to hear about the experiences of two SMU alumni who work in the communications office there, said Beckman.

“These types of field trips are a great way for students to take a step toward their professional development by learning about what others do in the industry,” said Beckman. Some of the representatives at the “Meet the Pros” event included the Vice President of Weber Shandwick Tracy Kurschner and the Editor in Chief of American Craft magazine Monica Moses. Weber Shandwick is an international Public Relations Firm.

PR/B Club Secretary Shannon Nelson said, “This is a great networking event for students to meet professionals in this field.” She said this was a field trip open to all students to listen to professionals talk about what they do and the path that they took to get to where they are today in the public relations field.

“The ‘Meet the Pros’ event is a great way for juniors and seniors to get their name out there, and networking is a good way to get a job for out of the classroom, real-world experience,” said Nelson. Seniors and juniors were encouraged to bring their resumes and cover letters for the professionals to look at and improve, while also asking questions about the public relations industry.

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