Newhouse Takes Over Boston
One of the best things about attending Newhouse is being exposed to opportunities that give you a jump start to your career.
On October 6, a few of the public relations masters students took over Boston, Massachusetts for a weekend to attend the annual PRSSA conference.
This conference allowed for opportunities for networking, as well as seminars about the trends of public relations and how to land your dream job.
One of my favorite talks was given by Morgan Spurlock who spoke at the opening ceremony for PRSA. Spurlock created the documentary Super Size Me that woke America up to the harmful effects of fast food. During his talk he gave a lot of tips that opened my eyes as I enter the professional field. I listed some of my key takeaways below.
– You can’t plan change, but you can plan to create impact to affect change
– Now is the time to begin taking risks
– The more risks you take, the less risky things become
– Always ask “How can I tell stories in a different way?”
Morgan Spurlock inspired me to push beyond my comfort zone and try to have a meaningful career that affects change.
PRSSA also hosted trips to different agencies in Boston. I was able to visit 360PR. They have clients such as Nintendo, Virgin Atlantic, Hasbro, National Geographic and Gerber Baby. We were able to hear from representatives about what they do in their field of work, the awesome events they get to be a part of and what it takes to stand out for that first job. During this visit, I also got the opportunity to meet other PR students at different schools and hear about their programs. It was a great opportunity to expand our professional networks.
One of my highlights of the trip was the diversity mixer hosted by PRSA. At this event, the diver
sity committee at PRSA honored chapters for their commitment to diversity and inclusion. Networking mixers can sometimes be uncomfortable or awkward but this was an amazing opportunity to gain more practice for future events. At this event, I was able to connect with Newhouse alumnus, other students and working professionals. I even ran into LAGRANT scholars- like me, LAGRANT is an organization that awards and recognizes students of color in communication-related fields, from different years.
In addition to hearing from amazing people and meeting other scholars, it wouldn’t be a trip if I didn’t get to try amazing food. Although the conference kept me on my toes from morning to evening, I still managed to try out some of Boston’s favorites.
My top favorite restaurants were Whiskey’s South Side Diner but most importantly, The Friendly Toast.
The Friendly Toast was a funky cafe that had southern, breakfast takes on Mexican food. I had breakfast enchiladas that had cheese, eggs and potatoes. My friend had funky breakfast tacos with eggs, bacon, salsa and cheese. The restaurant was packed with people of all ages. The manager even told us that at night, if you go downstairs it doubles as a jazz bar.
The trip was eye opening overall, and I cannot wait to visit Boston once again and I’m even more excited for my next conference.
