Are you a Public Relations major looking for a way to get better connected with others in your major? Or maybe you are considering your options and just want to get a taste of the PR field? Then PRSSA is a great way for you to get involved on campus! PRSSA is the student branch of the nationwide organization Public Relations Society of America. The goal of the org is to nurture the professional development of students through various workshops, meetings, and networking events.

My favorite event that I attended was a networking event that was hosted in Milwaukee at Plum Media. There, I was able to talk with not only with students from other universities, but also professionals actively working in the PR field in the Milwaukee area. It was also an added bonus that we were hosted at a media company, which is an area I could see myself working in. I was able to speak with one of the main editors of the company which helped me broaden my network even further.

Some of the events students can look forward to are Agency Tours around the Milwaukee Area, Professional development workshops (Linked in, resumes), Nationals and the Leadership conferences, Bake Sale fundraisers, and PR pro-day with the PRSSA Chapter. The meetings are bi-weekly and last for about an hour. They include a brief update on upcoming events and meetings from the org president. Following the presentation is a group work shop. Workshops range anywhere from personal branding to mock interviews.

Current PRSSA president Sara Wolf quotes: PRSSA has been an extremely influential part of my college experience. It gave me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone and grow through leadership opportunities that I will carry with me after graduation. I have made friendships and memories through this organization that I will always cherish. PRSSA has given me valuable tools that I otherwise would not have learned in the classroom!

Personally, PRSSA has benefited me in a multitude of ways. I have learned several skills on how to craft my personal brand and market myself. Not only that, but I have had many opportunities to go to different PR networking events that I wouldn’t otherwise have even known about. It was also a bonus that I was able to make some amazing friends along the way and build a professional network. When I attended my first meeting I will admit I was skeptical. I hadn’t heard of the organization before, but I had just switched my major to public relations. I asked my PR professor if there were any clubs that focused on that major specifically, and that is where I learned about PRSSA.

To my pleasant surprise, I left the first meeting feeling much better about my decision to change my major to public relations. Everyone was so welcoming and it was nice to see that I wasn’t the only person there who didn’t know a lot about the PR field quite yet. It was a great way to meet a lot of people, all with different interests and reasons for joining the organization.

Overall, I have been very grateful for my now 4 consecutive semesters as a member of PRSSA. It is a great organization to learn so many versatile skills and network, all without a hefty time commitment. If you want to further your professional development and learn more about the PR field and all that it has to offer, then look no further than PRSSA!