New fund breaks down barriers for strategic communication students

A newly established Scripps PRSSA Support Fund will support experiential learning opportunities and real-world experiences in public relations for OHIO’s strategic communication students involved with Scripps PRSSA.

Scripps PRSSA is the University’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America. It offers networking opportunities with public relations professionals, workshops, real-world experiences and access to internship and job postings.

Alumna Angela (Hazlett) Krile, BSJ ’97, was the first to donate to the Scripps PRSSA Support Fund alongside after chapter advisor and visiting professor of strategic communication Dan Farkas, BSJ ’98, MBA ’15, recognized the need for financial support for professional development opportunities and industry conferences.

“I wanted to support anything that solidifies opportunities for students to get firsthand experience in what it really means to work in this business,” Krile said. “What I love about PRSSA and the work they do through their student-run firm and the opportunities that they create there in Athens is that ability to have that hands-on learning. Anything that we can do as professionals to support our future workforce just makes good sense.”

Scripps PRSSA president Isabellia Moyers-Chavez joined the organization as a freshman and has been involved ever since, now entering her senior year as a journalism major on the strategic communication track. For her, the value of PRSSA lies in the real-world insight it provides into the world of public relations and strategic communication.

“Every time I leave a new semester, I have more work samples, more hands-on experiences and industry connections that I get to use. I like the encouragement to take risks and treat every project like it’s going in a portfolio or it’s a real client,” she said. “PRSSA is really where I found a good network of people, my confidence and a greater understanding of my career path.”

As a journalism track in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, the strategic communication program emphasizes effective communication through storytelling and research, training the next generation of public relations professionals to work with clientele and the public to craft effective, accurate and compelling messages.

“One of the things I like about being in strategic communication is that a lot of my basis has to be in news information as well,” Moyers-Chavez said. “That … gave me a great understanding about, from the PR side, what journalists are dealing with and what their jobs are, and it made my understanding of the profession more well-rounded.”

As a graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Farkas pointed to his time in the program as integral to his career path, including his current role as an educator. With a broadcast journalism degree from OHIO, he began working in that industry but saw opportunity to engage with a new digital landscape and pivoted to strategic communication as social media was becoming increasingly popular. He began teaching students soon after.

“That idea of what they call ‘pracademic,’ or practitioner-academic—having your toes in both pools—is something that I really like to do,” Farkas said.

Farkas emphasizes the importance of communicating with audiences through storytelling when teaching the next generation of strategic communication professionals at OHIO. He sees strategic communication as a mode of storytelling that can communicate important information to audiences in effective, exciting ways.

“Strategic communication and news and information journalism should have a very harmonious partnership,” he said. “It’s based in truth; it’s based in telling stories. When we do it right, that goes from nice to necessary.”

As an alumna of the program and of Scripps PRSSA, Krile called the types of experiences she had in the group “life-changing” and noted their ability to build a foundation for success for students. She helped establish the new support fund help more students engage in networking and professional development opportunities that may cost barriers.

“The PRSSA Support Fund helps level the playing field for our members,” explained Moyers-Chavez. “It really removes the financial barriers and creates new possibilities.”

Farkas also noted how the costs of networking opportunities can be prohibitive to students wanting to enter the industry.

“How do we support students to go to these places and learn about internship opportunities, meet other people and understand what it takes to be able to enter the marketplace?” Farkas asked. “How can we make sure that from a skill standpoint, the strategic communication students are doing things that clearly help them get a job and be prepared to enter the workforce?”

For Krile, experiential learning and networking opportunities are vital to helping students learn how to harness cutting-edge technology and tools and combine them with timeless, quality writing and fact-checking skills.

“Today, I think strategic communication is all the more important because of all the noise in society. It’s really hard to cut through the chaos and get your message heard,” she said. “As a communicator, making sure that you are using the right tool and the right message and trying to get to the right people at the right time—it’s imperative.”

Farkas said Scripps PRSSA is an invaluable opportunity for students wanting to get a jumpstart on real-world experience in the industry, which he views as a crucial resource for success in a competitive field.

And the outpouring of support for strategic communication students has been an all-around win for everyone involved.

“People could understand the power of giving, our students could see how much our alumni want to help each other, and we could also have resources to be able to provide those experiences,” he said.

Moyers-Chavez added that the support for PRSSA has been eye-opening in demonstrating to students the generosity of Bobcat alumni and how they uplift current students who are passionate about achieving their professional and personal goals.

“It really shows students that their ambitions are worth investing in,” said Moyers-Chavez. “We were astonished by the support from alumni, because it went beyond funding; these people believe in us and our passion. It solidified the idea that our goals are worth it.”