by Hilary Sigler
On Friday, February 21, the Public Relations Student Society of America attended the Real World PR Conference at the Cobb Galleria. The annual conference is created and sponsored by the parent organization, PRSA Georgia Chapter. Public relations students come together from across Georgia, and even from other neighboring states to attend the daylong event. This year, UWG PRSSA was able to take 16 students to the conference; the most UWG PRSSA has ever had.
While attending Real World PR, students are given the opportunity to network with professionals of Atlanta’s top public relations firms. The professionals engage in panels that provide vital information that enlighten the students about what they must do in order to become successful in the complex world of public relations.
Dr. Amber Smallwood, professor and associate dean for UWG’s College of Social Sciences, serves as UWG’s faculty advisor for PRSSA and is also an active member of PRSA Georgia.
“As the PRSA Georgia liaison to the state’s PRSSA chapters, I was part of the planning committee for this year’s conference,” says Dr. Smallwood. “The panels and workshops at Real World PR are specifically designed with today’s public relations students in mind—everything from understanding these different areas of public relations to advancing after you land your first position. This year, the West Georgia PRSSA chapter received a grant to help offset conference registration costs for members. The grant allowed us to send 16 students to Real World PR—which garnered us seats at the president’s table during the luncheon. We have been attending Real World PR before we applied for a PRSSA charter. In February 2011, I brought two students to the conference, and three years later, we have 16 University of West Georgia students attending the sessions, receiving resume feedback and interviewing for internships at the conference.”
The students that attended were able to take away an out-of-the-classroom experience. They were able to network one on one with the professionals throughout the event, and participate in question and answer panels.
UWG junior and PRSSA member Caela Smith was one of the 16 students that attended Real World PR. “I found the experience very informative,” she says. “The professionals gave advice about PR, as well as everyday life skills. There was no intimidation during the panels and networking sessions. They were very open and honest with all of the students.”
Real World PR occurs in Atlanta every February, and PRSSA at the University of West Georgia plans to continue attending each year it is offered. PRSSA plans to increase its membership for those years, so that they may represent not only themselves as young professionals but also the entire University of West Georgia.
For more information about PRSSA at UWG, please contact uwgprssa@gmail.com or visit them on Twitter @UWGPRSSA
