WVU Regional Conference Recap
The weekend of March 28 to March 31, West Virginia University’s PRSSA Chapter hosted the Wired and Wonderful Regional Conference. The event enabled attendees to learn more about the field of public relations, meet a variety of industry professionals and make new friends from nearby universities.
Wired and Wonderful was a great opportunity to learn from each other and make connections for the future. The conference had many speakers from all over, some of them were even WVU alumni. Everyone who spoke had something truly valuable to say. I strongly believe all the things I learned from Wired and Wonderful are going to benefit me in my life.
Wired and Wonderful offered an intimate setting in which people were able to connect with not only speakers but PRSSA Chapters from other universities as well. I met awesome people from Waynesburg University and the University of Cincinnati.
The speakers talked about upcoming insights and trends within the public relations industry. They also provided advice for soon-to-be graduating students as well. Attendees had the opportunity to sit down with WVU alumni during a post-graduation panel. Students were able to ask numerous questions about the industry as well as learn each of the panelists’ journey to their career today.
As a student, we are constantly under pressure about our career post-graduation. One of the speakers, Eric Winkfield, made a great point that I will always remember and that is “No matter what, do what is right for you.”
Students can relate to the feeling of trying to fit within the “perfect” journey to a successful career. It’s important to realize that “perfect” is different for everyone. This fact can not be emphasized more.
Another takeaway from this conference was to, “be a sponge.” We never stop learning; therefore it’s crucial to retain as much as we can.
Confidence is an issue I believe students struggle with the most. Another speaker, Jordan Mitrik spoke on being confident in your own ideas but never arrogant. Being confident in your ideas means you have to speak up to employers about what you think is right. It is essential to be transparent and flexible in the workplace because it boosts your image as a team player.
I cannot thank WVU PRSSA and all of our speakers enough for such a fantastic experience. I speak for everyone from the conference when I say “We will take away and hold great memories throughout our careers!”
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As a junior at West Virginia University, Nicole Andino is pursuing a degree in Strategic
Communications with an emphasis in Advertising and a double minor in Communication Studies and Event Planning. Since attending WVU, Nicole has been actively involved in the Reed College of Media’s student organization PRSSA for three years. This year, she held the Event Planning Coordinator and Chair position for the TEDxWVU event. After volunteering last year, she decided to take on a larger role with the TEDx organization to gain experience in event planning. She sees this as a great opportunity to meet influential people and hear their life experiences. Inside of WVU, she is an employee at the campus bookstore, Barnes & Noble, as well as a teaching assistant in the communications department at WVU. After college, Nicole plans to get her master degree and further her education and career in Event Planning. Follow her on Linkedin and check out her blog.
