Progressions

From the Desk of the President – 100 Days In: Building a Stronger PRSSA Together

100 Days In: Building a Stronger PRSSA Together

One hundred days ago, I stepped into PRSSA’s Presidency  with a simple question in mind: How can we make PRSSA better for the students who make this organization what it is?

As a student, I know how much an organization like PRSSA can shape a college experience. It can be the place where you meet your closest friends, find your first internship, discover a part of the profession you did not know existed, or simply find a community that makes you feel like you belong. That is what has stayed at the center of my work over these first 100 days.

Together, the 2026–2027 International Committee has been working across the organization to strengthen our Chapters, expand resources, create new opportunities and build a stronger sense of community for PRSSA students everywhere. A lot of that work happens behind the scenes, but the purpose is simple: make PRSSA easier to navigate, more valuable to be part of and more connected to the students it serves.

Building Community Across PRSSA

One of the things I have appreciated most about my role is getting a much broader perspective of just how different the PRSSA experience can look from one Chapter to another.

With nearly 6,000 student members across the continent , there is no single experience that defines PRSSA. Every Chapter has different strengths, challenges and goals. That makes supporting our Chapters one of the most important things we can do as an International Committee.

This year, one of our biggest priorities has been the Chapter Health Task Force, which is helping us better understand what Chapters need to succeed. By looking at membership, engagement and other indicators, we can move toward more targeted support, whether that means helping with recruitment, creating new opportunities for engagement or connecting Chapters with resources they can actually use.

We have also spent much of the summer connecting directly with Chapters as they prepare for a new academic year. During Recruitment Week, Member Services, Chapter Development, Brand Engagement and Digital Communications came together to create resources and messaging that Chapters could immediately put to work as they welcomed new and returning students.

For me, that collaboration is one of the best parts of serving on the International Committee. So much of what makes PRSSA special comes from students and Advisers sharing ideas, experiences and a willingness to help one another.

And the community extends beyond PRSSA itself. This year, we are partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida for our Community Service Initiative. With a food drive planned around ICON in Orlando, we are excited to create an opportunity for PRSSA members to come together and make an impact beyond their own campuses.

Making PRSSA Resources More Accessible

Another thing I have thought about a lot during these first 100 days is how we can make PRSSA’s resources work harder for students and Chapters. Nobody should have to reinvent the wheel every time they want to plan an event, recruit members, find a sponsor, build their Chapter’s brand or create something new. If PRSSA can make that process easier, then we should.

This summer, we launched new recruitment resources, templates, presentations and messaging support for Chapters. We are also working to modernize event-planning resources, sponsorship examples, Chapter templates and branding materials so that students can spend less time figuring out where to start and more time actually creating something meaningful.

At the same time, our work is expanding the resources available to students beyond their Chapters. Career Services continues to develop career programming and resources, including international opportunities available through the PRSA Jobcenter. Professional Standards is launching new resources around ethics, AI and Student-Run Firms.

And through Progressions and Connections, we are continuing to share opportunities, information and stories with members throughout the year. Because resources only matter if students know they exist.

That is why communication has been such an important part of our work. There is so much happening across PRSSA, and one of our responsibilities is making sure students can actually find the opportunities that are there for them.

Preparing for What’s Ahead

And, of course, there is one thing that has been getting closer throughout these first 100 days: ICON 2026.

The International Committee and this year’s Host Chapter have spent much of the summer preparing for ICON in Orlando, and I cannot wait to see all of that work come together.

ICON is one of my favorite parts of the PRSSA year because it represents what this organization can be at its best: students from across the continent coming together to learn from one another, meet people who can change the trajectory of their careers and experience the communications profession in a completely different way.

Beyond ICON, we have continued preparing for Bateman, District Conferences, Ethics Month, the PRSSA Awards Ceremony and the many other programs that give students opportunities to learn, lead and grow. There is a lot ahead!

100 Days Down, A Year Ahead

If these first 100 days have taught me anything, it is that strengthening PRSSA is not about one initiative, one event or even one Committee. It is about the small things we do consistently to make the experience better for someone else.

A stronger Chapter creates a better member experience. Better resources make it easier for students to get involved. Better communication helps them discover opportunities they might otherwise miss. And a stronger community reminds students that they are part of something much bigger than their own campus.

That is the PRSSA I want to help build. A PRSSA that feels connected, accessible, and that gives students real opportunities to learn, lead, build relationships and find their place in this profession.

I am incredibly proud of what the International Committee has accomplished in our first 100 days, but more than anything, I am grateful for the people who have made it possible. From our International Committee members and Chapter leaders to our Advisers, volunteers and students across the continent, this work is only possible because so many people care deeply about PRSSA and its future.

The first 100 days were about building the foundation. Now, we get to build on it. There is a lot more work to do, and I could not be more excited to do it together.