{"id":14027,"date":"2026-04-28T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=14027"},"modified":"2026-04-27T14:30:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T18:30:39","slug":"building-the-bridge-connecting-prssa-students-with-nycs-top-agencies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2026\/04\/28\/building-the-bridge-connecting-prssa-students-with-nycs-top-agencies\/","title":{"rendered":"Building the Bridge: Connecting PRSSA Students With NYC’s Top Agencies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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With graduation on the horizon, networking has taken on a new meaning. Like many of you, I have been on the job hunt for the last year, and thanks to a recent trip with University of Arkansas PRSSA, I am one step closer to my dream job. Entering the communications industry often depends not only on talent but also on the relationships, conversations, introductions and connections that open doors. Recognizing the importance of those moments, I set out to create a pathway for members of the Public Relations Student Society of America Chapter at the University of Arkansas to meet the agencies shaping the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This past February, 23 Chapter members traveled to New York City for a five-day agency tour I designed to give students firsthand exposure to the professional world of public relations. Throughout the week, we visited leading communications organizations such as Edelman, Burson, Paramount Global, J\/PR, Axicom, Hunter, 5W Public Relations and TrailRunner International. Agency professionals shared insights on career paths, agency culture and the evolving communications landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind the scenes, the experience represented months of planning, over 100 hours of coordination and significant fundraising to ensure the opportunity remained accessible to all students. Keeping costs low was a priority to ensure finances would not become a barrier to participation. With the support of local sponsors and industry professionals, what began as an idea quickly became a reality. The goal was simple: remove barriers so students could step into the rooms where their future careers are being shaped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past two years serving as president \u2014 and previously vice president \u2014 of our Chapter, one lesson has become clear: Opportunities rarely appear on their own but instead are created. Whether it is organizing a trip, building partnerships or expanding programming, growth often begins when someone decides to take the first step and bring others along. That is exactly what happened this past February. I saw a need for students to gain access to networks within global hubs of the industry, and with the support of mentors, advisers and PRSSA, it came to life. Many students on the trip are now interviewing for internships and full-time roles at the agencies we visited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That spirit of initiative \u2014 and turning ideas into tangible experiences \u2014 is what makes PRSSA so valuable. PRSSA gives students more than classroom knowledge; it provides the relationships and mentorship that shape careers. Many of the doors opened during our agency visits came through connections with professionals involved in the Public Relations Society of America, or those who once participated in PRSSA themselves, serving as a reminder of how powerful this network truly is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agency tour demonstrated that when students, advisers and professionals work together, meaningful opportunities can be created. In a field built on relationships, those moments of connection can make all the difference for the next generation of communicators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the nearly 100 people I direct-messaged on LinkedIn, the more than 40 potential sponsors I met with and the countless students who believed in me, thank you. Most importantly, I am grateful for the community PRSSA has given me and the doors I will one day walk through because of this organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Claire Yaney (she\/her) is the president of the Public Relations Student Society of America at the University of Arkansas. She is passionate about leadership, strategic communication and creating meaningful opportunities for students through professional development, collaboration and Chapter initiatives.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This past February, 23 Chapter members traveled to New York City for a five-day agency tour I designed to give students firsthand exposure to the professional world of public relations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":14028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1555,3852,3775],"tags":[35,4040,4038,1513,399,4039,1399,75,1494,4041],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14027"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14027"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14030,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14027\/revisions\/14030"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}