A Turning Point in Life

Sometimes a higher power brings us close to death so we may better appreciate life. In 2004, I sustained burns on 30 percent of my body when my kitchen caught fire. This horrific experience has given me a stronger inner drive, and has taught me to value everything I have, the people closest to my heart and each experience I encounter, both positive and negative.

 

The morning of the fire, I was preparing to go to the doctor, and my mother was on her way to accompany me. I wanted my apartment to have a nice aroma, and used a technique a friend had showed me. I put the end of a candle in an old sauce pan and let it simmer. However, before I knew it the pan burst into flames and I had to think fast. Sooner than I could reach the fire extinguisher, the candle exploded and my clothes were on fire. I extinguished myself and the rest of the kitchen and dialed 911. I was lucky because most of the damage was temporary. My hands were the only area that withstood long term damage, but that too was a blessing because it happened when I was covering my face.

 

After two weeks in the hospital, I was released to outpatient treatment and spent an additional three months in the care of my mother. The time and isolation allowed me to think about the past, present and most importantly the future. I analyzed my strengths and weaknesses and what really matters. I became comfortable with myself and found myself growing into a stronger more independent woman.

 

Over the next year, I wore compression gloves. They allowed the skin to smoothly heal, but were not exactly fashionable. Random people would stare at me and ask what was wrong, or even comment that I must be into Michael Jackson by replicating his glove trend. I realized that although I was not a shallow person, I did sometimes have difficulty understanding people that were different from me. This experience has taught me not to be judgmental, but to be empathetic with those unlike myself and people that may be going through a hard time.

 

One last lesson that I learned from this incident is that if I'm going to do something I will do it with passion. It made me realize that though my passion I can leave a positive impact on the world. I will enjoy life to the fullest and do what I can to help others do the same.

Bye, Bye Newsletter!

This past year has been the most interesting, rewarding and life changing. I think I changed in every way possible. I quick smoking, began a healthy lifestyle and found my inner leader.

Around this time last year, the elected officers of my chapter of PRSSA asked me to chair the newsletter committee. I had only written one article the past semester and didn't have confidence in my skills. I hesitated and asked if there were any other positions available. Anything but the newsletter. I took a deep breath and agreed to the most amazing responsibility I have ever had.

I started my internship with the Girl Scouts, and luckily I spent most of my time writing press releases and feature articles for their magazine. I began to read the newspaper more and I carefully noted how their sentences were formed. It seemed like all I did last summer was read and write. By the end, I felt confident not only with my skills, but with my ability to help others improve and build a healthy foundation for a successful career.

The first issue could have possibly been my most painful creation. I never took a desktop publishing class, so I had to teach myself. After 12 hours of blood, sweat and a lot of tears, a rough version emerged. I think distributing them may have been one of my proudest moments. The semester took off and I was blessed with an awesome set of writers.

Six issues later, all of them painful creations. I want to thank all of you that wrote for me. Ania Czarnecka will be taking over and I couldn't have chosen a better woman for the job.

Tonight we will celebrate a fantasic year and welcome an even better one to come at PRSSA UH's Annual Spring Banquet.

Doing What You Love, and Loving What You Do

“I’ll be home for Christmas,” seemed to always be the last sweet words I heard from my father before he rushed off to spend his Christmas Eve driving trains for the railroad. Sometimes Santa beat him to the punch.

My dad still works for the railroad, and still hates it. Throughout my childhood, he would caution me to “do what I love and love what I do,” and to never settle for a job that would simply pay the bills at the price of my happiness.

I hold this life lesson close to my heart as I navigate through my college career. Initially, my strongest academic interest was psychology. I was curious why people behave the way they do. But, there wasn’t a career within this industry that I could see myself enjoying until retirement. As I reached the point where I had to choose a major, I enrolled in an Introduction to Media and Society class. There I discovered my place in the world - public relations.

That was almost two years ago. Since then, I have explored the field from one end to the other, and I still discover new and interesting aspects. Last year, I attended the Texas Public Relations Association annual conference. I enjoyed mingling with professionals and attending a crisis workshop geared specifically for students. I have made a commitment to continued professional development and represented the University of Houston this year at the PRSSA National Assembly.

I currently have the pleasure of being the San Jacinto Girl Scouts Communication Intern. My first big assignment was writing a news release regarding our new president of the board. Dozens of community newspapers and the Houston Chronicle ran it. As I read my own words, a burst of adrenaline came over me. This was the moment I knew I made the right choice, and that I would always do what I love and love what I do.

PRSSA 2008 National Assembly

This past weekend I had the privilege of representing my school, the University of Houston, at the 2008 PRSSA National Assembly in sunny San Diego. When I was chosen by my chapter to be their delegate, I was so excited. But, as the date approached and the stress of midterms, my job and my many other commitments began to wear on me, I developed a bad attitude. I was paranoid about sharing a room with three complete strangers. I knew it would be a beneficial, once in a lifetime experience, but the idea of spending up to nine hours in a room with 102 delegates and numerous non-delegates worried me. I've never been the best at sitting still for long periods of time, and I get anxious and claustrophobic in such situations. My attitude instantly changed the moment I made it to my hotel room and met my roommates face-to-face. Shortly after, I got to know not only the people running for a leadership position, but delegates like me that just wanted a hand in shaping the next generation of PRSSA, and more importantly the future of the public relations field as a whole.

I won't go into detail about the many amazing people I met that I hope to know and work with for a long time. You can only imagine the fun a group of people can have when they share common interests and passions. I will touch on the fact that not having members from my chapter there forced me to branch out and make deeper connections than just a simple exchange of business cards.

Let’s dive straight into the purpose of my being there— Choosing our future PRSSA National Committee members and most likely the future leaders of our industry. The Assembly was conducted under the guidelines of the parliamentary procedures. I did brush up on the process, however reading about it and seeing it in action are two completely different things. It was an amazing lesson in how such elections should be held. Although not every delegate acted in an appropriate manner and a few seemed to be out of line, there was organization to the process.

The first order of business was a bylaw to extend the Affiliates Program, which allows students from schools that don't have an accredited PR curriculum access to PRSSA resources, and connects them with local chapters. They are not eligible for scholarship opportunities or leadership positions, but they can attend professional development sessions and access the immense knowledge that PRSSA has to offer. For me, this was a no brainer. Why wouldn't we want to reach out to other students, and help them further their education? The bylaw passed overwhelmingly.

Since this blog would be quite lengthy if I told you about every candidate, I will only elaborate on the elected members. First was National President, Brandi Boatner. Brandi didn't just explain in detail what she would do for PRSSA and its members. She conveyed who she truly is—Hurricane survivor, diversity advocate and someone who wanted to call me family. And, I believed her with all my heart. I met Brandi a few nights before when I was wandering the resort at night looking for my room. I introduced myself to her as Katie. The next day, even though my name badge said Katherine, she remembered I preferred Katie, and that told me that she did care about me and wanted me to be a part of her PRSSA family.

The next position to be decided was Vice Presidents of Internships and Jobs. Cecilia Marie Hughes was so energetic and passionate about public relations, and really wanted to help members succeed and "bridge their success from academia to a professional career." I have full confidence that she will help anyone interested do just that.

Vice President of Member Services went to Rebecca Timms. I first met Rebecca in Philadelphia at the 2007 National Conference when she served as Director of Logistics on the Conference Committee. I remembered that her involvement with PRSSA began when she was still in high school, and I was more than impressed. I imagined where I would be if I had realized my dreams at that age. She is leaps ahead of most, and will be an excellent representative for our society. We were running ahead of schedule and decided we would elect one more position before lunch.

Courtney Olsen would take the position of Vice President of Advocacy. Courtney is a specialist in the Army National Guard, and has served in Iraq. I believe that her experiences will help her make the right decisions and encourage others to behave in an ethical manner.

My opinion may be biased on our incoming Vice President of Chapter Development, as she was my amazing roommate. My first contact with Tiffany Riggs was through Facebook. I sent her a message introducing myself and within minutes she wanted to chat on the phone. We talked for quite a while, and she made me so energized. Her speech was incredible, and she made me, and many people I talked to, feel like we could get the "gears" going and improve our chapter and our leadership. I look forward to seeing the fresh ideas she will bring to the table.

Vice President of Professional Development began with one candidate, but a couple nominees that weren't elected trickled down and ran off the floor. After an intense run-off Tyler Page was elected. I was very impressed by his professionalism and couth. I thought the position fit him well. He wanted to focus on building mentorship programs and improving the chapter's relationship with their local PRSA chapters. My chapter has worked with the PRSA Houston Chapter, and the partnership has given us awesome speakers, employment opportunities and sponsorships.

Things got sticky when it came time to vote for the Vice President of Public Relations. When asked to define public relations, neither of the candidates really hit it on the head, and that surprised me. Any delegate can decide to abstain from voting, and if a candidate does not receive 50 percent of the vote the position is left open. Neither candidate met the said requirements, so the position will remain open for three weeks.

Jena Johnson took Vice President of Regional Activity, and she did it with half a voice, but a full heart. A few minutes into her speech she put her note cards down and conveyed how much she loves public relations and her involvement with past regional activities. The competition was stiff, but she really seemed to have done her homework, and knew what it would take to increase participation and help guide chapters as they obtain experience and knowledge.

Every candidate inspired me in some way. Not two minutes into the first speech, I began writing what would be the debut of this blog. I have wanted to start one for a longtime, but I didn't know where to start. I became inspired to write down exactly how I was feeling, and absorb the adrenaline in the air. Every time I surround myself with people who are just as enthusiastic about public relations, I re-ignite my PR flame. It becomes a domino effect that motivates me to share my love and my passion for what I do. A special thank you goes out to all the delegates and candidates for making me feel at home and sharing my passion for public relations.