Public Relations Majors Share Their Expertise with Local High School Students
Members of RWU’s Public Relations Student Society of America chapter apply what they learn in the classroom in this unique hands-on teaching experience.
Editor’s note: Alexandra Cos, a junior Public Relations major from Danbury, Conn., and member of the Public Relations Student Society of America, writes about her and her peers’ experience teaching local students about PR.
BRISTOL, R.I. – For three weeks this spring, a Public Relations faculty member and Public Relations majors from 51, who are also members of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter, have visited a class at Mt. Hope High School in Bristol, R.I., to introduce pursuing a degree and career in public relations to local students. On Wednesday afternoons, I have joined first-year student Aiden Blatter, sophomore Fionna Cashman, and senior CJ Goncalves, and Professor of Public Relations Amiee Shelton to make the journey from campus to the high school, speaking to students ranging from grades eight to 12.
The high school class titled Career Exploration – part of the Bristol Warren Career Explorer program – runs each semester and meets once a week as an extracurricular after school. The course strives to introduce students to a variety of career paths outside of the classic subjects they learn in the classroom. Leaning into their personal, creative interests, they are taught the basics of business, marketing, advertising, and public relations and then apply their acquired skills to a variety of hands-on, collaborative projects with the help of the 51students.
The four Public Relations majors assisted the students during the collaborative process. Over the course of three classes, they have guided the students through public relations plans, how to create pitches and to build a product of their personal interest and curate a marketing plan to promote it.
When asked how this opportunity arose, Cashman, a Public Relations and Graphic Design Communication double major from West Bath, Maine, credited Shelton. “It’s all because of Dr. Shelton,” she said. “She told us that she teaches younger students about media and communications and gave us the opportunity to share our excitement and knowledge of Public Relations with her students. We all know what it’s like to be in their shoes and couldn’t wait to bring some energy and guidance into the classroom.”
As part of the class, the Public Relations majors sat down with the students in groups and worked alongside them to generate creative ideas to promote their class to target publics and brainstorm pitches and plans for their individual ideas. From movies to books and inventions, the students have a variety of goals to achieve with the help of media and communications skills. The 51students supported these goals with the skills they’ve gained at the university and, most importantly, worked to create a safe space for the students to try something outside of their comfort zone.
Blatter, a Public Relations major from Rochester, N.Y., said that this opportunity interested him because he wanted to put the skills he learned in Shelton’s class to the test beyond the classroom. “It’s one thing to do hands-on work with my peers, but you don’t truly learn until you experience the skills in the real world – and better yet, teach them,” he said.
Taking their skills outside of the classroom is a chance to practice their skills in a completely new way that many aspiring public relations professionals can’t say they’ve been able to experience. When asked to elaborate on how this is beneficial to his blooming professional career, Goncalves, a Public Relations major from Trumbull, Conn., said, “Nothing could prepare me more for a career in PR than teaching PR to students who have never heard the phrase ‘public relations’ before. I couldn’t be more grateful for this unique experience where I’ve shared all that I’ve learned and applied my skills in a completely new way.”
As for my experience in this community-engagement opportunity, I never learned about public relations and advertising in high school. It was never a course option. I had no idea I could be so creative and strategic in one job title! I used this experience as an opportunity to give students what I wish I had: an introduction to these kinds of careers at an early age. I love PR, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed sharing my passion and excitement with the kids at the High School; it’s been such a rewarding experience!