By: Kyle Petersen
Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) at Olivet Nazarene University is a student-run communication organization for students interested in public relations and communications, helping them gain experience and knowledge, broaden their network, and launch their career. PRSSA is a national organization with over 300 chapters (clubs) across the US and other countries, with Olivet being one of them.
According to Christina N. Baker who conducted a study on “The effects of various student organizations on academic performance,” getting involved in student organizations, similar to PRSSA, not only improves academic performance but also helps students develop skills employers are seeking. PRSSA’s goal is to do just that and more.
Sammie Martin is a senior and public relations major here at Olivet serving her first year in PRSSA. Martin is currently the Vice President of PR in PRSSA and is tasked with running the social media accounts, creating content, and updating the PRSSA bulletin board outside of the ISA room in the Comm building. Martin also helps plan and come up with ideas for the PRSSA workshops held throughout the semester.
PRSSA is unique to the other Comm extracurriculars like Inspired Strategies Agency in that it is not just a Olivet club, but a national organization. With that comes big responsibility. One of Martin’s biggest challenges working for PRSSA is holding up the high, professional standards set by the national organization. Since she operates the social media which is followed by the national organization, Martin has to do her best to hold those professional standards and create content on a professional level as the national organization would.
Martin encourages Comm students and PR majors to join PRSSA and become and dues-paying member because it is a great, established organization that looks great on a resume that employers will really be attracted to. Not only that but the networking opportunities, guest speaker knowledge and connections, scholarships, and internships available are extremely beneficial to anyone seeking a career in public relations or communication. Since PRSSA is a communications department organization, Martin pointed out that it is also a great way to build connections and relationships with other Comm majors.
On the official PRSA website you will find information on this history of the organization and many of the opportunities they offer students including scholarships and internships. Martin touched on how PRSSA is a great gateway to PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) which is the parent organization to the student version that provides members, “lifelong learning opportunities and leading-edge resources to enhance professional connections and support them at every stage of their PR career.” She said this is another great reason to get involved in PRSSA now while in college.
When asked on her vision for PRSSA in the future, Martin said she would love to see the membership of the club grow and see an increase in dues-paying members who take full advantage of all the benefits it offers.
I think it would be really cool to see it grow to other majors, not just public relations majors because it is such a great way to enhance your professional development.”
Sammi Martin
You can find more information on the Olivet PRSSA website, Facebook, and Instagram.
