In November 2016, STC-PMC was invited to participate in a panel at Drexel University. Dr. Susan Stein teaches “COM 698: Creating and Managing Communication Professional Identities” and asked PMC to send a representative to tell students about the role of professional organizations in their careers. A total of four presenters came to Drexel that night to describe their experiences with professional organizations.
STC-PMC sent president Timothy Esposito as their representative. Timothy gave each of the students handouts explaining the benefits of student membership, details about the PMC Scholarship program, information on how to sign up in the PMC mentor program, and a top ten list of reasons to join STC. Next, Scott Tattar spoke about PRSA, the Public Relations Society of America. Scott is the advisor for the student chapter of PRSA at Drexel University. Following Scott, Dawn Byers shared her experiences with PRSA as a Drexel alumna and how it helped advance her career. Last, Rosemary Rye spoke about the Philadelphia Public Relations Association, PPRA. A key theme for the night was to volunteer with an organization, get involved, and network.
Following a period of questions and answers, the panel was invited back to the next two sessions of the class to serve as commentators on the students’ online portfolios. Timothy Esposito returned the following week to review half of the class’s LinkedIn profiles, resumes, and online presentations. The students showed great skill at creating online materials to promote themselves. Each project was highly individualized, but still communicated great information about the student.