Major(s): public relations
Minor: American Indian studies
Hometown: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
What clubs and organizations have you been involved in, both within and outside of the Greenlee School?
I copyedited for the Iowa State Daily for two semesters, and that was a great experience. I was involved with PRSSA during my freshman year. I’m a student admissions representative (STARR) and I’ve been on the executive team for that for a few years. I’m also involved in the Cardinal Key Society, Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, Sorority and Fraternity Community Ambassadors Program, the Iowa State Honors Program, the Order or Omega Honor Society, International Students and Scholars Cultural Ambassador Program and Pre-Law Club.
How do you think Greenlee has prepared you for a career in public relations?
I am going to law school in the fall at the University of Iowa College of Law. Being a lawyer requires a ton of writing and oral communication skills, so I think the classes that I’ve been able to take have really prepared me for that. JLMC 460, the media law class, really inspired me to go into law. The editing courses that I’ve taken, specifically from Tracy Lucht have helped too. She really inspired me to just be a really great writer and communicator. I’ve also taken a few PR classes with Erin Wilgenbusch. She’s been amazing in helping to tighten my writing and create campaigns.
What has been your favorite class at the Greenlee School?
JLMC 349, Editing in the Newsroom with Tracy Lucht was a great class. I learned to be a very technical writer, which can be applied to a lot of areas, not just journalism. It taught me to be a great writer and a great editor and to look for those mistakes. P R 424, Public Relations Campaigns with Erin Wilgenbusch was really a culmination of everything I’ve learned in PR, and we had the opportunity to work with a client. We worked with the Joan Bice Underwood Tea Room and did a PR campaign for them. That was amazing as well. Those two classes were definitely the culmination of everything I’ve learned.
Where did you complete your 499 internship? Have you had any other internship experiences?
I’m currently interning with the Carrie Chapman Catt Center as their events planning and public relations intern. I also had an internship with the African American Museum of Iowa in Cedar Rapids last summer as their public relations intern.
What are your plans after graduation? What do you hope to do long-term in your career?
I would love to eventually get my PhD and then be able to teach law. I think that would be amazing because I love journalism and I love school in general, so being able to combine law and school and teaching would be something I am really interested in. I would also love to teach at Iowa State—I’m really passionate about Iowa State, so being able to teach something like JLMC 460 would be amazing.
Interview by Molly Olson; edited for length and clarity.