By Mackenzie Bennett

The Public Relations Student Society of America Shadow Day held in October gave students an opportunity to spend a day with a Public Relations professional. It is sponsored by the Georgia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

VSU students who were chosen to participate this fall were matched with Public Relations agencies in Atlanta. They not only observed the professionals at work, but were also invited to join in on some of their daily activities such as  creative brainstorming and team meetings. The two agencies that students were paired with were Porter Novelli and Ketchum.

Caroline Wilson, president of the VSU PRSSA chapter, was paired with Ketchum, an international public relations and marketing agency that specializes in corporate and product positioning. It is one of the largest and most geographically diverse PR agencies in the world.

During the day Wilson sat in on conference calls, shadowed employees while they did their daily work, and met with junior and senior executives who worked with clients such as Wendy’s, Cabela’s, and Kleenex.

“It was the most insightful and rewarding experience I could have asked for,” Wilson said. “ I learned just how many different avenues I can take in Public Relations and developed a new appreciation and love for my field.”