SACHi MEDiA
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Sachi Barstein
George Mason University
fbarstei@gmu.edu
GEORGE MASON COMMUNICATION MAJOR GAINS EXPERIENCE WITH PR FIRM
“Everyone was really welcoming and I thought, ‘I could live the PR life.’” Most people are concerned about what’s due in their classes. However, Jasmine Smith is taking a more proactive approach with career…and her future. As the Vice president of the Public Relations Student Society of America (or PRSSA) and the first intern The PRSA has ever had, it looks like she’s on a pretty good start.
Jasmine Smith is a senior at George Mason University. She is a communication major with a concentration in public relations and a minor in electronic journalism. She first came to George Mason as a Government major, but very quickly decided that wasn’t the major for her.
She currently has two internships under the umbrella of the PRSA. When the heads of the two sectors want to use her for a project, they will email her supervisor and they will ask if she is interested in the project they have for her.
However, she is not a typical intern. Unlike most interns, she doesn’t actually come into the office with a business casual outfit and a cup of coffee in her hand. “No Glitz, no glamour.” said Smith. Everything is through email and everything is electronic, making her electronic journalism minor very useful.
“I do little assignments,” said Smith. “Like last Wednesday, there was a gala for the Thoth awards.” The 45th Annual Thoth Award Ceremony, located at the Ronald Regan international trade center, recognized and honored the most outstanding public relations campaigns and initiatives in the D.C. area.
And this year, Smith was in charge of putting together the award ceremony’s power point presentation. “All I did was run the entire power point,” said Smith. “It’s not as easy as it looks, though. It was my first event and I was terrified.”
This power point was 76 slides and would act as the visual representation of the winners for specific categories. Even though some slides came faster or slower than others, she said the entire room was very calm about it. Even though she knew who the winners were, she had to hide it those specific people, before the ceremony started.
She acknowledges how much George Mason University has contributed to her Public Relations knowledge and it translated into her internship. Her favorite classes are of ones with Professor Dickerson and professor Rowan.
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